Kristol Clear Judaism–Annihilating Amalek a Torah Commandment for Jews

‘The mitzvah to annihilate Amalek is also moral and logical – to deter the wicked. May the mitzvah be applied in our day?’

ed note–PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY AND CONSIDER ITS IMPLICATIONS.

Anyone who still entertains any kind of confusion over why the followers of Judah-ism, the ‘children of Israel’ as they love to refer to themselves–as a group operate as virtually one mind in their war against Gentiledom need look no further than this piece in understanding why.

The Rabbis have always maintained an almost occult-like power over the thinking of the people under their sway, giving a whole new dimension of understanding vis a vis Jesus and His condemnations of the Jewish priesthood which He characterized as ‘children of their father, the devil, who is the father of lies’ as well as His statement that those who find themselves under the sway of the Jewish priesthood wind up becoming ‘sons of hell’ themselves.

Having said this, please pay attention to the particulars of what this insane Rabbi writes concerning ‘Amalek’ whom the followers of Judah-ism have been commanded by their ‘god’ yahweh to destroy.

1. Note the very first word the rabbi uses in making his argument– ‘Apparently’–in beginning the discussion of this people known in Judaism as ‘Amalek’. HE DOESN’T EVEN BELIEVE HIMSELF IN THE HISTORICAL VERACITY OF THE TALE, but recognizes the tribal/political value associated with using this as the basis for steering Judaic behavior in a certain direction.

2. Note that his arguments are all Torah-based, as this rabbi makes kristol clear. So much for all the nonsense propagated by certain ‘experts’ in this movement who claim that the ‘Jewish problem’ is the result of ‘Khazars’ who follow ‘the Talmud’ rather than the ‘holy’ books of the Torah.

3. Please note that the Rabbi makes kristol clear that the extermination of all life–men, women, children, and even animals–is what the god of the Jews, yahweh, demands, and that this extermination is to take place by Jews acting on behalf of Jewish interests. As he rightly noted, when others have made similar arguments such as this in justifying their actions against Jews, these people were evil, whereas when Jews do it, it is considered ‘holy’ in that they are following the commandments of their god, yahweh.

4. Note the Rabbi’s assertion that Amalek’s hatred of the Jews is based upon the Jews’ drive to impose the precepts of its tribal, violent religion upon the ENTIRE WORLD. The rabbi of course couches this discussion within the context that Judaism is a good thing that was designed to ‘repair’ a broken world, but no one should gloss over this very important Freudian slip that just occurred–Gentile opposition to Jews has always been–in the words of the Rabbi himself–an allergic reaction to JUDAISM, and not because of any ‘irrational hatred based on envy’ as we are often told these days.

5. Next, note what the Rebbe states to wit–

‘…according to Jewish law Amalekites can save themselves by way of dismissing their heritage, and accepting the moral principle…(Judah-ism)’

If this is not a clear, concise explanation as to why Jewish interests dominate in various movements aimed at destroying the cultures of Gentile nations and why at the head of every perverse and subversive innovation–from abortion to porn to homosexuality to multiculturalism, et al–used in corrupting cultures, sowing social/moral instability, breaking up families, emasculating men and destroying womanhood/motherhood, I can’t think of a better one.

And finally–drum role please–the big enchilada that should put to rest any and all discussion concerning Judaism being one of the world’s ‘great religions’–

‘…the ideal way to fulfill the mitzvah of wiping-out Amalek is for them to repent. Otherwise, there is an alternative way which is also ideal – to annihilate them in war…Because of the fact that they have assimilated amongst the nations, their evil influence persists, and therefore the only remaining way to amend the situation is for the entire world to repent (submit to the Jews’ demands)  or else for the onset of a major war, such as the war of Gog and Magog (Armageddon), in which all the wicked will perish…’

And here, everyone thought Israel got hold of all those nukes just for show….

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Israel National News

There are those who question why the Torah commands to cruelly destroy an entire people. Is this not similar to the actions of the Nazis? On the other hand, others ask: Since Amalek as a nation no longer exists, should we learn from the commandment to wipe out Amalek a lesson for our times, and possibly even apply it to the wicked in every generation?

Let us study the mitzvah, and consequently the answers to these questions will become clear.

The Historical Account

Apparently, Amalek was a tribe that did not engage in agriculture and industry, but rather, trained its youth to conduct surprise attacks against villages and convoys – to kill those they encountered, plunder their belongings, and sell the men, women and children who remained as slaves. It was difficult to wage war against them because they did not have a permanent base, and would suddenly and unexpectedly appear at enormously distant locations, with large attacking forces.

And so, right after we Jews left Egypt, even before we had a chance to coalesce and organize ourselves, Amalek came and attacked us, without any provocation or reason. And who did he attack? Slaves who were going free after an extended period of servitude. Instead of realizing the greatness of the miracle of the exodus from Egypt, or having mercy on the newly-released slaves, the Amalekites saw before them easy prey, and taking advantage of Israel’s weakness, began attacking the stragglers in the rear, in order to capitalize from their sale as slaves, and plunder their possessions.

Even after Joshua, on behalf of Moshe Rabbeinu, fought and weakened them, it was clear this would not be the last battle; rather, every time Amalek would perceive signs of weakness, they would attack, kill, loot, and sit in wait for the next assault.

The Three Mitzvot Related to the Annihilation of Amalek

As a result, we were commanded three mitzvot in the Torah.

The first is a positive commandment to remember what Amalek did to us, as it says: ‘Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you were leaving Egypt’ (Devarim 25:17).

The second is a negative commandment not to forget what Amalek did to us, as it says: ‘Do not forget’ (ibid. 25:19).

The third is a positive commandment to eradicate Amalek’s offspring from the world, as it says: ‘It shall be that when the Lord your God gives you rest from all your enemies around, in the Land that the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance to possess it, you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens’.

In order to annihilate Amalek, a large army was needed to encircle all the widespread areas from which they operated, locate them, block their escape routes, encounter them face-to-face, and destroy them. To do this, the Jewish nation would first have to establish themselves in the land, be free of fear of attacks from surrounding enemies, and allocate large forces for long periods of time to conduct war against Amalek. Regarding this, our Sages said: ‘Three commandments were given to Israel when they entered the land; 1) to appoint a king; 2) to cut off the seed of Amalek; 3) and only after this, would they be able to fulfill the third mitzvah – to build the Holy Temple’ (Sanhedrin 20b).

The History of Annihilating Amalek

Indeed, after the Jews merged together in their Land, they appointed King Shaul, and after his kingdom stabilized, the prophet Shmuel approached Shaul and said to him: ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; therefore, hear now the voice of the Lord’s words. So says the Lord of Hosts, ‘I have remembered what Amalek did to Israel, how he set an ambush against him on the way, as he [Israel] went up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and destroy everything he has; have no mercy on him; kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey’ (I Shmuel 15:1-3).

However, King Shaul did not fulfill the mitzvah properly, taking pity on Agag, King of Amalek, and the best of the sheep and cattle. As a result, God took the kingdom away from him and gave it to David. Nevertheless, the damage was already done, and it was devastating. Because of Shaul’s weakness and compassion, many Amalekites survived, and they continued harassing Israel. A few years later, a band of Amalekites attacked Tziklag, where the families of David and his men lived, burning down the city and taking all the women and children captive. With God’s help, David and his men managed to rescue the captives and vanquish the marauders. But since David was not yet king and did not have the army of Israel at his disposal, he was unable to eradicate them. Four hundred youths rode on camels and escaped (I Shmuel 30). Apparently, other groups of Amalekites survived elsewhere, but despite his efforts David was unable to battle and destroy them all, even after he became king, because they were spread out far and wide.

Our Sages also tell us that because Shaul procrastinated in killing Agag, Agag’s seed was preserved – he impregnated a woman from his prison cell before being killed – eventually resulting in the birth of Haman the Aggagite, who attempted to wipe out the Jewish people (Megillah 13a).

The Moral Logic of the Mitzvah to Annihilate Amalek

The moral logic of the mitzvah is clear: ‘middah keneged middah’(retributive justice). Just as Amalek had done to all the cities they looted, the same should be done to them. In truth, Amalek generally did not kill all the inhabitants of the cities they conquered; however, that was only because they hoped to capitalize from their sale as slaves. But when they found no buyers – they killed them.

Retributive justice is also essential in order to create a deterrent. For indeed, one who concedes to his enemies and fails to avenge them appropriately, encourages them to continue fighting. The great empires punished their foes severely, thus creating a deterrent that maintained their rule for centuries.

Amalek: The Root of Evil in the World

In total contrast to Amalek, Israel’s very essence is connected to the revelation of God’s word and tikkun olam (repairing the world). The idealistic, faith-based message that God destined to Israel incites all the evildoers of the world to go out and fight against us. No other nation has been persecuted as much as we have been – climaxing in the dreadful Holocaust. All this was started by Amalek immediately after we left Egypt, in order to prevent us from receiving the Torah, and repairing the world.

Therefore, Amalek is the nation that embodies the root of evil in the world, hatred of Israel, and consequently, hatred of Torah and the godly concept of universal rectification through kindness and truth. This is why the verse says: ‘For the hand [of God] is on the throne (כס) of God (י-ה), [saying] the Lord will [wage] war against Amalek from generation to generation'(Shemot 17:16). Our Sages said: ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, swore that His name (י-ה-ו-ה) and His throne (כסא) will be incomplete until the name of Amalek is utterly obliterated’ (Rashi, ibid.).

Amalekites May Repent

Although the Torah commanded to wipe-out the seed of Amalek, if an Amalek decides to undertake to keep the Seven Noahide laws, he is no longer judged as an Amalekite. Not only that, the Torah commanded that before we go to war against Amalek we offer them peace, i.e., to accept the Seven Noahide laws, to be subordinate to Israel, and to pay taxes. If they accept the offer – we do not wage war against them. If they refuse – we must go to war against them, until their complete destruction (Rambam, Laws of Kings, 6:1-4, Kesef Mishneh).

Thus, unlike the Nazi policy in which a person with even the slightest trace of Jewish origin was murdered, according to Jewish law Amalekites can save themselves by way of dismissing their heritage, and accepting the moral principle. This right is reserved for all individuals, all families, and even all nations as a whole.

Accordingly, the ideal way to fulfill the mitzvah of wiping-out Amalek is for them to repent.

Otherwise, there is an alternative way which is also ideal – to annihilate them in war.

In practice, the mitzvah has been fulfilled bediavad (in a less-than-ideal manner): over the years, the descendants of Amalek were scattered and assimilated among the nations, their trace of origin was lost, and the judgment of Amalek was annulled without their having repented. In practice, there is currently no way to annihilate them because they have assimilated amongst the nations; yet, their evil influence persists to a certain extent, and the only remaining way to amend the situation is for the entire world to repent, or for the onset of a major war, such as the war of Gog and Magog (Armageddon), in which all the wicked will perish.