The Obligation to Remember Amalek: Understanding the Nature of Evil
Among the myriad of mitzvos (seventy-two in total, according to the Rambam) in Parshas Ki Seitzei we learn of the obligation to remember Amalek.
זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם - Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you were leaving Egypt. How he happened upon you, and struck against you all the weak ones at the rear, and you were tired and weary, and they did not fear G-d. And it will be, when Hashem your G-d gives you rest from your enemies all around, in the land that Hashem your G-d gives you as an inheritance to take possession of, erase the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens, do not forget (Devarim 25:17-19).
More than solely remembering events of the past, the Torah asks us to remember what Amalek represents, and what their actions reveal about the choices human beings can make.
Why did Amalek attack Bnei Yisrael?
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the Rav zt'l, teaches that there are four factors which may motivate one nation to attack another: (I) There may be imperialistic reasons. The invading army's king is a builder and so, he attacks a weaker country to take over their land. (II) The attack may be preventative, if for example, the invading army assumes the opponent is planning a surprise attack. (III) A war may break out because a government may feel hurt and damaged by a neighboring country, who refuses to make amends. (IV) War is launched with the objective of attaining international acclaim and to impress public opinion.
However, the Rav notes, that in the case of Amalek who came and attacked Israel, none of these conditions were met.
Israel did not have their own land or territory for Amalek to annex. Amalek had no reason whatsoever to fear that Israel would attack. Amalek did not feel hurt or damaged in any way by Israel. And finally, Amalek attacked a weak people, and in the words of the Rav, “one does not rest on his laurels if he wins a war against weak people.”
If none of these conditions were met, why, then, did Amalek attack Israel?
The Rav teaches, “In truth, it was not a war against the ex-slaves; it was, rather, a war with the God of Israel. It attempted to destroy the people who carried the word of God. Amalek's central article of faith was: Do not fear God (see Deut. 25:18). As a matter of fact, Amalek was not motivated by fear at all. It could not tolerate the mere fact that somebody (whether an individual or a multitude) was successful and happy. Amalek lived on envy and hate.
"There are people who must love somebody; they have to pour their love on another. To exist for them means to love, to help, to cultivate friendship. Such a person was Abraham. Other people must hate. For them, to exist means to despise and to destroy. These sadists will search for people upon whom they can unleash their psychopathic hate. They wait for the innocent victim in dark alleys and in bleak, deserted places.
Amalek was a nation of haters, of destroyers. They had heard rumors that the Children of Israel had been freed from Egypt and immediately decided to make this people the target of their endless hate. They got excited like a predatory beast at the sight of an animal-victim. The tiger leaped into the herd.
“... Humans are free to reject the gift of the imago Dei, of having been created in God's image, since acknowledging the gift imposes a heavy burden on them. However, when one declines to accept this responsibility, one does not remain a neutral being, neither divine nor evil. There is no neutrality or in-between position in the world. One belongs either to the order of creation-the order of form and constructiveness which God declares to be very good-or to the realm of tohu vaʼvohu, darkness and an abyss, of nonbeing. One is free to act either as a child of creation in the image of God or a child of tohu given to destruction and the promotion of sorrow and suffering. Amalek chose the second alternative” (Vision and Leadership, p.104-105).
The Rav's words leave us with a profound understanding of what good and evil represent. There is a fundamental choice in our every action, word, thought and deed: Will we use our lives to create, build, bring goodness and holiness into the world, or will we choose destruction, hatred and suffering, R”L? We must remember that there is no neutral position.
We are a nation that chooses to create rather than destroy. We choose kindness over cruelty. We choose generosity over envy. We choose to build rather than tear down. We choose to bring light rather than darkness. And ultimately, we choose to emulate Hashem, Who created a world and declared it tov me'od, very good.
Perhaps this is the deeper message of zechiras Amalek. We remember not only what happened to our ancestors, but what is at stake in every generation. We remember that human beings possess the freedom to choose what they will do with their tzelem Elokim, their Divine image. The battle against Amalek is therefore also a battle over the direction of our own lives.
Zachor. Remember that Am Yisrael is different from the other nations. Remember that we can, and must, rise above our base, animalistic instincts within.
Remember that the Torah demands that we live a life of holiness, goodness, morality, kindness and respect. Then we will truly live up to the merit of being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Shemos 19:6).
Zachor - remember; lo tish’kach - do not forget.
May we merit to always choose the path of Torah, as did Avraham Avinu, and to bring more of Hashem's light into this world.
בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום
