Remember Amalek

The shabbat before Purim (March 23RD), known as Shabbat Zachor, is a time for remembrance. After all, Haman, who wanted to destroy all the Jews in just one day in Persia, was a descendent of Amalek. Worldwide, Jewish communities will read on this Shabbat the verses from Deuteronomy 25:17-19, which recount the cruelty of Amalek against the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt:

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17?Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt,?18?how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he?did not?fear God.?19?Therefore it shall come about when the?Lord?your God has given you?rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the?Lord?your G od gives you as an inheritance to?possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.

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This narrative isn't just a historical account; it embodies a deeper lesson on confronting evil, both external and internal to the Jewish nation.

In his commentary, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin[1] points out that remembering to destroy the evil Amalek does not only refer to the power of Amalek from ‘without’, but also the force threatening to destroy the Jewish nation from ‘within’. This notion is exemplified by a shocking demonstration in Amsterdam on Sunday 10th of March against the president of Israel, Yitzhak Herzog, who came to open the Holocaust museum in Amsterdam. The demonstration was organized by a Jewish organization who call themselves the Erev Rav. ?A Dutch Jewish organization who are proud anti-Zionists. A disgrace for the Jewish people, a severe threat from within.

In discussions about the Israel-Gaza war, I ran into many people defending their anti-Israel sentiments with anti-Israel arguments provided for them by Jews. Also, in the case of this demonstration. The demonstration was considered justifiable, because it was “even organized by Jews themselves”. They are most definitely a threat to the Jewish communities all over the world and also to the Jews living in their holy land. Amalek from 'within'. I don’t want to ran into the psychological backgrounds of this phenomena which is often described as Jewish self-hate. I want to point out a very interesting point of view from Rabbi Riskin in his comments on the texts stated above from Deuteronomy[2]. What does it mean “to obliterate the memory of Amalek”? Minister president Benjamin Netanyahu said the same words in regard of the dreadful events of the October 7th massacre. His words were misused by South-Africa at the ICJ claiming that Israel is committing genocide.

A people that can’t govern their own country show that they can’t read as well. ?

Amalekites are indeed the terrorists who target innocent civilians. So, why is it not written obliterate and destroy Amalek but instead obliterate the memory of Amalek?

Well, the scripture is quite clear how to wage a war. A few chapters earlier in Deuteronomy 20: 10 it is stated that “when you approach a city to wage war against it, you must first propose a peaceful settlement”. As Riskin (2014) explained, the most crucial aspect is the acceptance by the enemy of the seven Noahide laws of morality: no murder, no stealing, no adultery, no blasphemy, no idolatry, not eating blood of a living animal and installment of courts.

Maimonides and Nahmanides both agree that this also applies on Amalek, because the goal is not the destruction of evil but the transformation of evil by repentance and acceptance of Gods demands on morality and thereby accomplishing peace.

However as long as Amalek is out to destroy the Jewish people it is the obligation of the Jewish people to prevent that from happening and destroy Amalek. Still the Jewish people hope and pray that Amalek will change his behavior for the better; this applies even more for the Amalek from 'within'.

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The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks[3] in his comment on the remembrance of Amalek says that the hatred of Amalek was irrational and groundless. They attacked the weakest of the Jewish people when they left Egypt on their journey to the promised land. Victims were women, children and the elderly. They were no danger to the Amalekites at all; therefore, it was without rationality that they were attacked. When hatred is irrational, there is no way that reason will change it. This is why it says remember Amalek. In order to be vigilant and to fight it whenever this unreasonable hatred appears. Antisemitism is baseless hatred. Also, the new antisemitism in the mutated shape of anti-Zionism is irrational. There is no reasonable conversation with anti-Zionist possible. Historical facts and historical knowledge will not help to correct is. It proves the irrationality of anti-Zionism and that it is the mutated old enemy of the Jewish people. It shows for a fact that “irrational hate does not die. All we can do is remember and not forget, confront it and defend ourselves against it.”[4]

We must confront the Amalekites from ‘within’ and hold them responsible for their contribution to the uprise of antisemitism. We also need to address their baseless self-hatred and show them the way out in becoming a responsible partner within the people of Israel who strive for peace, but not at the cost of the total self-destruction of the Jewish people. The antisemites and anti-Zionists need to be reminded that their Jew hatred is irrational. The Jewish people, and their allies and friends have to stand up and confront it.

In the story of Purim, Haman, the villain, failed to destroy the people of Israel due to the courageous actions of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, who risked their lives to foil his schemes. May the God of Israel continue to raise up individuals like Esther and Mordechai among the people of Israel.

[1] Riskin, S. (2009). Thora Lights: Shemot. A biblical commentary. Koren Publishers, Jerusalem

[2] Riskin, S. (2014). Thora Lights: Devarim. A biblical commentary. Koren Publishers, Jerusalem

[3] Sacks, J. (2019). Covenant and conversation. A weekly reading of the Jewish Bible. Koren Publishers, Jerusalem.

[4] Ibid, p. 217.