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The Gemara (Bava Basra 21b) says that Yoav misread the passuk Deuteronomy 25:19 "Eradicate the memory of Amalek" as "Eradicate the males of Amalek" and thus only killed the males of Edom.

My question is simply like this: Why would he read the passuk of Amalek and apply it to Edom? There is no mitzvah to kill Edom?

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    It's because Amalek is a descendant of Esav (Edom).
    – Harel13
    Commented Sep 27, 2023 at 5:24
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    @Harel13 that doesn't follow.
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Commented Sep 27, 2023 at 10:40
  • @RabbiKaii nonetheless, that's what Rav Steinsaltz wrote in his commentary.
    – Harel13
    Commented Sep 27, 2023 at 13:34
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    @Harel13 it's an ironic anomaly - similar to the fallacy of Yoav in confusing the part for the whole?
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Commented Sep 27, 2023 at 13:35
  • @RabbiKaii interesting, I didn't think about it like that.
    – Harel13
    Commented Sep 27, 2023 at 14:41

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The מהרש''א answers as following: It was 100% a מלחמת רשות, and this was Dovid's question: How come you were מדקדק specifically to kill all of the males?

To which Yoav responded: We see even by Amalek, which is a mitzvah to kill them, the Torah is only מקפיד on the males. Therefore, by Edom, which is a Reshus, Kal Vechomer only kill the males!

To which Dovid answered: Yeah but it is 'memory' not 'males' etc. etc.

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