"Remember what Amalek did to you on your way out of Egypt... you must obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens; you must not forget." (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)

The command to obliterate Amalek in the very last verses of this week's portion of Ki Tetze is very apt - and may
We do not subscribe to a doctrine of "turn the other cheek."
indeed serve as a fitting end to last week's portion of Shoftim, as well. After all, both of these readings deal with warfare - the necessity to destroy the enemy who rises up to destroy you.

The Bible has a category of warfare called an "obligatory war" (milhemet mitzvah), understood by the Mishnah (Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 44b) as a war in which "every Israelite must join, even a bridegroom from his bridal room and a bride from her nuptial canopy." The Talmud in Sanhedrin iterates and reiterates, "If one is coming with intent to murder [an innocent human being], you must rise up earlier and kill him." We do not subscribe to a doctrine of "turn the other cheek." On the contrary, when confronted by consummate evil, "you must destroy the evil from within your midst."

The bitter truth is that one who stands by silently in the face of evil inadvertently becomes an accomplice to evil; "one dare not stand by silently while one's brethren's blood is being shed," teaches our Torah. One cannot love the good unless one labors to banish evil.

Having said all of this, however, what is the meaning of the command to "obliterate the memory of Amalek"? Amalek is consummate evil: "They [the Amalekites] came upon you as if by accident on your way [out of Egyptian slavery]; when you were tired and exhausted, they cut off those who were lagging in the rear [the 'weaker vessels' who were not in any way displaying belligerence, those who were falling behind, the innocent women and children, the aged and the infirm]." Amalek, in recent history, was the Nazi machinery of murder that effectively removed the slightest semblance of morality and compassion from the world - the killing of millions of innocent children and the aged without blinking an eye. In contemporary terms, Amalek are the suicide bombers targeting innocent civilians, who believe the more children they take with them, the better. No compassion, no morality, no humanity.

"Obliterate, destroy Amalek" ought to be the commandment; what is meaning of obliterating the "memory" of Amalek?

Although what we have just written is true, it is not the Biblical ideal. Unlike the Greco-Romans, we never sang our song in praise of armaments and strong, virile soldiers, as in the opening phrase of Virgil's Aeneid (Arma virumque cano), glorifying war that tests the mettle and strengthens the fiber of the citizenry. Our prophetic song was sung in praise of peace, a time when "nation will not lift up sword against nation and humanity will not learn war
Our prophetic song was sung in praise of peace.
anymore." The sages of the Mishnah teach that armaments are a burden, a disgrace to a civilization which forces anyone to wage war, never to be considered an ornament permitted on the Sabbath. Weapons are permitted to be carried on the Sabbath only in life-endangering situations (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 63a).

Yes, Seneca taught: "If you wish to have peace, you must prepare for war" - the inscription David Ben-Gurion assigned to Israel's military bases. But this is precisely the point. War is never an ideal; it is only a necessary preventive measure (and even an obligatory war may only be considered, at best, a necessary evil) against those who would destroy us. Because the Israelite nation was entrusted by G-d to teach morality and righteousness to the world, we must fight against those who would destroy us and destroy our morality; and since in any given war there is only one victor, it behooves us to fight to win - as the verses in Shoftim and Ki Tetze clearly imply. But the ultimate vision before our eyes must always be peace.

From this perspective, we understand the Biblical stricture to the special kohen anointed for exhorting and inspiring the troops "not to be faint-hearted, not to be afraid, not to panic, not to break ranks... for the Lord your G-d is the One going out [to do battle] for you... and He will save you." (Deuteronomy 20:3,4) At the same time, "when you approach a city to wage war against it, you must first propose a peaceful settlement." (ibid 20:10) The most crucial aspect of this is the acceptance of the Seven Noahide laws of morality by the enemy - "Thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery..." Maimonides' formulation of this Biblical demand ("Laws of Kings" 6,1) reads, "It is forbidden to make war against any human being in the world unless you first offer him a peace settlement" - and Maimonides (as well as Nahmanides) agree that this includes Amalek, as well as the seven indigenous nations of the land of Canaan. The goal, if it be at all possible, is not the destruction of evildoers, but rather the transformation of evil, the redemption of evil; when the evildoer repents and accepts at least the seven Noahide laws of morality. Our goal is to obliterate the memory of Amalek by making Amalek
"Who was it [this grandchild of Haman]? Rabbi Akiba."
repent and accept the G-d of peace and morality.

Cynics among us might claim that it's impossible to convert Amalek. However, a fascinating section in the Talmud explains that the genesis of Amalek (the child born to Timna from Elifaz, the son of Esau) begins when none among Abraham, Isaac or Jacob are willing to convert Timna when she appears before each of them requesting conversion (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 99b). The Talmud further states that the grandchildren of Haman (the Agagite, the Amalekite) taught Torah in B'nei Brak (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 96b) - and there are those who add the words, "and who was it [this grandchild of Haman]? Rabbi Akiba."

Be that as it may, as long as Amalek is out to destroy us, we must destroy him. We must continually hope, however, that we will have the merit of converting him, especially during this season of repentance. At that point, we shall have obliterated his very memory.