Amalek's War Is Never Really Over
Amalek's War Is Never Really Over
Part of Purim · 6:23
A short piece on the eternal, ongoing nature of the battle against Amalek, and a Torah scholar's obligation to let go of revenge and grudges.
Audio Transcript
He had to be from Avraham Avinu. He said that, he says he has a milchamah with Amalek forever, so why are we Doing what? We don't know who he is. Well, there's no way to find out. ืื ืกื ืืจืื ืืืืื ืืช ืืขืืื. Sancheriv mixed up all the nations, and we don't know where Amalek is. We assume the Nazis ืืื ืฉืื ืืืืจื were definitely Amalek, I can't see any other way. But You don't know who Mashiach is either. Mashiach is in every generation. Yeah, yeah. There's Mashiach here, we don't know where he is, who he is. No, the fault Mashiach, he's asking without Mashiach, why don't we go around and kill Amalek? We're supposed to. If we knew, we'd have to. When they searched Esav, when they got it was that ืืืืืื ืฉื ืจืืื. Romi. Sancheriv was before ืืืืืื ืฉื ืจืืื. Right, it became when when ื ืฉื ืฉืืื ืืช ืืช ืคืจืขื. ื ืฉื ืฉืืื ืืช ืืช ืคืจืขื, ืืฉืขื ืฉื ืฉื ืฉืืื ืืช ืืช ืคืจืขื ืืจื ืืืจืืื ืื ืขืฅ ืงื ื ืืื ืืืขืื ืฉืจืืื ืืขืืื ื ืื ื ืืจื ืืืื ืฉื ืจืืื. So it comes from Shlomo HaMelech. ืืืืืื ืฉื ืจืืื, okay. ืืืจ ืจื ืืืืื ืืืจ ืจื ืืคื ื ืื ื ืขื ืฉ ืฉืืื? Why was Shaul punished? ืืคื ื ืฉืืื ืขื ืืืืื. He was a king and he was mochel on his kavod, that means he himself didn't respect his malchut. He himself felt, I'm not really a melech, I don't... So if he did that, that's why. One time or all the times? ืฉื ืืืจ, he quotes, ืฉื ืืืจ, it says: ืืื ื ืืืืขื ืืืจื, at one point that people said, ืื ืืืฉืืขื ื ืื? Look at this guy help us. ืืืืืืื, they embarrassed him, ืืื ืืืืื ืื ืื ืื, they didn't bring the present they should have, ืืืื ืืืืจืืฉ, and he was quiet. He should have punished them, say, how dare you say speaking against me? See another pasuk, it says ืืืขื ื ืืฉ ืืขืืื ื, yeah, Nachash HaAmoni came, and Rashi brings the end, what happened there? And they said, the people said, whoever said that Shaul is not a good king, let's kill him. So what did Shaul say? \"No, no, no, don't bother anyone, let them say what they want.\" Even though David did the same thing? David forgave Shimi ben Gera. Hashem told him to curse me. Yeah, but he later on told Shlomo. Finally, he didn't, he just left him. But he was had it in mind, he kept it in heart, and he waited for a chance to do it. So, he takeh did it. That's why he told Shlomo to kill him. Shlomo, he'll kill him, yeah. Why wouldn't David kill him? Huh? David, he passed, he didn't At the same time, because ืืณ ืืืจ ืื ืงืื, ืืณ says he can curse, so David said, \"I deserve it, but the malchut doesn't, so mimela eventually he has to get killed.\" No, here he said, \"Let them go.\" ืืืืจ ืจืื ืืืื ื ืืฉืื ืจืื ืฉืืขืื ืื ืืืืฆืืง, he brought in the name of ืจืื ืฉืืขืื ืื ืืืืฆืืง, ืื ืชืืืื ืืื ืฉืืื ื ื ืืงื ืื ืืืจ ืื ืืฉ ืืื ื ืชืืืื ืืื.
Any talmid chacham who doesn't take nekamah, doesn't take revenge, and doesn't take doesn't ื ืืืจื, What's ื ืืืจื? It's a grudge, that's it, yeah. Like a snake, is not a talmid chacham. In other words, a talmid chacham has to ื ืขืื ืืื ืื, has to No, has to ื ืขืื ืืื ืื for his kavod, has to what's ื ืขืื ืืื ืื? Defend his kavod. I mean, not nowadays, not all talmidei chachamim, but real, and besides that you have to be sure that you're doing it for the kavod of the Torah, not for your own personal kavod, and then... So it wouldn't be for somebody, don't don't knock a snake or something, because later on he'll get you, he'll get you back? Don't knock a snake. Yeah, don't knock. It'll run away, yeah, he'll come back and yeah, don't take nekamah with him, yeah. Because he'll come and take revenge with you, right. ืคืจืขืื ืื Gemara: How can you say, ืืืืชืื, it says ืื ืชืงื ืืื ืชืืจ? It says: Do not take revenge, and do not take revenge, and not keep a grudge? So the Gemara answers: ืืืื ืืืืื ืืื ืืืชืื. That's by money, someone made you lose money, well, we'll see the Gemara explains, ืืชื ืื, it told in a braita: ืืืื ืืื ื ืงืืื ืืืืื ืืื ื ืืืจื? What's called revenge and what's called grudge? ื ืงืืื, revenge is: ืืืจ ืื, so a guy says to him, ืืฉืืืื ื ืืืื, lend me your your ืืืืื, lend me your ืกืคืจ. ืืืจ ืื, the guy says, \"ืื, I don't want to.\" ืืืืจ ืืืจ ืื ืืื ืืฉืืืื ื ืงืจืืืื, this other guy who didn't want to lend you the ืืืืื comes to you and says, \"Lend me your shovel.\" ืืืจ ืื: ืืื ื ืจืืฆื ืืืฉืืืื, \"I don't want to give you,\" ืืืจื ืฉืื ืืฉืืืชื ื. That's what do you call? ื ืงืืื, that's revenge. He didn't want to give, he's not giving him. ืืืื ืืื ื ืืืจื? What's grudge? ืืืจ ืื: ืืฉืืืื ื ืงืจืืืื, \"Lend me your shovel.\" ืืืจ ืื: ืื, guy doesn't want to. ืืืืจ, next day, ืืืจ ืื: ืืฉืืืื ื ืืืืงื, he comes back to him and says, \"You know what? Lend me your shirt.\" ืืืจ ืื, he says, \"ืืืื, I'll do it, I'll give you. ืืืื ื ืขืืฉื ืืืืชื, I'm not going to do it like you, ืฉืื ืืฉืืืชื ื, that you didn't want to lend me.\" ืื ืืื ื ืืืจื. That's netirah, that's like a grudge. ืืืืื, you said? Yeah, ืืืืื. ืืืืื? ืืืื, ืืืื. Oh, oh, ืืืื, ืืืื, yeah. Rashi says, no, ืืืื, ืืืื. ืืืื is... I was thinking, why ืืืืื ืืงืจืืืื? If it's ืงืจืืืื, sickle. Yeah. And they make a whole ืืืืง why why this, yeah, ืืื, yeah, yeah. Golf, yeah. No, it's the Gemara, ืืื, yeah, not ืืืืื, yeah. ืืื is... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Uh-huh. Fifty times to ืืื, yeah, not sure. He doesn't finish... The ืฆืขืจ of the ืืืคื, like he ืคืจืขืื the Gemara, and only for money, money you have you're ืขืืืจ on ื ืงืืื, but if a guy ืืฆืขืจ you with the body, you're allowed to have ื ืงืืื? ืืชื ืื, it says ืื ืขืืืื ืืืื ื ืขืืืืื, those people who are embarrassed by somebody else and don't embarrass back. ืฉืืืขืื ืืจืคืชื ืืืื ื ืืฉืืืื, they hear their embarrassment and they don't answer. ืขืืฉืื ืืืืื, those that serve Hashem from love. ืฉืืืื ืืืกืืจืื, those that love happy with ืืกืืจืื. ืขืืืื ืืืชืื ืืืืจ, the ืคืกืืง says: ืืืืืื ืืฆืืช ืืฉืืฉ ืืืืืจืชื, that those that love Hashem, they will be the strongest one when ืืฉืื comes. So, seemingly you should not If a guy embarrasses you, you should not answer back. The Gemara says ืืขืืื ื ืืืจ ืืื ืืืืื. Takeh, you shouldn't answer back, but in your heart you could have you should have a grudge. Freigt the ืืืจื, ืืืจ ืจืื: ืื ืืืขืืืจ ืขื ืืืืชืื ืืขืืืจืื ืื ืขื ืื ืคืฉืขืื. Someone goes against his middot, which means he doesn't he gives up his feelings, the Eibershter goes away his aveirot. What it answers: ืืืคืืืก ืืื ืืคืืืก. That's only when you come he asks forgiveness. If a guy asks you forgiveness, then forgive him. Not only don't bother him, in your heart forgive. But a guy doesn't ask, you don't have to forgive. But it's not healthy to keep a grudge anyway. Anyway. It's all about talmid chacham. Except it's almost by a talmid chacham, understand? We hold they're not. You don't have that problem. This should apply to us. You don't have that problem. No, this should apply to us. We could be at that madregah, right? Should we? No? Excuse me. Look at my shirt. Not machine washable.