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Re: .1
>We recall the Amalekites every year, more than once a year, in fact.
>The commandment to destroy the Amalekites is again to "wipe out the
>remembrance of the Amalekites". Yet we Jews are probably the only
>people who KEEP THAT REMEMBRANCE ALIVE!
>Isn't this a curiosity?
Actually, the passage itself (Deut. 25:17,18) presents an apparently
glaring paradox. On the one hand, we are enjoined to "remember what
Amalek did" to us, and yet simultaneously the Torah commands, "you
must obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens."
To add to the contradiction, in Ex. 17:14, G-d tells Moses, "*I* will
totally obliterate the memory from under the heavens.", and the next
verse, "G-d will be at war with Amalek for all generations."
First, what was the great sin of Amalek, to make them the object of
G-d's wrath for all time? Were they worse than the Egyptians themselves,
or the Midianites, or the other many foes whom the Israelites encountered
on their way to the Holy Land? Second, how can G-d say that the war will
continue in every generation, when, as you point out, the nation of Amalek
has long since ceased to exist as such? Does this not bring His omniscience
into question? Third, if this *is* G-d's war, as the latter passage
indicates, why is *Israel* commanded to carry out the deed, as specified
in the Deuteronomy?
The commentators explain that Amalek had no real motive for its attack,
it was simply an act of pure malice. This, on the heels of the great
miracles wrought in Egypt, of which word had reached the Amalekites,
actually was an assault not on the bedraggled slaves, but on their Leader,
the G-d of Israel Himself. Egypt had mainly economic motives for its
subjugation of the Jews, others were concerned about their territorial
integrity. Amalek's actions, however were purely ideological, and opened
the door for all subsequent persecution of the Jews.
Did Amalek ever disappear? The following quotes (taken
from the pamphlet "The Discovery Seminar") provide some insights into
the Nazi psyche:
We are the Joyous Hitler Youth/
We do not need any Christian virtue/
Our leader is our savior/
The Pope and Rabbi shall be gone/
We want to be pagans once again.
(Song of Hitler youth)
"It is true, we are barbarians. It is an honorable title...
I free humanity from the shackles of the soul, from the degrading suffering
caused by the false vision called conscience and morality... the Jews
have inflicted two wounds on mankind - circumcision on its body, and
conscience on its soul. These are Jewish inventions... The war for
domination will be fought entirely between us, the Germans and the Jews.
("The Voice of Destruction", H. Rauschning)
Many Jews are willing to "forgive and forget" at the slightest sign of
conciliation. We would like to think that irrational anti-Semitism is
a thing of the past, and we would be very happy to forget the whole
thing. Were the phenomenon simply a Jewish problem, we might be permitted
to do just that, but in truth at the root of anti-Semitism is the desire
to be free of the morality that the Torah has imposed on the world, thus
a war on G-d Himself, directed at His representatives, the Jews. Therefore,
we must root out the spiritual descendants of Amalek, who reappear in
one form or another in every generation, while at the same time never
allowing ourselves to forget the true cause of their hatred.
Jem
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| A blessed holiday to everyone in remembrance of this tragedy.
I'm currently reading the book "Our Hands are Stained with Blood" by
Michael L. Brown. It deals with the tragic story of what has been done
to the Jews in the name of "Christ" throughout history, not just the
Holocaust. I have made a practice of apologizing to Jewish friends and
people in my community and supporting them anyway I can in denouncing hate
crimes (I have made sure that my church has also become involved
locally to support rabbis in the community as well. We've seen a 43%
rise in anti-Semitic hate crimes locally in the past year alone). That
apology is extended here as well. One day I hope most of those who call
themselves "Christians" will do the same for all that has been done.
I should note that I'm a first generation American whose father and
grandmother had to also flee from Germany in the late 1930's. It
wasn't until recently that I discovered I have Jewish ancestors in my
family (5-7 generations ago). This awareness as well as friendships
established with people in local synagogues contributed to me touring the
local Plotkin Museum recently. This is a world-class museum with
treasures that are unique to any Jewish museum in the U.S. (i.e.,
Tunisian synagogue). Some of the items include Torah scrolls and other
precious items (yad, chair of Elijah) that Hitler confiscated from
synagogues in Czechoslovakia and had stored in warehouses. He had plans
of building a museum to an extinct people, but G-d thwarted that plan. If
you're ever in Phoenix, stop by the Plotkin Museum, it will bless you.
Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai,
Mike
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