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Questions tagged [amalek]

Ancient adversary of Israel and enemy of God from the offspring of Edom. They are prophesied to meet eternal ruin and Israel is commanded to erase their memory from beneath the heavens.

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1 answer
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Does the mitzvah of eradicating Amalek supersede Shabbos?

The Sefer Chinuch 604 tells us we have a mitzvah to wipe out Amalek. למחות זרעו מן העולם - שנצטוינו למחות זרעו של עמלק ולאבד זכרו מן העולם, זכר ונקבה, גדול וקטן, ועל זה נאמר (דברים כה יט) ''תמחה את ...
alicht's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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What is the horn of Amalek?

Tehillim 75:11 states: וכל־קרני רשעים אגדע תרוממנה קרנות צדיק All the horns of the wicked I will cut; but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up. Rashi explains that the horns of the wicked ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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What about the accomplices of Amalek?

We are directly ordered to kill Amalek (once the chance presents itself) so that 'the name of Amalek not be mentioned even with reference to an animal by saying "This animal belonged to Amalek" '. ...
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3 votes
0 answers
87 views

Source that the world was created for amalek

Numerous Midrashim list different things that the world was created for the purpose of such as Klal Yisrael, Bikkurim, Torah, Challah, and Maasros all of which are called "ראשית" (first). I remember ...
Eliyahu's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
144 views

Is remembering Amalek, erasing the name of Amalek, or both, considered mitzvot?

Chabad says that We find a range of opinions concerning how often the mitzvah of remembering Amalek... My rabbi (an Aish graduate) told me that wiping out Amalek's name is the mitzvah. Which is ...
AviG's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Why does the gemarah use Amalek as a mnemonic siman?

I don't know if there is any meaning that can/should be attached to the mnemonic signs in the gemarah. I usually assumed they are chosen based on being easy to remember. In Bava Batra 46b the gemarah ...
rikitikitembo's user avatar
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Menorah a way to wipe out Amalek and tool which helps us not to 'cool off'?

This year one will read the Torah portion of Tetzaveh and the special designated Torah reading for the Shabbat prior to Purim, known as Shabbat Zachor, together. Rabbeinu Yehuda Aryeh DiModina (Yid ...
Levi's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
268 views

Exodus of Israelites, war against Amalekite, blot them out

I am reading about the Israelites time in the desert during their exile from Egypt. What did God mean when He said (Exodus 17:14): "I will blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven"?
TeachMeLord's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
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How are there so many Amolekites in Shmuel Aleph Chapter 30? [duplicate]

In Shmuel Aleph Chapter 15, the Novi tells us that Sho'ul and Shmuel wiped out all of the Amolekites (Sho'ul killed most of them and Shmuel finished them off). The Midrash (I can't remember where ...
Joshua Pearl's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
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The Amalekite youth's capital punishment

In Samuel 2 chapter 1, the Amalekite lad tells David the news that King Saul is dead and that Saul had asked him to take his life. David sentences the youth to death. The pesukim suggest that the ...
El Shteiger's user avatar
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11 votes
4 answers
488 views

Why didn't Mordechai kill Haman?

Some background: It is a mitzvah to destroy Amalek (Rambam mitzvah #188, Chinuch mitzvah 604). The Chinuch seems to understand that this is both a mitzvah upon the Jewish people and upon every ...
Y     e     z's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
158 views

Yehoshua and the Destruction of Amalek

I was just reviewing the Rashi on the parsha and I was struck by a couple very unusual juxtapositions. 17:14 reads "... Write this as a remembrance in the Book and place it in the ears of Yehoshua, ...
Isaac Kotlicky's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
124 views

Antoninus was an Amalakite?

The Seffer HaChinuch #425 writes וכענין שמצינו חכם אחד שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (ע''ז י, ב) שהיה מבני בניו של עמלק והוא אנטונינוס I am aware that medrashic tradition traces Antoninus to Edom, as we ...
user6591's user avatar
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3 votes
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David's Amalekites [duplicate]

In I Samuel 15, it records that King Saul wiped out all of Amalek, besides the king who was killed after a short period of time. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and ...
A L's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
219 views

Who are the amalekites today? [duplicate]

I am wondering which nation are the amalekites today. I have heard that they are either Germany or Russia. I think Russia, but also others have said that amalek had assimilated into a few nations, ...
Avishai EliYahu's user avatar

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