[Avodah] why davka? amalek??

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 11:05:28AM -0500, Lisa Liel wrote:
> The quote that sums the article up is "Israel sees the sacred even in  
> the profane. Amalek sees the profane even in the sacred."  It's always  
> possible to look at the world through a lens of kedusha or a lens of  
> "keri".  Amalek embodies the "keri" principle.

Medrash Tanchuma also emphasize their being first. (See also Rambam,
Sefer haMitzvos, asei #188). "Asher *korkha* baderekh" -- they cooled off
the nations' awe of us the way the first person who enters an overly-hot
bath may get burned, but cools down the water for everyone else.

The world would have otherwise remained enamored of "kol Yaaqov", but
Amaleiq reasserted "yedei Eisav". (Amaleiq was Eisav's grandson through
Esav's son Eliphaz and Eliphaz's shifchah, Timna.) Moral voice was
again occluded to "might makes right".

This enhances, not contradicts, what Lisa cites. Amaleiq focuses on
worldly power, and thus physical might, ignoring qedushah, ethics,
or anything remotely related to bitachon or hashgachah.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             What we do for ourselves dies with us.
micha at aishdas.org        What we do for others and the world,
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