13
votes
Can descendants of Amalek become Jewish?
We can see how the commandment to eradicate Amalek does not contradict the possibility of converting to Judaism, from Rambam's description of the eradication process (Hilchot Melachim 6:1-4, Touger ...
- 49.1k
10
votes
Source for how Agag had a child after being captured
Amalekites and magic:
The Amalekites' ability to change into animals is brought by Rashi on Shmuel 1:15:3 and the Rid on the same verse, and mentioned as a midrash in the Kitzur Ba'al Haturim's ...
- 24.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Why does the gemarah use Amalek as a mnemonic siman?
Yaavetz address this. He suggests that the tipcha on the word לא in לא תשכח hints to an allowance to mention the name in order to remember Torah. In accordance to the Gemara 'to bring the disgusting ...
- 33.4k
7
votes
Is it said anywhere in the Jewish scriptures that 'Amalek' means "wrung, twisted neck"?
The Alter Rebbe (R' Shneur Zalman of Liadi) gives approximately this explanation in Torah Or (T'tzaveh, page פה). He breaks the name of the nation into component words "עם מלק" ("'am malak") meaning "...
- 16.9k
6
votes
When was the war with Amalek?
According to the Seder Olam Rabbah (Chapter 5) - it was during the week which started on the 23rd of Iyyar. There are other Rabbinic sources which indicate that the battle was on a Friday. Since the ...
- 246
5
votes
Accepted
Are the Jewish people commanded to commit genocide?
As seen in Rambam here, there is a peace process even when dealing with Amalek and the other seven nations.
"A war is never waged against anyone before peace is offered. This applies both to an ...
- 33.4k
5
votes
Why didn't Moses fight Amalek himself?
The Chizkuni on this pasuk explains that during a war, it is common practice for a leader to just "watch" the other men fight, while being positioned on a hill or mountain, to encourage the ...
- 8,772
4
votes
How do we erase the memory of Amalek?
R' Samson Raphael Hirsch sees the "זכר" (translated in the question as "memory") that needs to be erased as not simply the memory of the historical fact of Amalek, but the ...
- 47.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Does the mitzvah of eradicating Amalek supersede Shabbos?
R. Avrohom Bornsztain has a responsum (Avnei Nezer O.C. #509) discussing women's obligation in this commandment. He wonders why the Sefer Hachinuch (cited in the question here) states that women are ...
- 49.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Is remembering Amalek, erasing the name of Amalek, or both, considered mitzvot?
R Eliezer Melamed (Peninei Halakha here) answers as follows
Three mitzvot in the Torah relate to Amalek.
The first is a positive
commandment to remember what Amalek did to us, as the Torah ...
- 47.8k
4
votes
Why didn't Moses fight Amalek himself?
The Be'er Yosef (Exodus 18:1) has a creative approach to this question:
His explanation is based on understanding the true catalyst to the war with Amalek. Hashem caused the war to happen in order to ...
- 19.6k
3
votes
Accepted
Antoninus was an Amalakite?
Artscroll Sefer HaChinuch (vol. 7) to this mitzvah (note 8) quotes the Minchas Yitzchak who says that the Chinuch must have had a Midrash we don't. The footnote records "some editions" who leave the ...
- 34.1k
3
votes
The Amalekite youth's capital punishment
Prof. Yehudah Elitzur wrote an essay on the subject. In his view, the Amalekite wasn't the son of a convert or even a ger toshav, but an actual 100% Amalekite. What was he doing there? He was a spy. ...
- 24.8k
3
votes
Bracha on Mechiat Amalek
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky Zatzal in Taama Dikra end of Esther writes that most likely that when Mordechai hung Haman he made a Bracha Al Mitzvas Mechias Amalek.
- 139k
3
votes
Why are the enemies of the Jewish people called "Amalek"?
One fairly recent popularizer of this notion was R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, quoting his father R. Moshe Soloveichik.
Kol Dodi Dofek (ch. 11):
At a meeting of Mizrachi (the Religious Zionists of ...
- 41.7k
3
votes
Why are the enemies of the Jewish people called "Amalek"?
Nowhere in the Torah does it say to remember Amalek. What it says is to remember what Amalek DID (Deut.25:17-18).
So it is very much as relevant today as it was in the time of Moshe (Moses). The next ...
3
votes
Accepted
Who is Amalek in 2023
By way of introduction it is worth noting that the mitzvah and its relevance to today is the basis of an argument based on the Rambam...
The Rambam lists 2 similar laws in Hilchos Melachim UMilchamos.
...
- 30.1k
3
votes
Who is Amalek in 2023
In Dov's well sourced and excellent answer, he states that today our duty is to remember, perpetually, that there are enemies, and translate this into practical vigilance preventing the enemies from ...
- 7,202
3
votes
Question about klala in parshas Ki Tavo
In Esther Rabbah Petichah 3 and Eichah Rabbah 1:45, the Roman emperor Trajan y"s identified himself with the eagle in this pasuk, and in Sukkah 51b, the Gemara makes this link (see Rashi ad. loc.)...
- 395
2
votes
Why didn't Shaul kill Agag?
The Mishbtzos Zahav posits that Shaul may have made the mistake that non Jews follow lineage maternially(see Kidushin 67b). If one looks closely at the passuk ,Shmuel says to Agag that he is going to ...
- 41k
2
votes
Why didn't Mordechai kill Haman?
I would connect that to Rambam's beginning of Melachim:
שָׁלֹשׁ מִצְוֹת נִצְטַוּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁעַת כְּנִיסָתָן לָאָרֶץ:
לְמַנּוֹת לָהֶם מֶלֶךְ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז טו) "שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים ...
- 25.7k
2
votes
Yehoshua and the Destruction of Amalek
The Medrash Rabba at the end of Parshas Shemois (literally the last sentence) says on Perek 6 Possuk 1 that you Moshe will see the Milchamois of Paroh and is Medayek that you wont see he Milchamois of ...
- 83
2
votes
Mordechay's decree: "kill women and children, AND/OR plunder their possessions"?
Politically, Mordechai's letters had to echo Haman's letters as closely as possible. Otherwise, Haman's letters would have seemed stronger, and the bureaucracy would have supported the enemies of the ...
- 9,116
2
votes
Why are "Remember and don't forget Amalek" two separate commandments?
An Amalekite facilitated the assisted suicide of King Saul according to 2 Sam 1:4-10.
According to tradition, that Amalekite was Edab, who was conceived just prior to the execution of his father, ...
- 1,590
2
votes
Blot out the memory of Amalek or kill his descendants?
The prophet on his own cannot add or subtract from the torah. However, Hashem can tell the prophet to do a specific action for a problem that occurs at a specific time (הוראת שעה). Thus Shmuel was ...
- 42.9k
2
votes
Why are "Remember and don't forget Amalek" two separate commandments?
Note that there are three mitzvos according to the Rambam that have to do with Amalek.
Destroy the remnant of Amalek (Positive #189)
Remember what Amalek did (Positive #188)
Don't forget what he did (...
- 19.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Saul vs Amalek: why so few troops from Judah?
It’s possible that most of the fighters were from Yosef, just like we find by the first war against amalek, that moshe appointed yehoshua, who was from Yosef.
It’s brought down in many places that ...
- 3,197
2
votes
Who is Amalek in 2023
Rav Eliezer Ben David says that it says to erase Amalek "from under the heavens" (Dvarim 25:19). Under the heavens is primarily in your hearts and mouths (Dvarim 30:12, 14), this is also a ...
- 314
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