Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot: "Amalek, the Kingship of Saul and the Kingship

The Eternal Message Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot of Zachor Chair of the Torah She-Baal Peh Dept. at SAR High School Rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, NJ AMALEK, THE KINGSHIP OF SAUL AND THE KINGSHIP OF GOD* he Haftarah read in synagogue best animals, but they destroyed the on Shabbat Zahor, prior weak and bad quality livestock” (verse to Purim, Shmuel 1: Ch. 9). God decides to strip Shaul of T15 details the Divine command to the kingship and sends the prophet King Shaul to wage total war against Shmuel to inform him of this decision. the Amalekites in the area, with the Shmuel is told that Shaul had gone explicit command to eradicate them to the Carmel region and had built all, from young to old,1 as well as a monument to himself — “ve-henei destroy all the cattle and spoils of matziv lo yad” (verse 12) and has war. To emphasize the point, God now returned to Gilgal. Shmuel goes (through Shmuel) commands him down to Gilgal and informs him of the lo tahmol alav — Do not show any Divine decision, and the rest of the mercy on (Amalek) (verse 3). Shaul “Va-Yahmol Shaul ve-ha-Am al Agag chapter presents the unfolding of the engages in battle and defeats the ve-al meitav ha-tzon ve-habakar . dialogue between Shmuel and Shaul Amalekites decisively. However, in ve-Al kol ha-tov, ve-khol ha-Melakha concluding with the rupture between violation of the Divine command, ha-nimveza ve-nameis otah heherimu them that would never be repaired, he spares the life of Agag, King of — Shaul and the people showed as well as the loss of the kingship by the Amalekites, and both he and the mercy upon Agag and on the best of Shaul. people spare a portion of the cattle: the sheep and cattle . and on all the As many have noted, this narrative 13 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Purim 5781 It makes perfect sense that in Parashat Beshalah the war against Amalek is seen as a unique cosmic battle between God and the Amalekites, and not simply another battle. plays off the previous stories The Israelites have just left Egypt relating to Amalek in the Torah. and crossed Yam Suf. As the Song For example, the text in Sefer at the Sea makes clear, the rest of Shmuel Ch. 14 just prior to the the world was profoundly shaken command to destroy Amalek in by the events of the Exodus. The Ch. 15, summarizes Shaul’s reign entire world was overcome with by stating: awe and the nations in the Land of Israel were gripped with fear. “Ve-Shaul lakhad et ha-melukha, Into this reality comes Amalek, va-yilahem saviv be-khol oyvav with no territorial ax to grind, nor be-Moav, be-Amon — Shaul political or religious grievance consolidated the kingship under MAKE THE against Israel, and he engages in his control and fought against all of an unprovoked attack. It is literally the surrounding enemies.” MOST OF YOUR an attack on God’s people for no This verse is an echo of the verse in human, rational reason. Moreover, SUMMER the Torah (read as part of Parshat it undermined the aura around Zakhor): Israel and God’s plan. Hazal, in “Ve-Haya be-haniah lekha Hashem their vivid fashion, captured it in a Elokekha mikol oyvekha . timheh famous midrash (cited by Rashi in et zeikher Amalek — When the Parashat Ki Tetzei Ch. 25:18): Earn a Master’s in לשון קר וחם, ציננך והפשירך מרתיחתך, Lord Your God will give you peace שהיו כל האומות יריאים להלחם בכם, . from all your surrounding enemies Social Work ובא זה והתחיל והראה מקום לאחרים. you shall blot out Amalek.” Shaul . Flexible Schedule • משל לאמבטי רותחת שאין כל בריאה and the Israelites have reached the יכולה לירד לתוכה, בא בן בליעל אחד historical point that the fulfillment • Classes Live Online קפץ וירד לתוכה, ואף על פי שנכווה, of God’s command to destroy Limited Scholarships • הקרהו בפני אחרים. Amalek can now be put into action. For all the nations were afraid to war Available Let us briefly examine the reasons against you and this one came and the Torah hints at to explain why began to point out the way to others. Amalek is treated in this unique A parable! It may be compared to a manner, and not like all other boiling hot bath into which no living To Learn More Contact: enemies of Israel. Through this we creature could descend. A good-for- [email protected] will gain a better understanding nothing came, and sprang down into of Shaul’s fateful errors. If we it; although he scalded himself, he look at the passage in Parshat made it appear cold to others. Beshalah in Sefer Shmot Ch. 17, In light of this, it makes perfect the timing of the attack and its sense that in Parashat Beshalah framing is critically important. the war against Amalek is seen as 14 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Purim 5781 a unique cosmic battle between God I believe this is also hinted at in the — meitav hatzon” while destroying and the Amalekites, and not simply curious piece of information that the the lower quality animals. Shaul, another battle. This is made explicit text shares with us, which is that when in fighting the battle has, in effect, by Moshe, who upon conclusion of Shaul was returning from the battle, adopted an Amalekite ethos. He the battle is told by God that God will he erected a monument — a yad — to has become, to an extent, the very “blot out Amalek.” Moshe then builds himself (15:12). Shaul transformed a thing he was supposed to fight and an altar called “God is my banner,” battle that was supposed to represent eradicate. which he explains to mean: “Ki yad al a Divine conflict against absolute evil keis Y-ah milhama LaHashem mi-dor into another notch in his belt as a Endnotes dor — For God’s hand is upon God’s regular king fighting off his enemies. Throne, The Lord will wage war against In place of yad al keis Y-ah it is *Some of the ideas in this essay are based Amalek from generation to generation.” replaced by a yad to himself! on ideas I have heard from my dear friend The Torah hints at this idea of war and teacher, Rabbi David Silber, one of the In Devarim Ch. 25 the Torah focuses master scholars and teachers of Tanakh in our against Amalek being a milhemet on a different element of the unique generation. Hashem earlier in this section, evil of Amalek: 1. It is worthwhile to note that in the peshat informing us that when Moshe would reading of the Torah itself there is no explicit command to destroy every last one of the זָכֹור אֵת אֲ ֶ ׁשר עָ ָ הׂש לְָך עֲמָ לֵ ק ּבַדֶרֶ ְך ּבְצֵאתְ כֶ ם raise his hands, “yadav,” the Israelites .Amalekite people. The Torah in Shmot Ch מִ ִ ּמצְרָ יִם. אֲ ֶרׁש קָרְ ָך ּבַדֶרֶ ְך וַיְזַּנֵב ְ ּבָך כׇל would be successful in battle. As speaks of God’s unending battle against 17 הַ ּנֶחֱ ָ ׁשלִים אַחֲרֶ יָך וְאַתָ ה עָ יֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְ לֹא יָרֵ א the rabbis noted, in Moshe raising Amalek from generation to generation where אֱֹלקִ ים. his hands, the people would turn “Remember what Amalek did to you he will “erase” the Amalekites, while the heavenward and recognize God as the passage in Devarim Ch. 25 speaks of a human real author of their success. how, undeterred by fear of God, he obligation to “erase” Amalek. It is only in the surprised you on the march, when you In our chapter in Shmuel, part of book of Samuel that there appears an explicit were famished and weary, and cut command to kill each and every member Shaul’s mistake in leaving King Agag down all the stragglers in your rear.” of the Amalekites, from young to old. The and parts of the cattle alive, is that it Amalek must be destroyed because weighty moral and ethical challenges that shows that he is treating the battle as a this issue posed (and continues to pose) they are a foe who attacks the to rabbinic thinkers throughout the ages is standard one. He has not internalized weak and the hungry, those most it as a fulfillment of a unique Divine beyond the scope of our essay. For some vulnerable and at risk. They represent contemporary treatments of the issue see: R. struggle — a milhama la-Hashem. the exploitation of the most fragile Yaacov Medan, “Amalek” in Al Derekh Ha- It is only in the context of such a members of society, the opposite Avot (Michlelet Herzog, 2001), pp. 319-397; R. Shalom Carmy, “The Origin of the Nations unique war that a command to kill of the compassionate and merciful everyone could ever be justified. and the Shadow of Violence: Theological message of God to the world, of derekh Instead, Shaul leaves Agag alive, Perspectives on Canaan and Amalek” in Hashem la’asot tzedakah u-mishpat. War and Peace in the Jewish Tradition (Ktav/ possibly reflecting some real-politik Yeshiva University, 2007) pp. 163-200; R. approach of professional courtesy In fighting against Amalek, Shaul Norman Lamm z”l, “Amalek and the Seven or some plan to use Agag for some spares Agag, the king, the highest and Nations: A Case of Law vs.

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