HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
Amalek fought against Israel twice in the wilderness. The first time was at Rephidim, and the second time was at Arad. The Torah states, “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim" (Exodus 17:8), a place where the hands of Israel became weak. The second encounter was after the death of Aaron, when the Clouds of Glory departed and Amalek thought that Israel had become weakened, as it is written, “And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the south, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel" (Numbers 21:1). On this occasion, Amalek disguised themselves as Canaanites. They spoke the Canaanite language, but in truth they were Amalekites (see Rashi there).
The difference between the Canaanites and the Amalekites is that Canaan fought against Israel because of a conflict of interests, for Israel had come to conquer the land that was under their control. Amalek, however, fought against Israel for no reason other than hatred of Israel and a desire to harm and destroy the Jewish People, Heaven forbid, like the wicked Haman and the persecutor of the Jews from Germany, may his name and memory be erased.
Indeed, in the war of Arad they succeeded in taking one maidservant captive, and in this they achieved their objective: to show that it was possible to harm the People of Israel in this way and thereby demonstrate that the Israelites were like all other nations. Israel’s response was accordingly decisive - they launched a crushing attack and fought them until their total destruction, as the Torah records:
“And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said: If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities, and they called the name of the place Hormah" (Numbers 21:2-3).
As of now, for more than one hundred years the Arabs have been fighting against us with the goal of destroying the State of Israel. True, they claim that we conquered their land, similar to the claim of the Canaanites. But [it was our land before they arrived and] in reality they fight against us because of their hatred of the Jews, like Amalek, as expressed in their well-known cry, “Itbach al-Yahud" (“Slaughter the Jews"). And Iran's desire to destroy us is motivated entirely by pure hatred.
Indeed, they try to kill us indiscriminately, making no distinction between soldier and civilian, man and woman, child and elderly person, because of their great hatred for us and because they understand that to strike one Jew is to strike the entire Jewish People.
The Government of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces must learn from the war of Arad. Just as the Children of Israel fought until total destruction, even though the cause of the war was the capture of a single maidservant, so too today, for every attack upon a Jew wherever he may be, a crushing offensive should be launched against our enemies and haters who openly declare before all that they wish to destroy our state and our People, something that will never come to pass.
Only through strength and power will the longed-for peace come, as it is said: “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace."
In anticipation of the complete Redemption.