The Dark Secret of Parshas Zachor: What You Don't Know About Amalek

Preparing for Parshat Zachor requires understanding what truly makes Amalek the eternal enemy of the Jewish people. This provocative exploration delves deep into just three verses—fewer than 50 words total—that we're commanded to hear each year before Purim.

What makes these words so significant that hearing them constitutes a Torah-level obligation? Through careful analysis of the original Hebrew text and Rashi's commentary, we discover layers of meaning that explain why Amalek represents the antithesis of Judaism's core values.

The Hebrew phrase "asher karcha baderech" reveals Amalek's essence—they embody randomness, denying divine providence and purpose. While Judaism teaches that everything has meaning and happens according to a divine plan, Amalek represents the ideology that life is merely coincidental. They attacked the newly freed Israelites not for territorial gain or resources but specifically to diminish the spiritual glory surrounding the Jewish nation after the exodus from Egypt.

Rashi uses a powerful metaphor: Amalek was like someone who jumps into a scalding bath knowing they'll be burned, just to cool it down for others. They targeted the weak and vulnerable members who had fallen behind the protective divine clouds, committing atrocities that demonstrated their complete contempt for God and Jewish sanctity.

The mitzvah to blot out Amalek extends beyond remembering historical events—it calls us to eliminate the "Amalekite" tendencies within ourselves: spiritual apathy, religious coolness, and indifference when facing desecration of the sacred. When we stand idly by as God's name is profaned, we allow the spirit of Amalek to persist in the world.

Listen carefully this Shabbas as these verses are read, and let their message kindle the passionate opposition to evil that defines authentic Jewish spirituality. Only by understanding our enemies can we truly appreciate the divine calling to eradicate their memory forever.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Parshat Zachor
• 3:14 Unpacking the Three Verses
• 8:43 Amalek as Randomness: Judaism's Antithesis
• 14:25 The Evil Deeds of Amalek Revealed
• 21:40 Cooling Jewish Passion: Amalek's Goal
• 25:30 Why We Must Blot Out Amalek's Memory
• 31:10 Fulfilling the Mitzvah with True Understanding

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

My goal is to get you a little bit upset, to provoke you even a bit angry, because this week we have the mitzvah, the fast-approaching mitzvah, to blot out the remembrance, the very idea of the nation of Amalek, idea of the nation of Amalek. This week, in Shul, we'll read one of the four preparatory of the Dalet Parshios leading up to the Pesach month. Everyone is to come to Shul to hear these three rather simple psukim that all together contain less than 50 words in total, but yet hearing them constitutes a mitzvah to Oraisah, the mitzvah of Parshas Zohar, to remember the evil that Amalek committed to eradicate them from the face of the earth. As per the Gemara Masech DeMegillah I believe it's Choftes 29. That there should be a juxtaposition between what Haman did, a descendant of Amalek, and when Parshah Zachar is recalled. It's to be one week before Purim, hence why everyone's coming to show this Shabbos a bit provoked, because they're going to hear all about what Amalek did.

Speaker 1: 1:49

And today, on the weekly Parsha podcast, I want to go through these three psukim, the three verses contained inside of Parsha's Zohar, with a fine-tooth comb. I want to get nitty and gritty. I want to sift with you through every tiny letter, all the twists and turns of these three psukim, to figure out everything there is to know about our nomadic antagonists. To figure out everything about the Amalekians, to discover, possibly, some new concepts, come to some new conclusions. To get back to the basics, to go just with the Pesukim and with Rashi's super commentary, just with the psukkim and with Rashi's super commentary, so that we will know why we're angry, we will become passionate about the mitzvah and know why these three psukkim constitute a mitzvah to Arisa for us all to hear and internalize its lesson. So, with that quick little warm-up, a shtickle of four word, let us commence our investigation to see what we find. Let's read through the three psukkim first, and then we'll go through with Rashi and unpack everything that we come to see.

Speaker 1: 3:39

Remember what Amalek did to you on your way when you left Egypt Asher, karcha, baderech they were karcha on the way. We have to figure out what that means. Vayizanev, b'cha kol, hanecha sholim. I asked many people what those words mean and they couldn't exactly come up with it. They said you know it means. So we'll have to figure out what that means. When the Jews were weary, famished, parched and they did not fear God. And it will be when God grants you safety from your enemies around you. And it will be when God grants you safety from your enemies around you, in the land that Hashem is giving to you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget. Let us begin, jump right into it.

Speaker 1: 5:14

Rashi, the very first Rashi on Parshas Zohar, doesn't seem to be dealing with any sort of word conundrum, but rather why it is that Parshah Zohar is found inside of the very parak and posak that it is. You'll find it in Parshah's Kisetz. It is bookended by unique topics and Rashi says, right away, by unique topics. And Rashi says right away Zohar eis asher l'chasa l'cha amalik im shukarto b'midos u v'mishkolos hevedoig mi geirui ha'oyev. If you should falsify, should lie about your weights, your measures, your business dealings, then you must fear about the advances of your enemies. The first thing that Rashi tells us is that there's a very juxtaposition lesson learned here, because right before the Parsha of Amalek we learn all about proper business dealings. Don't cheat Rashi's takeaway, citing the Medrash Tanchuma, that if you do poorly, you act rottenly in your business dealings. You should be afraid of Amalek, you should be afraid of those advances from your enemies. But Rashi concludes do well in business. I mean not financially, or hopefully also financially, but do well halachically, and then you have nothing to fear. I urge you to see the Gur Arya upon his explanation as to the rationale as to why poor business dealings leads towards the advancement of surrounding countries and our enemies. It's an incredible piece, but that's not today's topic. I want to get to some of the rations that go through the actual words of it.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Our first takeaway is rather apparent If you don't want Amalek to attack perhaps, do business with integrity, do it honestly. That means, if you work by the hour a therapist, a traveling chavrusa, perhaps a doctor, a business consultant make sure that you give the full hour. Make sure your scales and time management skills are just your Mishkolos and your Amidos are your share. Did you give a full hour of your time? Did you take a coffee break in the middle? Did you come prepared? Did you take a bathroom break in the middle? Did you give him your entire focus? If he bought an hour, then give him an hour. Double check, verify that your orders, your weights and your measures, your mishkolos, are proper. Do that and then fear not the next Rashi. Let us keep going. Rashi says. The next Rashi, let us keep going. Rashi says we said before those words kind of hard to translate that they on the way.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Rashi's first translation and explanation of these words, karcha, is connected to a sudden happening, a mikra. Many scholars advanced the idea that it was a rather fast. What do they call that? An ambush, a blitzkrieg type of attack on the Jewish people. It was a mikra to connote a surprise attack. We didn't see it coming, but I'd like to assert that that's not the Kavana of Rashi at all. I'd like to advance the idea that what Rashi's really getting at.

Speaker 1: 9:42

Our second takeaway here is that this is the essence of Amalek that lives inside of this pasuk. Rashi's telling us who Amalek is, who they are. They are mikre, they are just chance. It just simply happened. It was asher kar chabaderech. They just happened upon the way, because what Amalek truly stands for and what their preschool teachers teach and what their rabbis of their irrational and rather disgusting and idol-serving communities preach about on the whatever day they keep of the week as their holy day?

Speaker 1: 10:26

Probably none, but whatever it is that that rabbi talks about, it is the hatred of anything holy, the hatred, specifically, of any sort of plan, any sort of hashkacha pratis. The very fact or the fiber of Judaism is that there is nothing random. Judaism believes that everything is in its proper place. There is a rhythm, there is a designer, there is a goal. Nothing is just by coincidence. There's foresight in a plan. Amalek hates hashgacha pratis. Amalek denies a seba and a mesoviv, a cause and an outcome. There's no God.

Speaker 1: 11:25

Amalek says it all just happened. A big bang, some sort of cosmic blip, a disaster of sorts. Mikra karcha, don't think that your life has meaning. Don't think that you're living for something greater. Don't think that you're here to accomplish something. Don't think that God is sending you messages during your day. Don't believe that you've been placed in the perfect place for you to achieve your unique obligation. Don't believe that there's a world within worlds where everything works like a perfect clock that's all designed with a goal and Hashem is running it. They say it's mikra. It just happened.

Speaker 1: 12:17

Amalek seemed to just bump in kararcha badarach Bump into the Jews. Next week we're going to learn about Amalek's first round draft pick to their squad of losers. His name was Haman. He preached this day and night. Preached this day and night. We will hear that it was just a lottery that he wanted to set the date of the destruction. The very essence of the holiday is named after that lot that Haman casted, in which he said that's going to be the day of mourning for the Jews.

Speaker 1: 13:00

That fell out into a day during Adar. A gamble, his chance, a coincidence, a simple concurrent of events and circumstances, without any apparent casual causal connection, just simply. Mikra is what haman and amalek stand for Asher karcha baderech. Our second takeaway is that that is the antithesis of what we believe and what we are trying to stomp out of ourselves and to blot out that idea in mankind. We believe in divine providence, ashkacha protes and ashkacha khalas. Another takeaway, rashi's next point. In this very same Rashi trying to unpack the depth in this word of asher kar chal baderech that they just happened onto you in the way, on the way. Rashi, trying to give us an understanding of what the possech means Dover acher.

Speaker 1: 14:12

Yet another explanation Lashon keri v'toma shahayim mitamon b'mishgav zachar. They were karcha baderech. The word karcha is a connotation, a meaning of kary, nocturnal pollution, uncleanliness, immorality, says Rashi. Amolik came forward and engaged in pederasty. What that means, hopefully you don't know, but it means they went around molesting the Jewish people, young boys, adult males. They approached the nation that was spiritually lofty, glorious, glorious, riding upon the very wings of eagles, to the promised land, and yet Amalek committed the most egregious crime.

Speaker 1: 15:27

We don't need to elaborate just how disgusting this is. Lashon Keri, licentiousness it's the lowest of the low. And yet they did it On a mass scale. It would have been hard to imagine, but it's like just a whole nation of Hamas just inflicting immoral, disgusting, despicable, abominable actions to a nation that had just taken its first baby steps towards greatness. They were on cloud nine, quite literally, and yet this is what Amalek does, with zero regard for God, god's hatred for this lewd and sinful type of behavior, but they just continued to act in this most disgusting and appalling fashion.

Speaker 1: 16:41

I hope I've made you a bit irked, as we hear, only on our second takeaway, or really our third takeaway from the second Rashi that we've met. They raped they were mezana with the chosen nation, at grand and mass scale. Disgusting, let us continue. Doveracher, another unpacking, unwrapping, unearthing of what it means. Asher, karcha baderach that they happened upon you on the way. Lashon kor v'chom Rashi continues Karcha is an amalgamation of hot and cold. What does that mean? Karcha Tzinenah Rashi continues v'hefrishcha mirasichascha. Rashi continues that they made cold and separated you from your fear. They pulled you down, they cooled you off. Nobody wanted to mess with the Jews. They were on fire and this nation came and opened up a spot for others. Rashid is not done, he gives us a muscle so you can see vividly how despicable and how disgusting, appalling, this nation of Amalek is.

Speaker 1: 18:28

Mushal to a la'ambati, la'ambati, la'ambati. But to a hot bath that is boiling, a jacuzzi, piping hot. But to a hot bath that is boiling A jacuzzi, piping hot, a hot spa. She ain't called Beria Yechay Leleire, but the temperature has been cranked up all too high 150 degrees Fahrenheit, we'll say B'Seichad is too hot for anyone to go inside of it. Bo ben blial, echad Came, one unhinged One, good for nothing. A blial, a no goodnik, v'yorad lesocha we missed a word Kafatz. He jumped, he sprang and jumped into it, even though he became singed, he was scalded and burned. He cooled it off for everybody else. It's a medrash tanchuma that Rashi brings. He made cold, he made frigid, he cooled off the scalding hot ambati, the scalding hot bath. That was Klal Yisrael.

Speaker 1: 19:59

What Amalek did was take away the. What Amolik did was take away the glory. What Amolik did was become a set of kamikaze pilots with nothing to gain, with death on the horizon, with the nation on cloud nine, on the wings of eagles, a 150 degree Fahrenheit jacuzzi spa. They knew that it was a death sentence to start up with the Jews, but just like those Japanese pilots who intentionally crashed their planes into enemy ships during World War II, these kamikaze players, these kamikaze pilots, they were a mullet, they were the Benabli Owl, they were unhinged, they were mad. They had nothing to gain except that they would cool off the glory and the gusto, the gloriousness, the covidenti feris of the Jewish people. They had nothing to gain and they lost everything. There's more here, ladies and gentlemen.

Speaker 1: 21:24

And our next takeaway here we see from this Rashi. You see very much what the Jewish people represent and what it is that the antithesis of Judaism wishes to turn off. In every Jew they wish does Amalek to cool you off. They wish to cool you off, they wish to cool Klaus off. They wish to take your burning, hot, passion filled Judaism, the glory that we have, and they wish to cool us off.

Speaker 1: 21:52

Torah and Judaism is so easy to understand that it's the that Judaism in the Torah is considered the fiery law. There are so many references to the black fire on top of white fire. The fire inside of the prophet's eyes, the fire inside of the heart of every Jew, lo Yisikbe, should never be turned out. It should always be burning. You want to live like that fire that you see in the eyes of Aaron Cutler's piercingly fiery blue eyes, but Amalek wants to cool that off. He wants you to maybe continue to sit in the bathtub. You'll still be religious, but just without the passion, without the fire. He wants you to serve Hashem Filled with spiritual frostbite. Is it us or is it mutter? Who knows frostbite? Is it us or is it mutter? Who knows? Amalek could even care less about the laws, as long as you just fulfill them totally apathetically, without emotion.

Speaker 1: 23:12

The midah of Amalek and us that we must stamp out, stomp out, is a lack of passion. It's not feeling like every line of Torah is talking to us. The midah and amolek that must be blotted out inside of us is timcha ezechar. Amolek is when, if we see blatant desecration of God's name and yet we stand by idly, it's part of the amolek that's still in the world and in us. Because if we were passionate, if we were on fire, then you'd run around in a picture-perfect world like Rob Ironcutler with a fire in your eyes starting Tyra and building it up throughout the world. But if there's a blatant desecration of God's name, should somebody be standing next to you violating the law, it should be like somebody just embarrassed your mother poked your father, slapped your grandma. You should be lit up, irate with passion, because there's a fire that burns in your heart of emotion and emotional connection. And things are real. You're not simply apathetic and impartial about the fiery law of Hashem.

Speaker 1: 24:38

Let's continue through Rashi. I hope that you are not queasy and I hope that you forgive me for what we're about to see in Rashi, that they came and when they were attacking the Jewish people. It means a tale Rashi sees here that there was a promiscuity, there was an attacking, there was a disgusting act in which choteich milos they cut off the bris milos of the Jewish males, v'zoireik kalpei maila, and they threw them in disgust, in denial towards heaven, towards Hashem, up above what the Medrash, tanchum, hakisetzai and Yod. They did what? Are you not furious at this nation, these Hamas-like insects? They did what they cut off the Bresmila, the very mitzvah that stands as the Sefer Achenach to be what we can do to finish up creation, to fix the body. In a way, god gave us this area to bring perfection to the world the aver, the male procreation. Gid that essence of what it means to have the offspring and God's name be spread throughout the world. They stepped forward in this wretched and sinister act and they sliced off this mitzvah. And then that didn't stop there. They threw it up to God in denial. What a wretched scene.

Speaker 1: 26:37

What type of disgusting and despicable act is that Symbolical Casting up foreskins in denial of Hashem? I hope you're angry, I hope you're disgusted, but that's what those barbarians, that's what they did, abominable humans. Who did they attack? Who did they do this to? The weak ones, not the most righteous, but the ones that were struggling, the ones that lack strength because they're like, maybe, you and I, that we try so hard to do what God wants. But but do we always have perfect, shemona, estre concentration? Do we always have proper concentration during the brachos? Do we fulfill tzitzis and tefillin and Shabbos perfectly? Who's to say that they don't have some shemetz of sin? But those that have not reached perfection, like you and I, we didn't get that supernatural cloud cover.

Speaker 1: 28:03

Our next takeaway here is those people you and me that Amalek attacked. We didn't have the special force fields that Moshe and Aaron had. They went after the innocent. Amalek went after the children, the mothers, the vulnerable folks, those that cannot fend for themselves. The innocent, the hardworking blue-collar folks. That's who they targeted, the powerless individuals. Nice, good job, amalek. They did it to us, says Rashi. We were thirsty for water. They went after a nation that was thirsty Again, vulnerable, parched, dehydrated, gasping for air. Imagine having run miles and miles and yet you have nothing to drink. Right then, we were attacked. We were worn out, says Rashi, from the journey.

Speaker 1: 29:16

And they did not fear, continues Rashi, amalek. Amalek did not fear Elohim Milahoreloch from any sort of divine retribution, from any sort of nikamah that God would take out. They knew. They knew that they were going to act with such brazenness, but they had zero regard for the master's world. They had zero regard for that. The conclusion in the whole of the matter is to fear God. They did literally the opposite. They didn't fear God. They didn't even care what God would do to them.

Speaker 1: 30:02

Therefore, we can conclude with this last Rashi we should wipe out, blot out, not just the men, but any sort of reference to them. They're men. We must blot out their women, we must blot out their children, we must blot out their suckling, we must destroy their animals. No one should be able to even say oh yeah, I think that's the Amalekian highbacks. You know how there's some indigenous items in the world? Oh, that's a Korean round kick or a Japanese butterfly. You shouldn't be able to say that to anything that has to do with Amalek, because it should be totally wiped out. No Amalekian peanuts, no Amalekian microphones, no Amalekian bottles of water straight from the mountains of Amalek. None of that. It's kind of easy to understand, though.

Speaker 1: 31:15

Now Timcha Ezehra Amolik, because just going through skimming the surface of just a mere psukim and Rashi's commentary, we see what real evil is, and I hope I've provoked you, I hope I've made your heart race a bit, I hope I've made some a bit of anger. They said that if you saw the, it wasn't that same calm, and totally because he was on fire with his love of Hashem. As long as God's enemy is in the world, god's chair, his heavenly throne, is missing a piece, and I want my father in heaven to have a full and comfortable chair. So we're passionately anti-Amalek to have a full and comfortable chair. So we're passionately anti-Amalek and this Shabbos, timcha, zechra, amalek, when we coalesce together in Shuls.

Speaker 1: 32:21

I hope you'll remember Many of these Midrashim and they should echo in your head when you hear the words from the Baal Korei. Listen closely, listen, folding both ears, lending them both towards the Baal Korei. Listen to the psukim, recall the ideas we've stated here, internalize the comments of Rashi and really come to terms with why it is that we hate Amalek so badly. Let this hatred and let this little chat we've had enable you to fulfill in all of its entirety. The mitzvah of you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget.