Shabbos Zachor
Why Shaul HaMelech's 'good reason' for sparing Agag was still a failure of kabbalas ol, and how it led straight to Haman.
Part of Shabbat Zachor
When Shaul spares Agag and the choicest of Amalek's flocks to use as korbanos, Shmuel HaNavi rebukes him sharply, even though, Chazal tell us, Shaul had a sophisticated, spiritually compelling rationale for what he did. The deeper problem is that any reasoning, however lofty, cannot substitute for kabbalas ol malchus shamayim, the willingness to obey beyond understanding that has to come first, the way Klal Yisrael said na'aseh before nishma at Har Sinai. That single lapse is what allowed Haman, a descendant of Agag, to be born, a lesson that returns every Purim, since destroying the Amalek within always begins with kabbalas ol.
Audio Transcript
A vort from the Rebbe for this 砖讘转 驻专砖转 讝讻讜专, when we read the parashah of 讝讻讜专, 讗砖专 注砖讛 诇讱 注诪诇拽, to remember Amalek. And the haftarah also talks about Amalek. And the haftarah tells us that the Aibershter gave over to Shaul Hamelech to destroy Amalek, that means all the people to kill, all the animals, etc., etc. But in fact, he did not do that. He let Agag, the king of Amalek, live, and the 诪讬讟讘 讛爪讗谉 讜讛讘拽专, the good sheep, cattle he let live. When Shmuel Hanavi came, so Shaul Hamelech told him, \"讛拽讬诪讜转讬 讗转 讚讘专 讛砖诐, I did the words of Hashem, I did what Hashem wants.\" And Shmuel asked him, \"What is that noise I hear from animals?\" He says, \"Yeah, that's the 诪讬讟讘 讛爪讗谉 讜讛讘拽专 of Amalek, that's the best sheep and cattle of Amalek. I let them live so we should be able to bring good korbanot to Hashem.\" So Shmuel Hanavi told him, \"诪讗住转 讗转 讚讘专 讛砖诐, you didn't listen to Hashem, you disgusted the word of Hashem, because 讛谞讛 砖诪讜注 诪讝讘讞 讟讜讘, to listen is better than a 拽专讘谉, 诇讛拽砖讬讘 诪讞诇讘 讗讬诇讬诐, to pay attention, to obey is better than the fats of the rams of the korbanot.\"
And the Rebbe explains this is what happened here. Chazal tell us that 砖讗讜诇 讛诇讱 讗讞专 讛讟注诐. The problem of Shaul was that he went after the reasoning, he had a reason why he left these animals over. And the Rebbe explains it like this, because mamash it's hard to say that pashut Shaul Hamelech did not listen to the Aibershter? Shaul was such a great tzadik, it says 讘谉 砖谞讛 砖讗讜诇 讘诪诇讻讜, when he became king he was a year old, and the Chazal, the Gemara tells us he wasn't a year old, he was so pure 讘专讜讞谞讬讜转 like a year-old baby, had no aveirot, nothing, he was a great tzadik. So how could he not listen to Hashem? But the answer is he made a very good 讞砖讘讜谉 讘专讜讞谞讬讜转. He understood, he knew what korbanot means. We know that we learn in Chassidus and Kabbalah, we learn in all in sefarim, korbanot is the highest avodah, and the 谞拽讜讚讛 of a korban is that you're taking a physical animal and you're transforming it into the highest level of 专讜讞谞讬讜转. So taking the lowest and bringing it to the highest is the greatest avodah. So Shaul thought to himself, if bringing a regular animal, which is low because it's a 讙砖诪讬讜转'讚讬拽 animal, and transforming it to 专讜讞谞讬讜转 is so great, imagine taking an animal that belongs to Amalek, Amalek is the lowest 拽诇讬驻讛, and transforming that to kedushah? That's 讗讜讜讚讗讬 讗讜谉 讗讜讜讚讗讬 great, that's the special thing to do! So that was his cheshbon. And that's what the Gemara means 砖讗讜诇 讛诇讱 讗讞专 讛讟注诐, he went after the reasoning, that means in reasoning it made a lot of sense. But Shmuel told him, as great as this reason is, but kabbalat ol, accepting the yoke of Hashem beyond reasoning, that's the highest avodah, that's the basis. True, you have to also try to understand whatever you do.
That's why what we said by 诪转谉 转讜专讛, 谞注砖讛 讜谞砖诪注, we always say the 诪注诇讛 that they said na'aseh, we will do, before they even understood it, and then v'nishma. But the famous question is, why did it why did they have to say na'aseh v'nishma, and being great because they said na'aseh first? They should have said na'aseh without nishma. Who says you have to understand? Do, accept, and do what you're supposed to. The answer is you have to try to understand as much as possible, because if you don't understand and you're only doing it with kabbalat ol, that means only your 讻讞 讛诪注砖讛, your lower attributes of the person, the actions, etc., etc., are given over to Hashem, but the higher parts, the higher faculties, the brain, the sechel is not given over to Hashem, it doesn't understand the 注谞讬谞讬诐 of Hashem. So you have to try to understand the best you can. But it all has to be based on the na'aseh. The first thing is kabbalat ol. When you have the kabbalat ol, then you have to try to understand the best you can, and if you don't understand, but you still do it, because your kabbalat ol is the 注讬拽专. But Shaul did not have the kabbalat ol, and this is what Shmuel told him: 砖诪讜注 诪讝讘讞 讟讜讘, to listen, which is kabbalat ol, is better than a korban. L'hakshiv, to pay attention and to follow what you're told, is better than 讞诇讘 讗讬诇讬诐. Chalav is the fats. Fats always represents geshmak. When you understand something, you feel geshmak about it. So he said to listen to Hashem, kabbalat ol, is the most important thing. And the mistake of Shaul was that in his level it was not kabbalat ol.
And what did that bring? That brought that because what he did and he left Agag live, that brought the the gezeirah of Haman, because Haman was a descendant of Agag, and not only that, the Chazal tell us that Haman was only born because Shaul did not kill Agag. So from him doing what he did, it could lead you to so far so by not having the kabbalat ol, so to the gezeirah of Haman. And what changed the gezeirah of Haman? The Yidden behaved in the complete opposite. The problem that led to the gezeirah of Haman was the lack of kabbalat ol of Shaul HaMelech. The Yidden had kabbalat ol malchut shamayim during the whole year, like the Alter Rebbe explains in Torah Or, that for a whole year the Yidden went on mesirut nefesh, because had they converted, had they given in in the 专讜讞谞讬讜转, 讛诪谉 would take away the gezeirah from them, but they went with kabbalat ol, with mesirut nefesh, which is beyond sechel, for a whole year. And that's the complete opposite of what is the beginning of the gezeirah of Haman, which is the story with Shaul HaMelech.
The lesson to take from here that this is what we have to do: we have to have the kabbalat ol malchut shamayim. And 注诪诇拽 讘讗诪转 it says is the complete opposite of kabbalat ol malchut shamayim, and by having Kabbalas ol, then we avoid the problems that we have with Amalek, and then this is a 专讜讞谞讬讜转讚讬拽注 destruction of Amalek, and that what has to be done 驻专砖转 讝讻讜专, that 讘专讜讞谞讬讜转 we have to know that we have Amalek within, everyone has this klipah of Amalek within him, and you have to destroy it within you. And by doing that, the Aibershter will destroy 注诪诇拽 讘讙砖诪讬讜转, and Mashiach will come, will get rid of Amalek, and we hope and pray that this is going to be very, very soon b'karov mamash.