The Eternal Commandment of Erasing Amalek

Idan Asks:

"I heard that the Torah predates the world, which means that Hashem predetermined the fulfillment of the commandment 'Remember what Amalek did to you.' Does this imply that the Amalakites had no free choice?"

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Hello Idan, and thank you for your question.

First, let's clarify the significance of the Midrash and what it is meant to teach us.

Many might mistakenly believe that the Torah was given to humans as an afterthought, similar to state laws created due to rising crime and the need for order. They might wrongly think that Hashem crafted the Torah's laws to mend humanity's sorry state, suggesting that in a more perfect world, Torah would not be necessary. Chazal aimed to uproot this false view by revealing that the Torah existed 974 generations before the world's creation (Tractate Shabbat, page 88b), and the Midrash states: "The world and all its fullness was created only because of the Torah" (Bereishit Rabbah 1, 4).

The entire world was created following the Torah's ideal plan. The word "Torah" suggests "instruction," indicating commandment; Hashem created the world and humans to fulfill the Torah's commandments. Take for example the commandment to honor one's parents. Frogs, for instance, do not nurture their young as a mother and father; instead, frogs lay eggs collectively and raise their offspring communally. In contrast, humans were created with a familial nature because the Creator wanted us to fulfill the commandment of honoring parents. If the Torah didn’t contain this commandment (and other family-related commandments), then Hashem would not have fashioned humans with parental roles. So with every commandment, due to its spiritual purpose resembling the Creator, we were created in consonance with the Torah. We learn that the Torah is the ideal manufacturer’s manual according to which the world was created. There is much depth and examination needed in this brief statement from Chazal.

Addressing your question,

every commandment has a spiritual root, which can be expressed in various physical ways. Chazal stated: "Commandments were given only to refine creation" (Bereishit Rabbah 44, 1), so material historical events are tied to the internal reasons for the commandments, not vice versa.

Chazal recount that Avraham Avinu observed all commandments even before the Torah was given to Israel. This means Avraham observed commands like eating matzot on Pesach despite the lack of an 'Exodus' reason. He could do this because each commandment embodies a deeper spiritual reason beyond its historical attachment. Similarly, erasing the memory of Amalek is spiritually about uprooting inherent evil - Amalek's trait of defiance and destruction. This commandment later became associated with wiping out the Amalekite nation which epitomized this negative outlook, thus applicable to any nation adopting these harmful ideologies.

Evidence for this is that any Amalekite who committed themselves to the Seven Laws of Noah was not executed according to Halachah (Rambam, Laws of Kings, Chapter Six). Moreover, an Amalekite who converted could study Torah, as Chazal related: "Descendants of Haman taught Torah in Bnei Brak" (Gittin 57b). Haman, a known Amalekite, had Torah-teaching descendants, showcasing that the commandment against Amalek is primarily a spiritual commandment against destructive traits, not an eternal enemy of non-representative nationals. Additionally, Torah commandments aren't temporary; thus, eradicating Amalek addresses ongoing spiritual corrections across all generations.

This is the essence of this commandment: to uproot evil determined to defy Torah's morals. The Amalekite nation played this part thoroughly in the desert generation, cruelly targeting the weakest Israelites, the elderly, and trailing, attacking with "spiritual dedication," not for wealth, but to oppose our fundamental beliefs.

From this, we learn that "Amalek" symbolically represents cruelty and rebellion against Torah's values. Just as we must distance from Sodom, so too must we fight Amalek in every generation, initially within ourselves.

Hypothetically, if there were no Amalekites, this deep-seated commandment would find another representation of eradicating evil within us or through eliminating another nation that embodied such malevolence in history.

Yet, we mustn’t forget that Hashem "declares all generations from the start" (Isaiah 41:4), assigning historical roles and events to the peoples according to the Torah’s plan, as it states in Proverbs (21:1): "A king's heart is in the hand of Hashem; He directs it wherever He pleases." Hashem steers kings and shapes history.

This explanation does not contradict the free choice of nations. As Chazal said: "Merit is brought about through the meritorious, and obligation through the culpable" (Tractate Shabbat 32b). It means when a nation chooses evil freely and wickedness, Hashem, seeing this inclination, steers it towards those deserving of its evil. Besides, individuals always have free choice, as seen with Ruth the Moabite and Rahab, who willingly joined the people of Israel.

Thus, the answer to your question is that Hashem foresaw Amalek's actions even before the world and directed their ill choice against Israel to fit the commandment's purpose.

Chazal explicitly states this in the same Midrash revealing the Torah's predating creation: "A king married a lady of great importance, yet they had no son. Once, the king was seen in the market, saying 'Prepare writing tools for my son,' with everyone inquiring, 'He has no son, yet says to prepare.' "If the king didn’t foresee having a son, he wouldn't have ordered writing tools for him," much like Hashem knowing Israel’s eventual acceptance of Torah ahead of 26 generations, wrote commands in the Torah preordained" (Bereishit Rabbah 1, 4).

Hashem foresees all generations and orchestrates events to suit the commandments. Essentially, the Torah is Israel’s soul, and the world the garment crafted for it. As the soul is created before the body, with the body formed for it, likewise, Torah predates the world, which was prepared for its commandments’ fulfillment. Therefore, the world's existence hinges on maintaining and studying the Torah: "Thus says Hashem: If not for my covenant day and night, I would not have established the ordinances of heaven and earth!" (Jeremiah 33:25).