Introduction

This article discusses the biblical history of the nation of Amalek from its inception until the Persian Empire of the second temple and resulting moral lessons through the following events:

• Inception (Genesis 36:12).
• First Battle against Israelites (Exodus 17:8-16)
• Battle by sinners of Israel (Numbers 14:39-45).
• Battle by King Saul (1 Samuel 15:1-34)
• King David subdues Amalek.
• Purim story (Book of Esther).

The author will use the Pardes method of exposition quoting from scripture, Talmud, Midrash, and Zohar with associated commentaries.

Two companion articles on this web site, “Amalek – Halacha” and “Hamas Attack” will analyze the biblical command to annihilate Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) from the perspective of Halacha and as it applies in our time especially with regard to the attack of Hamas on October 7^th 2023 (22 Tishrei 5784), respectively.

History

Inception

The Torah relates (Genesis 36:12), “Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz, (firstborn) son of Esau, who bore to Eliphaz, Amalek.” Although this verse merely identifies Amalek as a grandson of Esau, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 99b) provides the background information which teaches an important moral lesson which reverberates throughout history.

The Talmud explains that Timna was a member of a royal family (her brother was a chieftain – Genesis 36:22) who wished to convert to the faith of Abraham (i.e. monotheism) with the intention of marrying into the family of Jacob. However she was rejected because her motives were not pure (i.e. conversion for marriage) as in Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 268:12). She then became a concubine to Eliphaz, a grandson of Isaac, saying, “It is better to be a concubine in the family of Isaac than a princess to another nation.” Spurned by the Israelites, she directed her hatred to her son Amalek who would become the archenemy of Israel. Thus following the popular adage, “Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.” The Talmud concludes that the Israelites should not have rejected her or at least they should have sought some means of accommodation.      

 Lessons

From this episode the following lessons may be learnt:

• Treat gentiles with respect and tact.
• Be aware of the hostility of Amalek.

Respect and Tact

Although conversion to Judaism must be without ulterior motives there is room for leniency. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) recounts 3 episodes of gentiles who approached both Shammai and Hillel for conversion to Judaism. In each case the gentiles had serious misconceptions of Judaism which would disqualify their conversion. Therefore Shammai rejected them outright but Hillel dealt with each one according to his nature. Eventually they overcame their misconceptions through Torah study and converted sincerely to Judaism. When the three met they said, “The strictness of Shammai would have driven us from this world but the tolerance of Hillel led us to rest under the wings of the Shechinah.”    

Hostility of Amalek

The hostility of Amalek to the Israelites is mostly dormant but resurfaces from time to time. Hence the Torah warns the Israelites against complacency (Deuteronomy 25:17), “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you left Egypt” as explained in the next section, “First Battle Against Israelites”.

First Battle against Israelites

The Torah (Exodus 17:8-16) records the first battle of Amalek against the Israelites without mentioning the physical and spiritual reasons for this battle.

Reasons for Battle

The Talmud, Midrash, and Zohar explain the reasons for this battle as follows:

• Israelites complaining.
• Lack of faith.
• Rephidim – Weakness of Torah study and observance.
• Hatred of Amalek.

Complaining

The Torah (Exodus 17:1-7) relates that after leaving the Wilderness of Sin the Israelites arrived at Rephidim where there was no drinking water (ibid. 1). Instead of praying to Hashem the people quarreled with Moses demanding water (ibid. 2). Moses replied (ibid.) “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Hashem?” Hashem told Moses to take his staff (ibid. 5) and strike a rock to produce water (ibid. 6). Moses followed Hashem’s command and brought forth water (ibid.). The Torah (ibid. 7) concludes the narrative, “He (Moses) called the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling] because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and their testing of Hashem, saying: Is Hashem in our midst or not?”

The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 65:20) expounds upon the verse (Genesis 27:20) when Jacob disguised himself as his brother Esau to secure the blessings from their father Isaac. Isaac after feeling the disguised hands of Jacob says (both literally and prophetically),” The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” The Midrash states that when the voice of Jacob is engaged in mitzvoth and not complaining then the hands of Esau will not harm them. However if they do complain, they in effect beckon Esau (including Amalek his grandson) to come and attack.   

Lack of Faith

In addition to complaining, the Israelites demonstrated a lack of faith by questioning, “Is Hashem in our midst or not (Exodus 17:7)?” The Midrash (Exodus Rabbah 26:2) explains that Hashem was displeased with this lack of faith and gratitude of the Israelites after Hashem had performed so many miracles for them (e.g. 10 plagues and splitting of the Sea of Reeds). The Midrash provides a parable of a son riding on the shoulders of his father. The son sees the friend of his father and taunts the father by questioning, “Have you seen my father?” The father upset by the taunt remarks, “You are riding on my shoulder and ask where I am?” The father then says, “I will throw you down and as a result your enemy will prevail over you.” In the parable Hashem is the father, the son represents the Israelites, and Amalek is the enemy.           

Rephidim – Weakness of Observance

Both the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) and Midrash (Tanchuma Beshalach 25) comment on the place name Rephidim in Exodus 17:8, “Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim“. At a literal level, this place name is one of the stations of the journey in the desert as the verse (Numbers 33:14) relates, “They (Israelites) journeyed from Alush and encamped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” However the commentators on the Talmud and Midrash note the mention of Rephidim in Exodus 17:8 appears incongruous because the Torah had previously stated that the Israelites had encamped at Rephidim in Exodus 17:1, “They (Israelites) encamped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.” In addition Moses renamed this place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling] because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and testing of Hashem (Exodus 17:7).

Hence both the Talmud and Midrash interpret the place name Rephidim (רפידים), with the addition of the letter vav (ו), as two words ידים רפו meaning weakening of hands referring to weakening of Torah study and observance. The Midrash explains that as a result of these sins Amalek came to wage war as the verse (Exodus 17:8) relates, “Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.” The Zohar (2:65b) continuing on the theme of “weak hands” expounds that when the Israelites study Torah and observe the mitzvoth they strengthen the hands of Hashem so to speak. Conversely when the Israelites weaken their hands from Torah they weaken the hands of Hashem exposing themselves to their enemies especially Amalek. Certainly Hashem is omnipotent and can destroy the enemies of the Israelites. Hence the language of the Zohar is not be interpreted literally rather the Zohar teaches the following lessons:

• Scripture (and by extension the Zohar) speak in the language of laymen.
• Scripture (and by extension the Zohar) often speak from man’s perspective.
• Man’s actions lead to a divine response.

Language of Laymen

Scripture (and by extension the Zohar) use the language of laymen to convey complex thoughts that people can easily understand and internalize. Hence the expression “Weakening of Hashem’s hands” is not literal but emphasizes that Hashem may not intervene in a crisis.

Man’s Perspective

Scripture (and by extension the Zohar) often speak from man’s perspective (i.e. as things appear but not necessarily as they are). When Amalek attacked Israel without warning it appeared that Hashem’s hands were weak, especially after Hashem appeared as a master of war at the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15:3) and drowned the Egyptian army.

Man’s Actions

The Zohar in many places emphasizes that man’s actions lead to a divine response. Hence if the Israelites follow the Torah then Hashem will protect them. If not they are exposed to their enemies.     

Hatred of Amalek

The Zohar (2:65a) notes after the Egyptian army drowned in the Sea of Reeds the surrounding nations were afraid to attack the Israelites as scripture relates (Exodus 15:14-15), “People heard and trembled. Terror gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chieftains of Edom were startled. Trembling gripped the powerful men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan dissolved.” Despite this fear Amalek, due to their hatred of Israel, launched an unprovoked attack as the verse states (Number 24:20), “Amalek was the first nation (to attack Israel) therefore his end shall be eternal destruction.”    

Formation of Army

The Torah relates (Exodus 17:9),”Moses said to Joshua: Select men for us and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of G-d in my hand.”

The commentators on the Torah and Midrash ask the following questions:

1. Why did Moses not participate directly in this battle?
2. Why did Moses select Joshua as commander of this battle?
3. What was the nature of these men selected for war?

It is interesting to note that Hashem did not instruct Moses how to proceed against Amalek. Therefore Moses took the initiative with the different strategies discussed below.

Answer 1 – Moses as Spiritual Leader

At a literal level, Moses was too old for direct battle since he was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh in Egypt (Exodus 7:7). Only men between the ages of 20 and 60 were involved with direct combat (Numbers 1:4 and Numbers Rabbah 5:2 respectively). However Moses could have served as an advisor or chaplain to the army.

The Zohar (2:65b) explains that Moses realized that any battle against Amalek must be fought on both spiritual and physical levels, especially since this attack was a result of sin as explained above. Hence Moses chose to fight the spiritual battle through prayer and delegate the physical battle to Joshua. The Torah records Moses strategy as follows:

Exodus 17:9 – “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of G-d in my hand.”

Exodus 17:10 – “Moses, Aaron, and Hur ascended to the top of the hill.”

Exodus 17:11 – “When Moses raised his hand Israel would prevail.  When he lowered his hand Amalek would prevail.”   

Moses took the staff of G-d to show the people that Hashem would perform miracles for them as in Egypt and the Sea of Reeds (Midrash Tanchuma Beshalach 26). Therefore they did not need to worry.

The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 29a) questions, “Did the hands of Moses wage war?” The Talmud answers, “As long as the Israelites turned their eyes upward and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they prevailed, but if not, they fell.” In a similar manner the Pirkei of Rabbi Eliezer (Chapter 44) relates that the Israelites who did not fight followed the example of Moses and prayed with great devotion.    

Answer 2 – Selection of Joshua

Moses selected Joshua as his general for the following reasons:  

• Future general – While in Egypt Hashem informed Moses that Joshua would lead the Israelites in battle to conquer Israel (Exodus Rabbah 5:23).
• Linage – Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, son of Joseph. Since Joseph was the cause of the Israelites to leave Canaan and settle in Egypt it is fitting that one of his descendants be the driving force behind the Israelites returning to Israel (ibid. 26:3).
• Moral authority – Joshua descended from Joseph who was distinguished by the latter’s reverence for Hashem (Genesis 42:18). By contrast the Torah emphasizes that Amalek had no reverence for Hashem (Deuteronomy 25:18). Hence it is fitting that one who has reverence for Hashem should wage war against those that lack this quality (ibid.) In a similar manner the Talmud (Bava Batra 123b) states that the descendants of Esau (including Amalek) will fall to the hands of the descendants of Rachel (e.g. Joshua).    
• Prime Torah student – Joshua was the main disciple of Moses as the verse attests (Exodus 33:11), “Joshua son of Nun, attendant (of Moses) … did not depart from the tent (of Torah study).” Hence it is fitting that he led the Israelites in battle to rectify the sin of “Rephidim – Weakness of Torah study and observance (Or HaChaim on Exodus 17:8-9).     

Answer3 – Nature of Men

The Midrash (Exodus Rabbah 26:3) explains that Joshua selected men of wisdom and Torah knowledge who would therefore be successful in waging war against Amalek and correct the sin of “Rephidim”.  At a literal level the selected men should be physically strong to withstand the rigours of war (Mechilta on Exodus 17:9), especially since the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and not trained in warfare.

Methods of Amalek

The Midrash Tanchuma (Ki Teitzei 9) describes the methods that Amalek used in its unprovoked attack against the Israelites. The verse (Deuteronomy 25:18) reads, “(Amalek) happened (קרך) upon you on the way and struck stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary. (In addition) Amalek did not fear G-d”. The Midrash comments on the word קרך, which appears in scripture only once, in this form, as follows:

• Degradation (impurity) – The word קרך relates to impurity מקרה as in the verse (Deuteronomy 23:11), “If there is among you a man who is unclean from a nocturnal emission (מקרה), he shall go outside the camp.” The Midrash compares the similarity of words and concludes that Amalek sodomized captured Israeli soldiers. In addition the Midrash (ibid. 10) mentions that Amalek soldiers castrated some of the Israeli soldiers and threw the male organs to the sky and taunted Hashem by saying, “Where are you chosen people?”      
• Trickery – The word קרך is similar to the word קראך which means “he called you”. The Amalek soldiers called the Israelites by name and said that we are kinsmen through our common ancestor Isaac and would like to do business. The Midrash explains (ibid. 9) that they obtained their names from the Egyptian taskmasters.
• Influence – The word קרך also means to cool off from the Hebrew word (קר) which means cold. The Midrash uses the parable of a hot bath which no one would approach. If a fool jumps into the bath he will cool off the bath even though he will be burned. In this parable the Israelites are compared to the hot bath, the Amalekites to the fool, and the cooling of the bath to the other nations. By attacking Israel, after crossing the Sea of Reeds, Amalek wanted to show the world that the Israelites are not invincible even though Amalek lost soldiers in the war.           

Aftermath

The Torah (Exodus 17:13) relates that Joshua weakened but not eliminated Amalek. The reader may ask, “Why did Hashem not permit Joshua to eliminate Amalek at this point?” The Torah answers (ibid. 17:16), “Hashem maintains a war against Amalek from generation to generation מדר דר .” The Midrash (Tanchuma Ki Teitzei 11) explains that the eradication of Amalek will not occur until the advent of the messiah when the Israelites have the merit and moral authority to win this war. The author would like to point out that the gematria of the expression מדר דר at 448 is the same as הרג עמלק (208 + 240 = 448) (kill Amalek) meaning that at this war Amalek will be destroyed by force.  

Ritual

This section of the Torah (Exodus 17:8-16) is read in the synagogue on Purim morning (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 693:4) as a reminder of the battles against Amalek and the moral lessons listed below. 

Lessons

From this episode the following lessons may be learnt:

• Be aware of hatred of Amalek.
• Battles against Amalek are fought on both spiritual and physical levels.
• Maintain faith in Hashem.
• Strive for moral authority.

Battle by Sinners of Israel

The Torah (Numbers 14:39-45) records a battle of Amalek against the Israelites. In this case the Israelites had sinned grievously through a complete lack of faith. Moses had sent 12 spies to scout the land in preparation of conquering Israel (Numbers 13:1-20). The spies completed their travels through Israel in 40 days (ibid. 13:21-25). Instead of seeking ways to facilitate the conquest they panicked and told Moses that it was impossible to conquer the land because the Canaanites were too strong (ibid. 26-31). In addition to their own lack of faith they convinced the people that it was suicidal to attempt a conquest (ibid. 13:32-33). As a result of the report the people became despondent and wanted to return to Egypt (ibid. 14:1-4).

In response to their lack of faith Hashem decreed that the Israelites would remain in the desert for 40 years (ibid. 14:33). Taken aback by the decree of Hashem the Israelites admitted their sin and were prepared to conquer the land of Israel (ibid. 40). Moses told them it was too late. The decree was sealed, Hashem would not be with them, and they would fail in battle (ibid. 41-42). In the next verse Moses bluntly informed the Israelites how far they have fallen, “For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. Since you have turned away from Hashem, He (Hashem) will not be with you.” However the Israelites defied the words of Moses and went to battle without Moses and the Ark of the Covenant (ibid. 44). As a result the Israelites were resoundingly defeated as the Torah relates (ibid. 45), “The Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived on the mountain descended, smote them (i.e. Israelites), and pounded them until Hormah.”

Lessons

From this episode the following lessons may be learnt, before going to battle against Amalek the Israelites must: 

• Maintain faith in Hashem.
• Be righteous (i.e. moral authority).
• Listen to the prophet (e.g. Moses).

Battle by King Saul

Shortly after the coronation of King Saul, Hashem told the prophet Samuel to command the king to wage war against Amalek (1 Samuel 15:1-2). Samuel said (ibid. 3), “Go smite Amalek and destroy everything he has. You shall not have pity on him.  Slay man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey alike.”  In response to this command King Saul assembled an army of 200,000 men (ibid. 4) and was victorious capturing their King Agag and destroying his people by the sword (ibid. 8). However King Saul disobeyed Hashem’s command by sparing Agag and the best of the cattle (ibid. 9). In disappointment Hashem informed Samuel (ibid. 11), “I (Hashem) regret that I have made Saul king … he has not fulfilled My (divine) words.”

The reader may ask, “What prompted Saul to disobey Hashem’s command?” The Talmud (Yoma 22b) addresses this question and explains Saul’s rationale with respect to:

• Agag.
• Children of Amalek.
• Cattle.     

Agag

Although the Talmud does not specifically mention his intention with respect to Agag, the Talmud (ibid.) mentions Saul’s concern for killing so many people. He reasoned that if the Torah commands the Israelites to decapitate a calf because of a one person killed by an unknown murderer (Deuteronomy 21:1-9) how much more so (i.e. a fortiori) is the concern in the wake of the many killed in battle. Although Saul intended to eventually kill Agag, in the interim Agag impregnated a woman who begot a son that was a distant ancestor of Haman (Megillah 13a).        

Children of Amalek

According to the Talmud (ibid.), Saul reasoned if the adults sinned by fighting against Israel how did the children sin? This implies that Saul had spared them. Others hold that Saul had killed the children but felt remorse afterwards.

Cattle

Scripture (1 Samuel 15:9) clearly mentions that Saul spared the best of the cattle of Amalek and similarly reasoned if the adults had sinned how did the animals sin? The commentators on the Talmud (e.g. Iyun Yaakov ibid.) suggest that Saul spared the best animals for offerings to Hashem for atonement over killing Amalek and his cattle (based upon 1 Samuel 15:15).

Aftermath

Hashem resoundingly rejected all of the arguments of Saul and said to Samuel the prophet (ibid. 15:11), “I (Hashem) regret that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from Me (Hashem) and not fulfilled My words.” Although Saul pleaded for mercy from Samuel (ibid. 15:25) the latter reiterated Hashem’s rejection, “For you have rejected the word of Hashem therefore Hashem has rejected you from being a king over Israel.” Appendix 1 discusses the other causes of the end of Saul’s reign.  

Although Hashem’s judgment against Saul appears harsh, in reference to this incident the Talmud quotes Ecclesiastes 7:16, “Be not overly righteous, and be not overly wise; why should you bring desolation upon yourself?” Saul thought that he was righteous in sparing Agag and the cattle and wiser than Hashem by disobeying His command. The Midrash (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.16.1 or 7.33) comments that one who is merciful towards the cruel, will eventually be cruel to the merciful or in the vernacular “misplaced mercy”.  The Midrash applies this verse to Saul who spared Agag (i.e. apparent mercy) and sometime later issued an order (1 Samuel 22:18) to murder 85 priests of Nob (i.e. cruel to the merciful). In the opinion of the author this misplaced mercy may also be applied to the Purim story as follows. During the time that Saul spared Agag (i.e. apparent mercy) the latter impregnated a woman. This son was a distant ancestor of Haman (Megillah 13a) who planned genocide against the Israelites (i.e. cruelty). Hence his apparent mercy to Agag resulted many years later in cruelty to the Israelites.

Samuel Kills Agag

After informing Saul that he lost the monarchy the prophet Samuel summoned Agag (1 Samuel 15:32). The verse (ibid.) states that Agag said, “Surely, the bitterness of death has passed”. Most commentators on this verse remark that Agag accepted his fate. Although some explain that Agag thought that Samuel, as a man of G-d, would spare him. However the next verse relates that Samuel said, “As your sword bereaved women, so will your mother be bereaved among women.” Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before Hashem”. The Midrash (Lamentations Rabbah on Lamentations 3:64 or Lamentations Rabbah 3:9) provides different explanations about Samuel’s execution of Agag:

• He castrated Agag before execution.
• He placed Agag on 4 poles and pulled them until Agag was killed by stretching. 
• He cut Agag into pieces and fed them to ostriches.
• He cut Agag into 4 pieces.  

At first sight the reader would be revolted by this apparent cruelty of Samuel. However Samuel wanted to emphasize that misplaced mercy should not be applied to Amalek. In addition by quoting Lamentations 3:64, “Requite them, Hashem, as they have done”, the Midrash teaches that Samuel’s actions were not for revenge. Rather Samuel sought to avenge the honour of Hashem and fulfill the Torah’s command to annihilate Amalek. In addition the Midrash (ibid.) mentions that Samuel wished to avenge the cruelty of Amalek in their first battle against the Israelites in the time of Joshua (Exodus 17:8-13) when they castrated some of the Israelites to mock the mitzvah of circumcision.     

Lessons

From this episode the following lessons may be learnt:

• The king must obey Hashem’s command to destroy Amalek.
• No mercy must be shown to Amalek.
• Misplaced mercy leads to potential tragedy in the future.      

King David Subdues Amalek

David in his role as king subdued Amalek. Scripture states (1 Kings 11:16), Joab (commander of the army) and all of Israel were stationed in Edom for six months until he had killed every male in Edom.” The Talmud Bava Batra 21b explains that these men of Edom were in fact Amalek and Joab should have killed the women as well. He incorrectly interpreted the verse (Deuteronomy 25:19) which commands, “To obliterate the memory (זכר) of Amalek” as “To obliterate the males (זכר) of Amalek” because both words are spelt the same way in Hebrew. Perhaps Joab or his army were aware of the need to eventually erase the memory of Amalek but felt that at that time it was sufficient to kill the males of Amalek.

The Maharsha (ibid.) opines that the battle was against Edom and not specifically Amalek as the verse relates. It would be inconceivable that the men of his army did not know that the command to destroy Amalek applies equally to men and women. In addition they would recollect that Saul killed the men and women of Amalek as discussed above. Hence the Maharsha explains that Joab thought that a battle against Edom is similar to a battle against Amalek in that only the men are killed. Hence his misinterpretation of the verse did not impact the battle and therefore his soldiers did not correct him.        

Although scripture mentions David’s battle against Amalek in 1 Samuel Chapter 30, this victory occurred during the reign of King Saul and therefore was not indicative of his position as king. In addition this victory was over a band of Amalekites and not the entire nation.  

Purim

The miracle of Purim story is a broad topic therefore for the sake of brevity this article will limit the analysis to the following personalities and topics:

• Amalek (Haman) – hatred of Israelites, genocide, influenced the king.
• Israelites – sin of Israelites, rectification of sin by Mordecai and Esther.
• Hashem – hidden, sleeping, and response
• War – Amalek.   

Amalek – Haman

Genocide

The book of Esther records the genocidal plan of Haman against the Israelites and their deliverance through the workings of Esther, queen of Persia and Mordecai her uncle. This book also mentions that Haman was a descendant of Agag and therefore an Amalekite (Esther 3:1), identifying the source of his hatred of the Israelites.

Influenced the King

The reader may ask, “How did Haman a foreigner in Persia, whose nation Amalek was a minority in the empire, convince the king to accept his genocidal plan?” The Persians are descendants of Japeth (Yoma 10a based upon Genesis 10:2) and are not genealogically linked to the Amalekites who are descendants of Shem. The Hebrew letters of Japeth (יפת) when rearranged yield פתי which means gullible. Hence the descendants of Japeth are susceptible to follow a rabble rouser, especially from Amalek. This explains why the subjects of the Persian Empire were either indifferent or complicit to the genocidal plans of Haman.

The Talmud (Megillah 13a) notes that Ahasuerus also hated the Israelites and was predisposed to Haman’s plan. However in contrast to other anti-Semites he changed his attitude towards the Israelites when Esther told him that she was Jewish (Esther 7:4). In turn he ordered the hanging of Haman (ibid. 7:9) and appointed Mordecai as chief minister (ibid. 8:2). 

Verses from Scripture

Scripture (Esther Chapter 3) relates Haman’s suggestion to the king as follows:

Verse 8 – “There is (ישנו) a certain people scattered and separate among the peoples … in your kingdom. Their laws (religion) differ from every other nation. (Since) they do not keep the king’s laws therefore it is not befitting of the king to tolerate them.”    

Verse 9 – “If it pleases the king, let it be written to destroy them. I (Haman) will pay 10,000 silver talents … for deposit into the king’s treasuries.”

Verse 13 – “Letters shall be sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, little children and women, … on the 13^th  of the 12^th month (Adar) …, and plunder their possessions.”

In the opinion of the author these verses offer a striking example of anti-Semitism in general and the workings of Amalek in particular. 

Literal Meaning

Haman aims to demonize and dehumanize the Israelites as follows:

Demonize – In the former verse Haman says, “A certain people scattered and separate among the peoples”. However he does not mention the people by name implying their sinister behaviour.

Dehumanize – In the same verse Haman adds, “It is not befitting of the king to tolerate them”, implying that the Israelites are sub-human and not worth to keep.       

Stealth – In verse 13 Haman clearly identifies the Israelites as the intended victim of his genocide. By contrast in the previous verses Haman neither specified the nation nor did he indicate that he would kill all on one day.

Appendix 2 relates the tirade of Haman against the Israelites, as recorded in Esther Rabbah 7:13. In this calumny Haman purposely distorted history and omitted critical facts.    

Israelites – Sin and Rectification

Sin

Based upon the principle of measure for measure (Sotah 8b), divine corrective action must be commensurate with the severity and nature of the transgression. Therefore the Talmud (Megillah 12a) and Midrash (Songs of Songs 7.8.1 or 7.13) pose the question, “What sin precipitated the decree of the threat of annihilation (through Haman)?” These sources provide the following answers:

1. Denial of Hashem – They bowed to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar except for Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
2. Eating – They enjoyed the feast of Ahasuerus.

Denial of Hashem – Statue of Nebuchadnezzar

The sin of bowing down to this statue may have led to the decree of annihilation because the Torah records a precedent when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf. At that time Hashem said to Moses (Exodus 32:10), “I will annihilate them, and I will make you into a great nation.” Nebuchadnezzar erected this statue (Daniel 3:1) and commanded all of his subjects, through representatives, to bow down to it (ibid. 3:5). Those who refused would be put to death in a fiery furnace (ibid. 3:6). Amongst the Israelites present, only Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to bow down and trusted in Hashem (ibid. 3:17). Hashem miraculously saved these men (ibid. 3:25). The commentators on the Talmud (e.g. Tosafot on Pesachim 53a and Ketubot 33b) debate whether this statue was simply a royal symbol or actually an object of idol worship.  

In any event, refusal to bow to this statue would have been a demonstration of faith in Hashem and sanctification of His name. When seeing that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were miraculously saved, Nebuchadnezzar cried out (Daniel 3:28), “Blessed be the G-d of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Babylonian names of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah), Who sent His angel and rescued His servants, who trusted Him, disobeyed the command of the king, and risked their lives in order not to worship or prostrate themselves to any god except to their G-d.” Therefore he ordered that anyone who would speak amiss about Hashem would be killed (literally made into a dung heap) (ibid. 3:29). 

Enjoying the Feat of Ahasuerus

The Talmud (ibid.) and Midrash (ibid.) record an opinion that the Haman’s decrees were a result of the sin of the Israelites enjoying themselves at the feast of Ahasuerus. They may have been justified to attend the feast to placate the king. However they should not have enjoyed the feast especially since Ahasuerus celebrated the destruction of the temple and the end of the 70 years of exile, as predicted by Jeremiah, with this feast. Ahasuerus felt since the Israelites were not redeemed at that point the temple would not be rebuilt. Hence any Israelite who attended this feast demonstrated a lack of faith in Hashem and the promise to rebuild the temple.  

The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 7:14) relates that Mordecai told the Israelites to avoid the feast of Ahasuerus because it was a spiritual trap that Haman had laid. Haman invited the Israelites and hired women to “eat, drink, and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15)” with the intention that Hashem would punish them for their immorality. The Midrash (Numbers Rabbah 15:14) adds that the food served by the king may not have been kosher. In fact 18,500 Israelites did not heed Mordecai’s warning and sinned grievously. In turn the Satan, acting as the accuser, advised Hashem to punish the Israelites with annihilation. Although Hashem initially agreed with the Satan to threaten the Israelites later Hashem saved the Israelites as His chosen people.   

In the opinion of the author, the sin of enjoying this feast is similar to the sin of the spies Numbers (13:26-14:4) where the people lost faith and would rather return to Egypt instead of attempting to conquer the land of Israel. In turn Hashem had planned to annihilate the Israelites and start over with Moses (Numbers 14:11). Hence by attending the feast the Israelites were in effect abandoning hope of rebuilding the temple and returning to Israel. They were content to remain in exile as subjects of Ahasuerus and ignore the prophecy of Jeremiah that the exile would end after 70 years.

Rectification – Esther and Mordecai

Esther – Fast

In view of the threat of genocide Esther suggested that the Israelites in Shushan fast for 3 days and nights (Esther 4:16). Initially Mordecai was reluctant to accept her suggestion because the fast would occur on the 1^st day of Passover. Esther countered (Esther Rabbah 8:7), “If the Israelites do not nullify the plan of Haman, who will be left to observe Passover?” Then Mordecai accepted her plan (Megillah 15a) even though it meant transgressing the mitzvah of rejoicing on a festival.      

(As an historical note the book of Esther does not record the starting date of the fast. Consequently the Talmud (Megillah 15a as explained by Rashi) and the Midrash (Esther Rabbah 8:7) differ on this date. According to the former source the fast began on the 14^th of Nissan one day after the announcement of Haman’s plan. According to the latter source the fast began on the 13^th of Nissan the same day after of the announcement of Haman’s plan. According to both views the fast occurred on the 15^th of Nissan which is the 1^st day of Passover either as 14-16 or 13-15 of Nissan).

Mordecai – Torah Study and Prayer

Although not cited in the Book of Esther the Midrash (Esther Rabbah 9:4) explains that Mordecai assembled 22,000 young students to fervently study the Torah. After preparing the gallows for Mordecai (Esther 5:14) Haman arrived and placed the children in chains. The crying of these students reached the heavens and aroused Hashem from his sleep or in the words of the Midrash, “Arose from the throne of judgment to the throne of mercy and tore the decree against the Israelites”, thus marking the turning point in the story of Purim.

Hashem – Sleeping and Response

Sleeping

The Talmud (Megillah 13b) cites Esther 3:8 and focuses on the perceived spiritual weakness of the Israelites. Haman felt that he could prevail against the Israelites because they had sinned either by bowing down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar or by enjoying the feast of Ahasuerus as explained above. The Talmud finds an allusion to this weakness through the unusual word (ישנו) which means “there is”. The common form in Hebrew is the word (יש). Since the word (ישנו) can also mean “sleeping” Haman though that the Israelites were sleeping in a moral sense by lack of observance and complacency in exile.  

The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 7:12) similarly focuses on the word (ישנו) and applies the sleeping to Hashem so to speak. This means that Hashem appears to be sleeping and has abandoned the Israelites because of their sins. However the Midrash assets that this “sleeping” is only apparent because Hashem is always watchful over the Israelites and quotes the following verses from Psalms to show Hashem’s protection:

121:4 – “Behold the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”  

78:65 – “The L-ord awoke as one asleep, as a warrior rousing himself from wine.” 

44:24-25 – “Awaken! Why do You (divine) seem to sleep, O L-rd? Arouse Yourself (divine), forsake not forever. Why do You (divine) conceal Your presence? Why do forget our affliction and oppression?” 

The Midrash also quotes Leviticus 26:44 whish is an eternal promise by Hashem to protect the Israelites, “I (Hashem) will neither despise them nor reject them to annihilate them … because My (divine) covenant that is with them, for I am Hashem their G-d.”

Response – Ironic End

The Midrash asserts that Haman’s downfall would ironically occur through sleep. The verse states (Esther 6:1), “On that night the king’s sleep was disturbed. He ordered to bring the book of the records … to be read before the king.” At a literal level the king refers to Ahasuerus who had difficulty sleeping because he felt that perhaps Haman or Esther were plotting against him. Therefore he requested a reading of the royal records to determine if he had supporters that were not properly rewarded. The king’s servant read in the chronicles that Mordecai had reported an assassination attempt against the king (ibid. 2). The king said, “What honour and greatness was done to Mordecai on that account?” The king’s servants … replied, “Nothing was done for him (ibid. 3).”

Then Haman approached the king with the intention to petition the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared (ibid. 4).  The king doubting Haman’s loyalty asked him, “What should be done to a man whom the king wishes to honour (ibid. 6)?” Haman in his conceit assumed that the king wished to honour Haman and replied (ibid. 8), “Let them bring a royal robe that the king wore, the horse that the king rode upon, and the royal crown should be placed on his head.” Then the king ordered Haman (ibid. 10), “Hurry, take the robe and horse as you have spoken and do all this for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not omit a single detail that you have suggested.” The next verse records the elevation of Mordecai and the initial downfall of Haman, “Haman took the robe and horse and dressed Mordecai. Then he paraded him in the city square and announced before him: So shall be done to the man whom the king wishes to honour!”

In addition to the literal reading of the verse, both the Talmud and Midrash comment on the turning point in the Purim story. The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 3:10) notes that in the Book of Esther the word “king” without qualification refers to both the temporal King Ahasuerus and  the divine King. Hence the verse (Esther 6:1), “On that night the king’s sleep was disturbed“, refers to both monarchs as follows:

• Hashem – The Talmud (Megillah 15b) comments that Hashem’s sleep was disturbed meaning Hashem would protect the Israelites even though it appeared that Hashem was asleep.
• Ahasuerus – The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 10:1) points out Ahasuerus had a nightmare that Haman was trying to kill him with a sword.              
• Angels – Rashi on the Talmud (ibid.) explains that even the angels were roused to both pray for the Israelites and disturb the sleep of Ahasuerus with his nightmare.   

In any event this was the turning point in the Purim story where Hashem and his angels set in motion a number of events which led Ahasuerus to elevate Mordecai and set Haman on the road to oblivion. In fact Haman was eventually hung on the same gallows that he had intended for Mordecai (Esther 7:9).       

Aftermath

The book of Esther relates (8:11) that Ahasuerus granted the Israelites the right to defend themselves and attack their enemies, “The king permitted the Jews in every city to assemble, defend themselves, destroy, slay, and annihilate the entire host of every armed force that threaten them including small children and women, and plunder.” In fear of the king’s decree many gentiles converted to Judaism as the verse relates (Esther 8:17), “Many of the peoples of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews fell upon them.”       

Despite the decree, some gentiles fought against the Israelites on the 13^th of Adar, exactly one year after the public announcement of the genocidal plan of Haman Esther (9:2-6). In addition, scripture records that the Israelites killed 75,000 of their enemies but did not take booty (ibid. 9:16). The reader may ask, “Who were the enemies especially in regard to the fear mentioned above?  The Targum on this verse explains that these enemies were in fact Amalekites who instead of fleeing fought against the Israelites in a futile battle. 

Lessons

From the Purim miracle the following lessons may be learnt:

• Amalek – Be aware of the hostility and danger of Amalek.
• Israelites – Do not despair. Rather return to Hashem through Torah study, prayer, and fasting. Be prepared to fight against Amalek.
• Hashem – Never sleeps and will always redeem His people.   

Context

In addition to the historical context the war against Amalek is neither a genocidal campaign nor an act of revenge. Rather it is a biblical commandment that rids the world of evil and lead to establishment of Hashem’s kingdom on earth through the building of the temple in Jerusalem as explained in Appendix 4.   

Conclusion

This article discussed the historical development of Amalek starting from his birth at the time of Jacob to the time of Purim of the second temple with particular emphasis on the moral lessons of each episode as follows:

• Amalek – Be aware of the hostility and danger of Amalek.
• Israelites – Maintain the moral authority. Connect to Hashem through Torah study and observance. Be prepared to fight against Amalek and its allies. 
• Hashem – Never sleeps and will always redeem His people.

Just as the battle against Amalek is from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16) so too is the victory over Amalek celebrated from generation to generation, “(Esther 9:28), “These days of Purim shall never cease among the Jews, and their memory shall not cease from their descendants.”

Appendix 1 – End of Saul’s reign

The commentators on the book of Samuel and Talmud note that Hashem had previously stated that Saul would lose the monarchy before the sin of disobeying Hashem’s command with respect to Amalek. Specifically Saul disobeyed Samuel’s command to delay offerings to Hashem until the latter arrived (1 Samuel 13:9), as the verse (ibid. 14) as says, “Your kingdom shall not continue; Rather Hashem has sought … a man after His heart (i.e. David).” Hence these commentators explain that at this point Hashem would take the monarchy from Saul but not from his offspring. After the sin of sparing Agag and cattle, Hashem took away the monarchy from his offspring. Alternately after the first sin Saul could have kept the monarchy for many years. After the second sin he lost the monarchy and his life shortly afterwards as the verse states (ibid. 1), “Saul was a year in his reign and he reigned for two years over Israel.”

Some of the commentators on this verse question the literal meaning of this verse because many events occurred during the reign of King Saul. In addition Ish-boseth, Saul’s son, was 40 years old after the death of his father (2 Samuel 2:10). Hence if Saul reigned for only 2 years he must have been in his fifties when he became king. This seems at variance with his youthful strength and role as a simple shepherd. Hence some explain that his reign may have exceeded 2 years but the prediction of losing the monarchy occurred in the 2^nd year of his reign.  

Appendix 2 – Tirade of Haman

The Midrash (Esther Rabbah 7:13) records a dialogue between Haman and King Ahasuerus about Haman’s plan of genocide against the Israelites. The king challenged Haman by asserting that his genocidal plan was futile because Hashem will protect His (divine) chosen people and listen to their prayers.

Although Ahasuerus was initially against Haman’s plan, his constant badgering of the king eventually led to acceptance of the plan. After gaining the king’s support Haman launched a tirade against the Israelites to convince the advisors of the king of his plan of genocide. His tirade consists of an overview of the history of the Israelites and their interaction with other nations as follows:

• Egypt.
• Amalek – Joshua.
• Canaan.
• Amalek – Saul. 

In addition his tirade, similar to the anti-Semitism of today, is based upon:

• An element of truth.
• Slander of the Israelites.
• Omission of facts from a human perspective. 
• Omission of facts from a divine perspective.

Egypt

Haman began his tirade by saying truthfully that the Israelites went to Egypt because of a famine in the land of Canaan. Pharaoh received them warmly and supported them. Then Haman slandered the Israelites by asserting that they were ungrateful to Pharaoh, rebelled against him, and wanted to leave Egypt with the possessions of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36). He neglected to mention that the Egyptians cruelly enslaved the Israelites for more than 80 years. (Moses was born during this slavery and returned to Egypt at the age of 80 years (Exodus 7:7)). Hence the wealth that the Israelites took from Egypt was compensation for their hard work and suffering. In addition Hashem told Moses (Exodus 11:2) that the Israelites should request gold and silver vessels from the Egyptians. Furthermore the Torah (Exodus 12:36) relates that the Egyptians voluntarily agreed to this request; presumably as an admission of guilt in their benefit from this slavery.

Amalek – Joshua

Haman then cited the battle of Amalek against the Israelites which is true and recorded in the Torah (Exodus 17:8-13). However he slandered the Israelites by implying that the Amalek waged war to protect their land. Haman omitted to say that the Israelites had just left Egypt and were not prepared for this unprovoked war. In addition Amalek dwelled southwest of Israel (in present day Jordan) and travelled a considerable distance to wage this war in the Sinai Peninsula. Then Haman had the audacity to claim that Joshua was a cruel military leader because he defeated the forces of Amalek (ibid. 17:13) who had started the war. (How does one win a war without harming the enemy?) Haman also denied divine assistance in this war by imputing that when Moses raised his hands (ibid. 11-12) he was engaged in some form of sorcery. In reality Moses was engaged in prayer as the Targum translates on Exodus 17:12.  

Canaan

Haman then moved on to the conquest of Canaan led by Joshua. He truthfully asserted that the Israelites conquered Canaan and killed 31 kings. However he slandered the Israelites by claiming that they showed no mercy in their conquest. He neglected to mention that the Israelites under the command of Joshua offered the following terms of engagement to the Canaanites (based upon Maimonides Laws of Kings 6:1 and 6:5):

1. Peace – If they accept an offer of peace and commit themselves to the fulfillment of the seven mitzvoth of Noah, none of them will be killed.
2. Leave – If they choose to leave Canaan they will not be harmed.
3. War – If they choose to fight then they will be destroyed according to the verse (Deuteronomy 20:17), “You (Israelites) shall utterly destroy them (i.e. nations of Canaan) … as Hashem … has commanded you.

The Israelites offered the Canaanites either peace or flight to avoid bloodshed. It was their refusal of these offers that lead to their death and not the cruelty of the Israelites. In addition the conquest of Canaan and destruction of the Canaanites is written in the Torah with an assurance of spectacular success if the Israelites observe the commandments as follows Deuteronomy Chapter 11):

Verse 22 – “If you keep all these commandments … to love Hashem … walk in all His ways, and cleave to Him.” 

Verse 23 – “Hashem will drive out all these nations … which are greater and stronger than you.”

Verse 24 – “Every place … where you will tread, will be yours, namely from the desert and Lebanon (i.e. south to north), from the Euphrates River until the western (Mediterranean) sea (i.e. east to west) will be your boundary.”  

Verse 25 – “No man will stand up before you because Hashem … will cast fear and dread of on all the land upon which you tread.”    

Hence the war to conquer Canaan is not an imperialist campaign for territory. Rather it is a war mandated by the Torah to secure a home and for the Israelites to serve Hashem.

Amalek – Saul    

Haman cited the battle of King Saul against Amalek which is true and recorded in scripture (1 Samuel 15:2-9).  However he slandered the Israelites by saying that the Israelites killed Amalek without pity and he did not know the reason for this war. In fact the Torah (Deuteronomy 25:19) clearly cites the command to destroy Amalek. In addition Hashem told Samuel to command King Saul to destroy Amalek without pity. The verse (1 Samuel 15:3) follows, “Go and smite Amalek. You shall utterly destroy all that is his without pity meaning man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

Then Haman focused on the death of his ancestor Agag by truthfully stating that initially King Saul had spared Agag (ibid. 15:8-9) and that Samuel killed him (ibid. 15:33). Haman slandered Samuel the prophet by calling him an ordinary man instead of a man of G-d and his apparent cruelty in dismembering Agag and feeding his flesh to birds. In addition Haman omitted to say that Samuel was fulfilling the command to exterminate Amalek and not acting on his own behalf.

At this point Haman’s diatribe presented an ironic twist. He complained about the death of his ancestor Agag whom Saul initially spared. As mentioned above, in the interim Agag impregnated his wife which resulted in the birth of Haman many generations later. Had Saul killed Agag on the spot Haman would not have been born and consequently his genocidal plan would not have been suggested. Therefore Samuel was justified in killing Agag as soon as possible. (Although other Amalekites could have suggested similar genocidal plans to Ahasuerus the author wishes to convey the ironic link of sparing Agag to Haman’s genocidal plan.)     

Religion

After addressing the concerns of the king Haman launches a tirade against the religion and loyalty of the Israelites.  

Haman was bothered by the uniqueness of the Jewish religion as he says (Esther 3:8), “Their laws (religion) differ from every other nation.” In particular the Talmud notes Haman emphasized that the Israelites neither eat the food of gentiles and nor intermarry which insinuates that the Israelites maintain an air of superiority over others. Haman neglects to mention that these distinctions are commanded by the Torah (Leviticus 11:2-24 and 43 and Deuteronomy 7:3-4 as explained by the Talmud Kiddushin 68b, respectively.) In addition the Torah states that these distinctions are neither for personal pride nor nationalist identity. Rather the Torah aims for the holiness of the Israelites and devotion to Hashem as stated in the following verses:

Dietary Laws

Leviticus 11:44 – “I am Hashem your G-d. Therefore you shall sanctify yourselves and become holy …You shall not defile yourselves through any creature that crawls on the ground.”

Deuteronomy 14:21 – “You shall not eat any carcass (i.e. a kosher animal not slaughtered according to ritual) … because you are a holy people to Hashem. (In addition) you should not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.”     

Intermarriage

Deuteronomy 7:3- “You shall not intermarry with them. You shall not give your daughter to his son and you shall not take his daughter for your son.”

Deuteronomy 7:4 – “For he will turn away your son from following Me (Hashem) and they will worship the gods of others. Then the wrath of Hashem will be kindled against you, and He will destroy you quickly.”

Deuteronomy 7:6 – “You are a holy people to Hashem Who (divine) has chosen you to be His treasured people, above all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth.”

In addition to the above verses that express the uniqueness of the Israelites the author would like to point out that this uniqueness is neither racial nor ethnic. Judaism accepts converts from all races and ethnic origin, with the possible exception of Amalek. (It must be noted that Judaism does not encourage conversion (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 268:3) and certainly Jews do not engage in proselytizing.)  

Hence his tirade against Judaism, which has been repeated throughout the ages, has no basis in fact and disregards the words of the Torah.     

Appendix 3 – King Solomon Builds the Temple

Hashem informed Nathan the prophet that Solomon would build the temple (Ibid. 7:12-16) because his father David had shed much blood as the verse (1 Chronicles 22:8) says, “You (David) have shed much blood and waged great wars therefore you shall not build a House in My Name.” Even though the king is obligated to defeat the enemies of Israel before building the temple King David was not permitted to build the temple because of bloodshed. The commentators on this verse offer the following explanations:

• Life – The temple is a place of life hence the Torah prohibits the use of a metal implement in the construction of the altar (Exodus 20:22).
• Death of innocent people – Perhaps the armies of King David killed innocent people in their wars. In addition David was indirectly responsible for the deaths of the priest of Nob when he lied to them about a special mission for King Saul (1 Samuel 21:3). When King Saul found out that they had given food to David the former accused them of being disloyal to the king (1 Samuel 22:13). Consequently he executed them for treason when in fact they were innocent (1 Samuel 22:18).   
• Peace – The temple is a symbol of peace as described in Psalms 122 which mentions the temple (ibid. 1) and peace (ibid. 7-8). This psalm refers both to the first temple built by King Solomon and the future temple built by the messiah. By contrast the reign of King David was marked by internal strife and death (e.g. the house of David vs. Saul  – 2 Samuel 3:1, revolt of his son Absalom – 2 Samuel 15:12-37 leading to his death and his followers – 2 Samuel 18:1-17, and the revolt of Adonijah 1 Kings 1:5-53). Scripture (1 Chronicles 22:9) calls King Solomon a man of peace and rest “Behold a son will be born to you (David). He will be a man of peace and I (Hashem) shall give him peace from all his enemies … and rest to Israel in his days.” The next verse says, “He shall build a House in My (Divine) Name.”     

 Appendix 4 – Context of the Commandment to Annihilate Amalek 

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 20b) notes that the Israelites had to fulfill the following commandments when entering the land of Israel and in this order:

1. Appoint a king (Exodus 17:14).
2. Annihilate Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:19).
3. Build the temple.

Appoint a King

The Talmud (ibid.) understands that a fitting king of Israel represents Hashem on earth who brings peace and prosperity to his subjects and is therefore justified to destroy Amalek. In particular, the Talmud (ibid.) quotes Exodus 17:16, “There is a hand on the throne (כס) of G-d. Hashem maintains a war against Amalek from generation to generation.” In this manner the throne of Hashem is linked to the war against Amalek. Then the Talmud associates the throne of a temporal king to that of Hashem through the verse (1 Chronicles 29:23), “Solomon sat on the throne of Hashem as king in place of David his father. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him.” The Maharsha (ibid.) notes that although the word כסא (throne) appears many times in scripture this verse is the only one in scripture that calls a temporal throne “The throne of Hashem.      

It is interesting to note that the word for throne in the former verse is spelt without the letter aleph (א) meaning that Hashem’s throne in this world is not complete until the destruction of Amalek (Midrash Tanchuma Ki Teitzei 11). In addition this is the only time in scripture that the word כס (throne) appears.

Destroy Amalek     

The Talmud (ibid.) states that after appointing a king, the Israelites should destroy Amalek according to the verse (Deuteronomy 25:19) “When Hashem, your G-d, grants you respite from all your surrounding enemies … you (Israelites) shall obliterate (even) the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens”.

The destruction of Amalek is a prerequisite for the building of the temple as the prophet Isaiah (56:6-7) predicts, “Sons of gentiles will join Hashem and serve Him with love. I (Hashem) will bring them to My holy mount (in Jerusalem) … to rejoice in My house of prayer … for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples (including gentiles).”

In addition to the theological perspective, Israel must destroy Amalek and its allies to maintain security in the land and especially the temple which represents Hashem’s presence on earth. The temple symbolizes peace, as the Torah (Exodus 20:22) commands in building of the altar, “When you make … an altar of stones do not build them hewn, lest you wield your sword upon it and desecrate it.” The Mishna (Middot 3:4) explains, “Iron was created to shorten man’s days and the altar was created to prolong man’s days. Therefore it is not right that which shortens life should be lifted against that which prolongs it.”

Build the Temple

The Torah (Deuteronomy 12:10-11) commands the building of the temple after the destruction of Amalek as follows, “When Hashem will give you rest from all your surrounding enemies (Including Amalek) … It will be, that the place where Hashem your G-d, will establish His Name (temple) there you shall bring … your offerings.” Similarly after King David subdued his enemies he considered building the temple in Jerusalem (ibid. 7:2).

Although scripture mentions King David’s victories against Amalek and Edom in 2 Samuel 8:12 and 14 as well as in 1 Chronicles 18:11 it does not state that he actually erased the memory of Amalek. However since David was prepared to build the temple after conquering the enemies of Israel (2 Samuel 7:1) and the prophet Nathan initially agreed (ibid. 3) it would seems that Amalek was significantly weakened. However Hashem informed Nathan the prophet that his son Solomon would build the temple and not King David. Appendix 3 explains why Hashem did not permit King David to build the temple.

Summary

It is interesting to note that the defeat of Amalek led to the building of a tabernacle or temple to Hashem. In addition each of the leaders at both the time of the war against Amalek and the building of the sanctuaries were prophets (Rashi on Megillah 14a). The following table summarizes this observation by listing the sanctuary type, leader, verses for the war and building.

Structure	Leader(s)	Verse (War)	Verse (Building)
Sanctuary	Moses	Exodus 17:13	Exodus 40:17
1st Temple	David/Solomon	2 Samuel 8:12 and 14	1 Kings 6:1
2nd Temple	Mordecai	Esther 9:16	Ezra 6:15-17