ONE POINT
from
לקוטי שיחות חלק יט ,שיחה ד לפרשת ראה
מחזור הראשון של לימוד הלקוטי שיחות - ה'תשפ"ג
Sicha resources: www.ProjectLikkuteiSichos.org
Feedback welcome: [email protected]
Lubavitch Hebrew Academy, Margate, FL
IN THE PARSHA:
קזָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק – we are obligated to remember what עמלק did to us when we left מצרים.
There is another מצוה that is similar to this one: שוֹבָת לְקַדְ כוֹר אֶׁת יוֹם הַשַבָּת – we are obligated to remember the day of שבת, to make it holy.
בני ישראל asked משה: Since שבת reminds us that Hashem is the creator of the world, and עמלק reminds us of someone who opposed Hashem, how could we remember two opposite things at the same time?
משה answered: You can’t compare a cup of spiced wine to a cup of vinegar, although they are both cups filled with liquid.
One memory reminds us to make שבת holy, and the other one reminds us to punish עמלק.
QUESTION:
How does משה’s explanation answer their question?
Also, why did משה describe the memory of עמלק as a cup of vinegar?
ANSWER:
משה was explaining that both the memory of שבת and the memory of עמלק remind us that everything in this world comes from Hashem.
Even someone bad, like עמלק who openly opposed Hashem and attacked בני ישראל, only exists because Hashem allows him to exist.
Just like sour vinegar comes from good wine, evil עמלק’s existence comes from Hashem.
Further discussion:
Why is remembering שבת vs. עמלק described as not just wine vs. vinegar, but as a כוס?
(See אות ה in the שיחה)
