[Avodah] Haman and Amaleik

[Kenneth Miller]

R' Micha Berger asked:

> Sancheirev was defeated at Y-m in 3213. His dispersal of
> Amaleiq had to be before this.
> Purim was in 3404. 191 years later. More so if one questions
> the literalness of Chazal's history.
> Okay, we could identify beruach haqodesh that Haman was from
> Amaleiq. But there was no Amaleiqi culture anymore to have
> been the cause of his hatred of Jews.

I have heard from several sources, and it has been mentioned on this list, that nowadays the mitzvah of mechiyas Amalek refers not to Amalek's biological decendants, but to his ideological heirs. And that this is not merely a mussar drash, but practical halacha l'maaseh.

I have long wondered the source for such a radical shift in a mitzvah d'Oraisa. Could this be it? Could it be that although the Megillah identifies Haman as an "Agagi" several times, this is meant only ideologically?

Akiva Miller

____________________________________________________________
Fast, Secure, NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband. Try it.
http://www.netzero.net/?refcd=NZINTISP0512T4GOUT2