[Avodah] Rav Moshe Feinstein on America

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2017 at 01:49:36PM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
: We therefore memorialize them in our hearts and with our mouths, so
: that we know that any religion or system of beliefs that wields power
: and sovereignty and does not rely only on its inherent light is hollow,
: false, and misleading. In truth, there is no light in them. This is why
: we continue to remember Amalek.

R/Lord/Dr J Sacks this week contrasted Amaleiq with Mitzrayim. For one, we
should never forget what they did. For the other, "lo sesa'eiv Mitzri
ki geir hayisa be'artzo" (23:8)

RJS contrasts the rational hatred the Egyptians had to a strong
up-and-coming threat "rav ve'atzum mimenu... venosaf gam hu al
son'einu..." with the hatred of an Amaleiq picking off the stragglers
of a bunch of reguees. He compares it to ahavah hateluyah bedavar to
she'einah telyah bedavar, saying the same is true for sin'ah. And just as
love that is not dependent on some feature, the love is eternal, there
is no getting rid of Amaleiqite antisemitism. Egyptian-style hatred can
can pass as soon as we stop being a threat.

Sin'ah she'einah telyah bedavar is usually called something else -- sin'as
chinam.

So it hit me when listening to RJS during my commute that perhaps we
continue to remember Amaleiq because it helps to remember how destructive
sin'as chinam can be in our battle against our own sin'ah.

This would fit well with the repeated command "zekhor es asher asah
lekha..." We are told to keep our animosity toward Amaleiq focused on
what they did, and not let it

Similarly, when it comes to Jews. Tosafos discuss periqas ol and why your
sonei's donkey comes first. Who is your sonei? If it's someone you're
supposed to hate, then why take efforts to overcome it. And if it isn't,
why are their halakhos recognizing the hate altogether? Tosafos contrast
the permitted hatred one may feel for a sinner with the additional hatred
we feel once we realize they hate us back.

The mitzvah of mechiyas Amaleiq seems quite an elaborate lesson in how
to address sin'as chinam.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Strength does not come from winning. Your
micha at aishdas.org        struggles develop your strength When you go
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