Hayom Yom 13 Adar 2 - Moshe’s men do battle with Amalek

The daily Hayom Yom with Rabbi Yosef Katzman

הפטורה: כֹּה אָמַר ה

[On the Shabbos before Purim,] the haftarah begins Ko amar Ado-nai (I Shmuel 15:2-34).

אוֹמְרִים אָב הָרַחֲמִים

[After the Torah Reading,] the passage beginning Av HaRachamim is recited.

אֵין אוֹמְרִים צִדְקָתְךָ

[In the Afternoon Service,] the passage beginning Tzidkas’cha is omitted.

וַיָּבוֹא עֲמָלֵק וַיִּלָּחֶם עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְפִידִים

It is written: “And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Refidim,”

שֶׁרָפוּ יְדֵיהֶם מִדִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה

[i.e., the Jews had] “weakened their involvement in the words of the Torah.”

אַז מְ'וועֶרט שְׁוואַך אִין תּוֹרָה

When a Jew weakens his hold on Torah study,

וואָס דעֶר לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה אִיז דאָךְ עַל מְנָת לַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם

which should be pursued in order to be observed in practice,

קוּמְט עֲמָלֵק אוּן קִיהלְט אָפּ דעֶם אִידעֶן

along comes Amalek and cools him down.

וַיִּלָּחֶם עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, רָאשֵׁי תֵּיבוֹת יֵשׁ שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא אוֹתִיּוֹת לַתּוֹרָה

[The above verse continues to relate that Amalek] “fought with Israel.” Israel (ישראל) is an acronym for the phrase, יש ששים ריבוא אותיות לתורה — “There are 600,000 letters in the Torah.”

דְּכָל אֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לוֹ אוֹת אַחַת בַּתּוֹרָה

For every Jew has a letter in the Torah,

וְלָכֵן נָהֲגוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל לִכְתּוֹב אוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה

which is why it is customary for every Jew to write a letter in a Torah scroll.)

אוּן עֲמָלֵק מאַכט קאַלט קְדוּשַּׁת הַתּוֹרָה

[When Amalek “fought with Israel,” it was Israel’s roots in the Torah that Amalek fought with:] Amalek cools off [a Jew’s sensitivity to] the holiness of the Torah.

וְהָעֵצָה לָזֶה בְּחַר לָנוּ‏‏ אֲנָשִׁים, אַנְשֵׁי מֹשֶׁה

[The following verse gives] the solution: “Choose men for us, [and go out and do battle with Amalek].” [These must be] Moshe’s men

וְאִתְפַּשְׁטוּתָא דְמֹשֶׁה בְּכָל דָּרָא, שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר יֵשׁ רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

and “there is an extension of Moshe in every generation,” for every generation has its “leaders of the thousands of Israel.”

וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק לְשׁוֹן יָחִיד

[Significantly, the directive to] “go out and do battle with Amalek” appears in the singular,

לְפִי שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה הִיא נִצְחִית בְּכָל דּוֹר וּבְכָל זְמַן וּבְכָל מָקוֹם בְּשָׁוֶה.

because the Torah is eternal, applying equally to [every individual in] every generation, at every time, and in every place.

Text and Translation courtesy of Sichos in English

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