‘Va’yomer ki yad al keis Y-ah, milchamah l’Hashem ba’amalek midor dor.‘
‘And He (God) said, ‘For there is a hand upon the throne of God; Hashem’s war with Amalek spans all generations’.’ (Shemos 17:15)
This prominent passuk, relevant to Parashas Zachor, cries out profusely for explanation. Rashi, in his awesome genius, teaches that here God is swearing that He wages an eternal war and has a seething enmity against Amalek. Based on the Medrash Tanchuma (Ki Seitzei 11), Rashi also points out that the word used for throne in this verse, כס, has a different spelling to the usual, כסא. In addition, the Name of God that is used in this passuk isי-ה , which contains only half of the letters that comprise Hashem’s full and ineffable four-letter appellation. Rashi concludes that this is also part of a Divine oath, that neither God’s Name not his throne can be complete until Esav’s name is eradicated. Esav is the antecedent and spiritual underpinning of Amalek.
The Maharal, in his opus Gur Aryeh, takes us deeper, one level at a time. He begins by probing with penetrating precision the unique essence of Amalek and why he is such a formidable opponent of God, Truth and Klal Yisrael. The Maharal states that unlike other nations, Amalek is an incessant enemy of the Jews, who recalcitrantly opposes them in a whirlwind of diabolical antagonism. Indeed, it was revealed in Sefer Bereishis, through the inability of Esav and Yaakov to reside in the same womb, that Amalek and the Jews are incompatible entities, diametrically opposing forces in the supernal spheres. If one rises, the other must fall. This conflict was glaringly illustrated when Amalek attacked the Jews as they came out of Mitzrayim. As Rashi comments, Amalek is even prepared to commit suicide if it will dampen the flames of Jewish inspiration. The Amalekim are the original Kamikaze pilots, the troll-like foot soldiers whose anti-Semitism will stop at nothing.
Yet how exactly does Amalek cause Hashem’s Name to be rendered incomplete? It is surely a fundamental Torah precept that God is omnipotent and infinite; his completeness is autonomous and indestructible. He created Amalek and the notion that a band of Nazis can in some way limit their Creator is doctrinally unthinkable according to Jewish dogma. Furthermore, how does Amalek seemingly dethrone Hashem? This aspect of the Medrash appears to be equally baffling.
The Maharal explains that Hashem’s name reflects absolute oneness. Indeed, we declare thrice daily the renowned mantra, ‘Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad’—Hashem’s Name is Echad – One. Now, oneness is harmony’s partner and is undermined by discord and disunity which is exactly what Amalek stands for. Because a partnership between Yisrael and Amalek is impossible, division enters the universe. This broken world now becomes a place where the Divine Name is concealed since its radiant oneness is blurred by Amalek‘s obfuscating machinations. Of course, Hashem is impeccably One and is utterly unaffected by the rancour of this pernicious yet mortal tribe. It is merely that our perception of Him and His oneness is diminished by Amalek‘s divisive influence. The word Amalek, which has the numerical equivalent (gematria) of safek, meaning doubt, brings exactly that into our realm. Amalek‘s existence causes us doubt to ourselves and our better judgment. What was once a clear and lucid appreciation of God’s uniqueness becomes distilled, fragile and belittled.
This also explains how Amalek limits God’s throne. The throne represents the concept of malchus, Hashem’s undisputed kingship over the world and its inhabitants. This notion is also rooted in the idea of God’s oneness. Only when there is a unique and aloof monarch can true sovereignty reign supreme. That is the reason, writes the Maharal, why we say, ‘Baruch shem k’vod malchuso l’olam va’ed’ immediately following the declaration of ‘Hashem echad‘ in the Shema. This demonstrates that God’s malchus is predicated on His uniqueness as king. Amalek‘s splintering fangs contaminate and ultimately destroy this recognition.
The avodah on Purim is the alchemist’s charge: to turn this turpitude of Amalek into religious gold. When we blur the distinction between Baruch Mordechai and Arur Haman, between good and evil, we revisit a world in which Amalek no longer dulls our senses and numbs our hearts. We catch a glimpse of the Source of all, the King of kings, Whose existence is unlike any other and Who lovingly awaits our reaching out Him.
