Battling Doubt - At War with Amalek

The Hidden Orchard

03 Mar 2023 — 3 min read

File:The Phillip Medhurst. "Joshua fighting Amalek".

As a descendant of Esau, Amalek had a natural predisposition against the nation of Israel. In the Midrash¹, we are told that [Amalek] was one of the counselors of Pharoah who advocated for the persecution and destruction of the Jewish people. Following in his footsteps, the nation that descended from Amalek gained notoriety for its vicious and unprovoked attack on the nation of Israel, weary, as they fled Egypt.

This thread of hostility plays out in the Bible and Jewish history for quite a while. When King Saul failed to obey G_D's charge to eradicate the Amalekites (I Samuel 15:3) completely, it would be King Agag's descendant, Haman, who would rise to power with a plan to wipe out the Jewish people a little more than 500 years later.

Because of the innate cruelty of this nation, their treatment of Israel, and the lack of fear and respect for G_D - it is commanded in Deuteronomy that Israel both remember what they did and blot out their memory².

This is an unusual request, isn't it? How are we to remember, and also forget at the same time?

At War With Amalek

Though it does not seem possible to identify the literal descendants [of Amalek] today, there is a fascinating historical connection in the events leading up to the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Trials, and a striking association between the Nazis and the line of Amalek³.

However, in the spiritual dimension, we are all at war with Amalek on a daily basis - and, this is the ongoing fight that each of us must remain committed to winning.

In Gematria, the word Amalek (עמלק) is equivalent to 240, the same as the word for "Doubt" (Safek/ספק). The Chasidic Masters let us know that this is how we fight against the spiritual influence of Amalek in our time. Rabbi Yosef Schneerson states about the spiritual force of Amalek;

"... Amalek is doubt; baseless, irrational doubt that cools the fervor of holiness with nothing more than a cynical shrug.”

Thus, Amalek represents everything antagonistic to G_D. As all forces have a counterforce, Israel represents those who strive with G_D, "Yashar El". In Chasidic tradition, Amalek represents the destructive side of our evil inclination⁴.

The Danger of Doubt

Doubt comes with severe consequences. Aside from knocking us out of Emunah⁵ (faith, or a connection with G_D), it makes us vulnerable to further attacks. Emotionally, doubt can cause cynicism and a negative outlook on life, coloring our experience and how we interact with others. We see this play out in Exodus, in chapter 17. The opening seven verses record Israel's descent into doubt, beginning small with physical needs, and escalating to existential fears. Immediately, in the next verse, we read:

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. - Exodus 17:8

The Torah is teaching us to resist being overtaken by doubt, and to strive to live in a state of Emunah:

... the righteous shall live by emunah. - Habakkuk 2:4

In this way, the essence of Amalek represents a significant struggle for those of faith, challenging us to rise above what our eyes tell us and to remember that G_D is always present, especially when the opposite seems true.

In conclusion, Purim is the time we recalibrate ourselves to this truth as we read Esther and the events that took place in that time. The Name of G_D does not appear in the book of Esther in a plain sense, yet, as we covered in another article⁶, we can find Him masterfully concealed and active behind the scenes, orchestrating the world according to His plan.