This week’s Torah reflection raises sensitive issues, relating to G-d’s command to “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek” (Ex 17:14).
Again, in Deuteronomy we read, “you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; do not forget” (Dt 25:19).
Sure, the tribe of Amalek is clearly an enemy that attacks Israel on its wilderness journey (Read this story in Exodus 17:8-16.). But why would G-d demand such an extreme response, to “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek”? G-d doesn’t command Israel to do that to any other enemy, not even the Egyptians, despite hundreds of years of oppression of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. What is it about Amalek? What is going on here?
To unpack this, let us walk the interpretive path taken by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020). Rabbi Sacks, of blessed memory, was an English Jewish scholar and leader, highly esteemed not only by the Jewish community but in the international community for his wisdom and insightful grasp of Judaism, history, politics, interreligious relations and the defence of human dignity. [1]
But before we proceed further, let’s back up and check our liturgical bearings.
In the Jewish lectionary, this coming Sabbath is called Shabbat Zakhor (‘Sabbath of Remembrance’). It occurs prior to the celebration of Purim. The festival of Purim recalls the story of Esther, a Jewish woman who rose to the status of Queen of Persia, whose courageous intervention saved her people from the murderous figure of Haman who was plotting to destroy the Jews.
Purim includes a special reading from Deuteronomy recalling Amalek’s attack on the Israelites that followed their miraculous survival of Pharaoh’s attempt to destroy them at the Reed Sea. Let’s listen to both those accounts (for the full version consult your bible).
In the Book of Exodus, we read:
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. . . . And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” (Ex 17:8-9,13-14)
And in the Book of Deuteronomy, we read:
“Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way, when you were faint and weary, and struck down all who lagged behind you; he did not fear God. Therefore . . . you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; do not forget.” (Dt 25:17-19)
Drawing on the work of Lee Harris,[2] Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out a distinction between:
Amalek as a warring tribe, existing in a certain time and place in antiquity, and
Amalek as an idea which disturbingly persists in human history (long after Amalek as a tribe disappeared).
The relevance of the command today, then, is not for a military strategy against a people that no longer exists, but for mature awareness and moral vigilance which are always needed for human flourishing.
According to Sacks, the ideology that ‘Amalek’ represents is different to other kinds of conflicting worldviews which engage human beings in arguments and fights. In most cases, conflicts and wars are eventually settled because parties will change their minds or make decisions to adjust their behaviour. Perhaps individuals or communities will reform themselves, or they will at least accept defeat and look for alternative ways to go forward that are more constructive for themselves and others.
However, observes Sacks, there are some actors whose basis for conflict and war defies all reason, making it impossible to negotiate according to rational goals and principles. An example would be the Nazis who, in the closing days of World War II, diverted their final desperate war efforts not to defending Germany but to murdering Jews — defenceless Jews, who were already close to death. It made absolutely no sense, except that it fed their deranged hatred of the Jewish people (and, ultimately, their disregard for all humanity).
Here, we are eerily reminded of the Torah’s memory of Amalek who “attacked you…when you were faint and weary, and struck down all who lagged behind you”. (Dt 25:17)
For obvious reasons, this form of ideology is especially dangerous and requires an ‘eyes wide open’ approach by all who purport to resolve conflicts with appeals to shared values of justice and peace and respect for human dignity.
Says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, we “are commanded to remember and never forget Amalek, not because the historic people still exists, but because a society of rational actors can sometimes believe that the world is full of rational actors with whom one can negotiate peace. It is not always so.”
He concludes: “Evil never dies and – like liberty – it demands constant vigilance. We are commanded to remember, not for the sake of the past but for the sake of the future, and not for revenge but the opposite: a world free of revenge and other forms of violence.”
Now, it is true that human beings are always capable of varying levels of poor behaviour in an imperfect world, and the word “evil” should never be lightly bandied around. It is also true that applying philosophical insights to the concrete events of a particular historical and political context is a delicate, debated and fraught task. Further, most good people want to believe that everyone else is like them, that all people ultimately have the common good in their sights, even if some approach it from a different framework. We want to believe that, created in the divine image, every human being desires a divinely-ordained vision - or at least a humane vision - for peace and for the wellbeing of all peoples.
However, what Sacks draws our attention to is a biblically-based warning about a specific ideological distinction that we ignore at our peril. Hatred that is ultimately causeless and baseless, which hates the enemy simply because it is the enemy, has no reasonable solution in its sights.
He continues: “Rarely was a biblical message so relevant to the future of the West and of freedom itself. Peace is possible, implies Moses, even with an Egypt that enslaved and tried to destroy us. But peace is not possible with those who attack people they see as weak and who deny their own people the freedom for which they claim to be fighting. Freedom depends on our ability to remember and, whenever necessary, confront…the face of Amalek throughout history. Sometimes there may be no alternative but to fight evil and defeat it. This may be the only path to peace.”
These are difficult and complex issues. As always, the Torah and Jewish tradition do not shy away from addressing them and neither should we. With a friend or study partner, continue to ponder, debate and wrestle with these Torah passages. You may like to read Rabbi Sack's article for yourself.
Blessings on your Torah journey!
***
Notes:
Jonathan Sacks, “The Face of Evil”, Covenant & Conversation (published as Essays on Ethics by Koren, 2016), https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/beshallach/the-face-of-evil/
Lee Harris, Civilization and Its Enemies, New York: Free Press, 2004.
Scripture: NRSV
Image: Shutterstock via Wix
© Teresa Pirola, 2025. lightoftorah.net
Reproduction for non-commercial use permitted with acknowledgement of the Light of Torah website.
Light of Torah is a Sydney-based grassroots work, encouraging Christians to reflect on Torah with the help of Jewish insights. More... The reflection above refers to Deuteronomy 25:17-19 which is part of the Jewish liturgical service for Shabbat Zakhor, on the Sabbath prior to the festival of Purim. Shabbat shalom!
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