Amalek was the first nation to attack the Israelites in the desert, attacking them from behind so as to target the weak and weary stragglers. As a result of this, paradoxically, the Torah commands the Israelites simultaneously to remember what they did and to blot out even the memory of them.
Notable Sources
All Sources
A
Amalek’s Attack on the IsraelitesCOMMENTARY
Amalek’s Attack on the Israelites
COMMENTARY
The Torah instructs us never to forget Amalek’s attack on the Israelites as they left Egypt. Ralbag, a 14th-century Jewish philosopher and commentator, elaborates on the circumstances of the attack, the state of the Israelites, and the enduring legacy of Amalek.
Remember, Don’t ForgetTANAKH
Remember, Don’t Forget
TANAKH
Upon the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Amalekites were the first to attack them. Paradoxically, the Torah commands Israel both to remember what Amalek did and to blot out their memory.
The Origins of AmalekTALMUD
The Origins of Amalek
TALMUD
Jewish tradition traces the nation of Amalek, the historic enemy of the Jewish people, back to the rejection of a woman who wanted to convert. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin recounts the story of Timna, a royal woman who sought to join the Jewish people, and the consequences of the decision to reject her.
Faith in the Battle Against AmalekMISHNAH
Faith in the Battle Against Amalek
MISHNAH
The book of Exodus recounts that the Israelites prevailed in the battle against Amalek as long as Moses’s hands were raised in the air. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the third-century land of Israel, offers a theological interpretation of Moses’s strategy.
Eradicating the Inner AmalekCHASIDUT
Eradicating the Inner Amalek
CHASIDUT
In many Chasidic teachings, Amalek represents an ongoing internal struggle against the evil that exists inside each of us. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, an 18th-century Chasidic leader, offers one such interpretation of the biblical commandment to erase Amalek.
Emboldening Our EnemiesHALAKHAH
Emboldening Our Enemies
HALAKHAH
The Amalekites’ influence reached beyond their failed attack against the Israelites. The Sefer HaChinukh, a 13th-century anonymous work that details the 613 commandments of the Torah, explains the impact of Amalek on the other enemies of the Jewish people.
A Divine PunishmentMIDRASH
A Divine Punishment
MIDRASH
While the Torah depicts Amalek as pure evil and the Israelites as their innocent victims, later interpreters suggest that Amalek’s attack was in fact a punishment for the Israelites. The early medieval Midrash Tanchuma suggests that Israel’s transgressions against God led to the attack.
The Amalekite DilemmaJEWISH THOUGHT
The Amalekite Dilemma
JEWISH THOUGHT
The Torah commands the annihilation of the Amalekite nation, including women and children — a commandment that presents a challenge to the notion of an ethical, merciful Torah. Rabbi Samuel David Luzzatto (Shadal), in his 19th-century work of Jewish thought, addresses the moral quandary that this law poses.
The Price of DisobedienceTANAKH
The Price of Disobedience
TANAKH
The biblical king Saul goes to war against the Amalekites, with clear divine instructions to wipe out the entire nation forever. The book of Samuel recounts the war, including Saul’s failure and God’s response.
Esther and Haman, the Amalekite MIDRASH
Esther and Haman, the Amalekite
MIDRASH
Haman, the villain of the biblical book of Esther, is identified in the Jewish tradition as an Amalekite. This midrashic text from the 11th-century Midrash Lekach Tov describes Haman’s lineage, early career, and rise to power.
No Amalek but AmalekRESPONSA
No Amalek but Amalek
RESPONSA
Some have understood the commandment to wipe out Amalek to extend to other actors with genocidal intent against the Jewish people. Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim, the second Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, clarifies that this commandment cannot be extended to any other nation, even to those who perpetrated the horrors of the Holocaust.
An Annual RemembranceHALAKHAH
An Annual Remembrance
HALAKHAH
The mitzvah (commandment) to remember what Amalek did to the Israelites is fulfilled through an annual public recitation. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, in his contemporary presentation of Jewish law, Peninei Halakha, outlines the specific requirements for fulfilling this commandment.
