Well, according to biblical scholar Matthew Henry, "The Amalekites were probably descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12), and so enemies of Isaac's family." In other words, they were enemies of God's chosen people from the very beginning. And he saw the possibilities of mobilizing left-leaning ethnic, racial, and religious groups against 'Israeli oppression.' The other nations followed and were burned but they didnt want to look bad in front of the others now that Amalek had jumped in., We see this happening today. Ishmael was the elder brother of Isaac. Anyway, God has work for Gideon. Exodus 17:14-16 ESV. , he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Searching the Bible to find the author of Psalm 89. Hadar Susskind, President and CEO, Americans for Peace Now; Rabbi Bennett Miller, National Chair, ARZA; Stuart Applebaum, President, Jewish Labor Committee; Meredith Jacobs, CEO, Jewish Women International; Janet Gurvitch, President, Na'amat USA;
"After many years of research, Arthur Koestler, the well . The elders talk about them all the time, but none of them seem to be recent, Rather than being offended, the angel claps him on the back, laughs uproariously3, and says, Yes! Yet, the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis (MBR) joined forces with the Hamas front group CAIR. The Midianites and Amalekites pull out their swords and swipe at anything that moveswhich is mostly their comrades. And seriously, the Lord of all creation is with you.. [53], According to Christian Hofreiter, historically almost all Christian authorities and theologians have interpreted the herem passages as referring to real, historical events when God commanded the Israelites to exterminate all the members of particular nations. Thats the spirit! When they joined the Midianites to invade Israel they came "with their cattle and their tents" ( Judges 6:3-5 ). He was the son of the 86-year-old Abraham from Hagar, the personal handmaid of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Thus, the continuing oppressive spirit of this pagan nomadic tribe required a different treatment by the Lord from that which was to be normally carried out; namely, that terms of peace be first offered to a potential enemy (Deut 20:10-12). Based on when it happens to fall this year, the holiday will last for a full three days in Jerusalem. [7] In the oracle of Balaam, Amalek was called the 'first of the nations'. It means the Lord is peace.). This was because Haman was considered to be an Amalekite although this label is more likely to be symbolic rather than literal.[33][34][35]. The story we remind ourselves of each year, by reading Parshah Zachor, is that of the attack of the Amalekites, who are the descendants of Eliphaz, son of Esau (the patriarch Jacob's brother and sworn enemy) and his concubine Timna. The reason for the Lords concern about disobedient Israels encountering Amalek and other enemies without His special power was that the Amalekites who dwelt in both the hill country and in the valleys of S Canaan and the Negeb, were effective fighters in both areas (Num 14:25, 44, 45). He said that he has a tradition from the Gaon of Vilna that the Germans are the descendants of Amalek (Horowitz, p. 428). Not just defeat them, but destroy every man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey (1 Samuel 15:13). "And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam and Lotan's sister was Timna." 1. The politics of the progressive Jew is "bordering on the suicidal.". The story of Judges is that Israel would forget God and wander dive headlong into idolatry, a foreign nation would conquer them, Israel would repent, and only then would God raise up a leader to defeat their oppressors and lead Israel for a time. While the Jews were still in Rephidim, the Amalekites, a mightily and fierce people, descendants of Esau, and well-trained in the art of warfare, suddenly attacked the people of Israel. I want it becomes more important than anything. Amalek's spirit has continued through the millenniaits viciousness culminating in the Shoa. temple (E. F. Campbell and G. E. Wright, Tribal League Shrines in Amman and Shechem, BA, XXXII, No. And they were at war. They reject discussion and other opinions. Finally, Gideon is convinced, or maybe just scared to ask Almighty God for Yet Another Sign. But Israel has more enemies, of course. 4 [Dec., 1969], 104-111). 1 Samuel 30:1, 2 points to the Amalekite heavy raiding activity in the area of the Negeb, and Judges 6:3, 33 in speaking of the Amalekite association with the kings of the E in their raiding parties suggests that they may have lived sometime together in the Arabian territory toward the E. The Amalekites also extended their influence farther N into the Philistine country and the region of Ephraim. Rabbi Asher Benzio Buchman[1] in the journal Hakirah (Volume 28, Spring 2020) explains: [T]he base of the Democratic Party in the United States is made up of the envious lower classes, the Muslims, and the G-dless 'intellectuals' who dominate and indoctrinate on our college campuses and in the media. The Arabians mention Imlik, Amalik, or Ameleka among the aborigines of Arabia, the remains of which were mingled with the descendants of Qahtan (Joktan) and Adnan and became Mostarabs or Mocarabes, that is, Arabians mixed with foreigners. They are often associated with Edom, living in the same area as Edom. [22] However, the modern biblical scholar David Freedman uses textual analysis to glean that the use of Amalekite in Genesis 14:7 is actually an anachronism,[13] and in the early 19th century, Richard Watson enumerated several speculative reasons for having a "more ancient Amalek" than Abraham. Amalekite, member of an ancient nomadic tribe, or collection of tribes, described in the Old Testament as relentless enemies of Israel, even though they were closely related to Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. An ancient marauding people in the S of Canaan and the Negeb who were fierce enemies of Israel particularly in the earlier part of her history. In the world of media, for example, The Atlantic, endorses the "insane racism of Ta Nehisi Coates" while also hosting a film by Steve Jobs' widow that blames Jews for all the Middle Eastern wars. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) They were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after theExodusfrom Egypt, and they are seen as the archetypal enemy of the Jews. It also means that Amalek has gotten mixed into the other nations and a little bit of Amalek is in everyone., Amalek is more than a physical people. He has come up against all the countries that have shown the traits of Amalek., The evil that Amalek planted is still in the world and every person has to ask himself if he has taken on these traits. - Amalek & Israel - Land & People - The Amalekites & the Kenites - In the Aggadah Amalek and Israel Rabbi Dayan played a central role in so-called death curse ceremonies, or Pulsa diNura, aimed at Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon as a punishment for their giving up portions of Israel and dealing with murderers of Jews. Goering committed suicide so that only 10 descendants of Amalek were hung, Iran is willing to destroy their economy, they are willing to destroy their own country, just to convince the other Arab nations to attack Israel. Amalek is described as the "chief of Amalek" among the "chiefs of the sons of Esau," from which it is assumed that he ruled a clan or territory named after him (Genesis 36:15). They separated themselves off from the other Edomites at an early date, and became the predominant tribe in the more northern parts of the Sinaitic peninsula, claiming and exercising a sovereignty over the whole of the desert country between the . The Amalekites were the descendants of Amalek, who was the son of Eliphaz (son of Esau, ancestor of the Edomites) and Eliphaz's concubine Timna (Genesis 36:12). Sorry, none of that last paragraph is true. Jealousy and its precipitous hatred for the Jews and Judeo-Christian America unite them. Rather in Numbers 24:20 Amalek as first is to be understood as its being the first among the nations to attack Israel in her Exodus experiences (cf. [47], In addition, the Amalekites, as a physical nation, have been extinct since the time of Hezekiah's reign, according to the Hebrew Bible. I dont know either., This may not be a literal translation of the Hebrew., The most drawn-out miracle in the Old Testament is Elijahs battle with Jezebels priests of Baal in 1 Kings 18.. In the same chapter, Amalek is referred to as "one of the chiefs among Esau's descendants," meaning he either ruled a clan or some territory. The book of Genesis was written down long after all of these events took place, and the people who heard it or read it would have immediately known where the Amalekites lived, which makes their name a convenient shorthand for their geography. He asks for a miracle. Deut 34:3). They are leading a meaningless existence. 25:19 Not to forget Amalek's atrocities and ambush on our journey from Egypt in the desert, Some commentators have discussed the ethical deficiency of the commandment to exterminate all the Amalekites, especially including the command to kill children, and the presumption of collective punishment. Different people can embody that concept. Etymology [ edit] In some rabbinical interpretations, Amalek is etymologised as am lak, 'a people who lick (blood)', [2] but most specialists regard the origin to be unknown. First and foremost, Amalek is doubt in divine providence. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, also known as Reuel, was "the priest of Midian " and a Kenite ( Judges 1:16 ). That is why Amalek and those who go in his way simply cannot bear the sight of Israel.. Thus the people of Amalek lived on, to continue to torment the Jews for generations. In a broader sense, I would say that Amalek represents the senseless hatred, the murderous impulse, and the love of seeing other people suffer. It is to wipe him out from the world because as long as there is a memory of Amalek in the world, the, Rabbi Yosef Dayan, a member of the nascent Sanhedrin, is unafraid to make difficult judgments with dire consequences. [20], Alternatively, during the Islamic Golden Age, certain Arabic writings claimed that the Amalekites existed long before Abraham. Then why are we servants to the Midianites? This continued until the plague of the death of the firstborn and finished him completely.. It is to wipe him out from the world because as long as there is a memory of Amalek in the world, the Moshiach (Messiah) cannot come., Obama was not satisfied in setting his countrys policy against Israel. That is because Amalek in gematria (Hebrew numerology) is 240, equal to the word, (doubt); they want you to doubt what you know is clearly the word of God., Amalek puts emotions over the intellect. 1 Samuel 14 and 15 present Sauls encounter with the Amalekites. We are hardwired to want eternity and to seek meaning., Liberalism claims to be the avenger of justice and truth. Rabbi Berger quoted Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, an 11th century French Torah scholar who is known by the acronym Rashi, who explained the verse. Introduction to positive commandments, Beer Mayim Hayim, letter Alef, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Timna, concubine of Eliphaz: Midrash and Aggadah", "Shabbat Zachor: "Remember what Amalek did to you!" Liberalism is what happens when you take God and meaning out of life. Not great for an army thats now down to three hundred men. Although the son of a concubine, he nonetheless became head of a significant tribe, which in later times distinguished itself as a ruthless enemy of Israel. The Golden calf is the liberal movement in action. In Numbers 24:20 Balaam prophesied, Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction. This reference does not suggest that the early Genesis 14:7 reference to Amalek is in conflict with the Genesis 36:16 statement regarding Amalek, the grandson of Esau. Israeli-born philanthropist and activist Adam Milstein, who lives in Los Angeles, said '[t]he Jewish community is in denial. Amalek, a son of Esau's son Eliphaz, was presumably the eponymous ancestor of the Amalekites.