Amalek: Sacrifice for Evil

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

(Continued from here.)

The trait of Amalek is different and far worse than the seven negative traits, for although those traits entice one to selfishly indulge in forbidden pleasures, they don’t intend to oppose Hashem, but merely to satisfy their desires.

As explained, someone who indulges his negative emotions in sin is being seized with a “spirit of foolishness.” He is not consciously denying the importance of obeying Hashem. Rather, he has temporarily lost his mind, making him do various idiotic things and even act like a degenerate. However, when his intellect regains control and he realizes his foolishness, he will overcome his desires and refrain from such behavior.

In contrast, the trait of Amalek doesn’t seek pleasure and indulgence.

On the contrary, the Midrash states:[1]

To what is the incident [of Amalek] comparable? To a boiling tub of water which no being was able to enter. Along came one ruffian and jumped into it. Although he was burned, he cooled it down for the others. So, too, when Israel came out of Egypt, and Hashem split the sea before them and drowned the Egyptians within it, the fear of them fell upon all the nations. But when Amalek came and challenged them, although he received his due from them, he cooled the awe of the nations of the world for them.

Thus, just as one who jumps into boiling water gets burnt but does so in order to cool it off for others, so was Amalek willing to suffer and sacrifice in order to accomplish their evil agenda of opposing Hashem.

And so is it with the Amalek within: It doesn’t seek pleasure but the opposite, it is even willing to bring suffering and misery upon the person in pursuit of its goal.

Amalek and Chutzpah

This inner ability to irrationally oppose Hashem despite full knowledge of His greatness stems from an intense egotism and arrogance, which manifests itself in chutzpah, audacity.

This can be compared to a lowly person who challenges a man of very great stature. Although he is fully aware of his own lowliness and the man’s greatness, and even of his own dependence on the great man, and that the great man is in the right, not only does he not humble himself before him, but he opposes him brazenly. Such is the chutzpah of the nation of Amalek and of the inner Amalek.

There is a mitzvah to wipe out members of the ancient nation of Amalek, as it is written of Amalek, “erase the memory of Amalek”[2] and “his end is to be destroyed.”[3]

Likewise, the character trait of brazen opposition to the truth of Hashem is evil and irredeemable and must therefore be eradicated completely.

There is a Talmudic discussion about how to render vessels made of various substances fit for use if they have come in contact with forbidden food. This can be done in various ways, such as by being immersed in boiling water (hagalah), or being placed in fire (libun). However, “an earthenware vessel—its destruction is its rectification.”[4] This expression is borrowed and applied with regard to the nation of Amalek and the inner Amalek—it cannot be elevated, it must be destroyed.

Based on the Rebbe Rashab’s Sefer Hamaamarim 5643, 5644, 5645, p. 305 ff.; Sefer Hamaamarim 5654, p. 196 ff., p. 337 ff.

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[1] Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 9.

[2] Devarim 25:19.

[3] Bamidbar 24:20.

[4] Keilim 2:1.

The Inner Amalek

The Inner Amalek

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

The nation of Amalek embodied a uniquely evil spiritual energy.

After the miracles of the plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea, all the nations feared the Jewish people and certainly wouldn’t dare attack them, as it is written, “The nations heard, they trembled; a shudder seized the inhabitants of Philistia.”[1]

Yet despite being fully aware of all the great miracles that Hashem had performed for the Jewish people, the nation of Amalek attacked them anyway.

Thus, within our divine service, Amalek represents the negative spiritual character trait that knowingly rebels against G-dliness.

Daas: Bringing Intellect Into Emotions

Thus, of Amalek it is said: “He knows (yodei’a) his Master and intentionally rebels against Him.” The word yodei’a denotes the attribute of Daas (literally, “knowledge”).

What is Daas?

Intellect and emotions are two separate and even opposite realms.[2] Intellect on its own is associated with the cognitive traits of Chochmah, the initial flash of understanding, and Binah, in-depth understanding. Intellect stands at a distance from emotions and will not lead to them.

Daas is the trait that draws the abstract knowledge of the intellect down so that the person will feel the emotion that this knowledge necessitates that one feel. For example, if he understands that healthy food is essential for functioning well, the attribute of Daas will evoke within him a desire to go on an appropriate diet.

That is regular Daas. What is Daas of holiness?[3] After one has thoroughly studied a topic related to Hashem’s greatness and reached a certain comprehension, one should concentrate and meditate upon this knowledge deeply (a superficial reflection will have no lasting impact).

This activates the Divine Soul’s cognitive trait of Daas of holiness. This draws that knowledge down into the emotions, inspiring the love and fear of Hashem that this knowledge necessitates.

Thus, it is written, “Know (veyadata) today and take it to your heart that Hashem is the L-rd in the heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”[4] This verse exhorts us to attain Daas, for then one will “take it to your heart”—be inspired with holy emotions.

Love and fear of Hashem in turn inspire one to observe the Mitzvos. As discussed earlier, love of Hashem inspires one to perform the positive Mitzvos, while fear of Hashem inspires one to refrain from violating the negative Mitzvos.[5]

A Basic Meditation to Inspire Holy Emotions

One explanation of how this works is that one studies and reflects deeply on the fact that Hashem constantly creates the world with His word, and if He were to withdraw that divine vitality for even a moment, it would cease to exist completely.[6]

This profound awareness of the true nature of the world evokes a desire for this hidden truth to become manifest.

The person is also aware that (until Moshiach comes) the main way that the divine light is brought down and manifest in the world is by performing the positive Mitzvos, for every positive mitzvah draws down a sublime divine light.[7] So his love of Hashem motivates him to observe the positive Mitzvos, and to do so with enthusiasm.

Likewise, he knows that violating the negative Mitzvos obstructs the revelation of the divine light, so his fear of Hashem motivates him to avoid sinning.

Amalek: Cooling Off Holy Daas

Amalek seeks to disrupt all this and prevent the formation of love and fear of Hashem.

Amalek represents impure Daas, which is the antithesis of Daas of holiness (this is the same relationship between impurity and holiness that we discussed earlier, that the seven good character traits counteract the seven negative ones). Daas of holiness brings the intellect to influence the emotions, while the inner trait of Amalek does the opposite.

Consider one who knows that Hashem exists, even that He created the world ex nihilo, and that the entire existence of the world depends on the divine life force that continuously recreates it. He is aware of Hashem’s true greatness and exaltedness.

This knowledge should inspire him to love and fear Hashem, as explained. And yet, within him lies the wicked potential to dismiss all this knowledge, not love or fear Hashem, and act as he pleases. This ability is the Amalek within, which tells one to ignore the truth.

One can even meditate upon Hashem’s greatness in depth, and yet the inner Amalek will stive to prevent this meditation from affecting one’s emotions.

This is also the meaning of the Torah’s statement that Amalek “encountered (karcha) you on the way.” [8] The word for encountered can also mean kar, cool, so the verse is alluding that “he cooled you off.”[9]

One of the ways that the Amalek within cools the person off is that when the person is excited about holy matters, it comes and says things like, “Who says that it is so?” or “So what?” or “It’s not so amazing.” With cynicism and ridicule, the Amalek within aims to cool the person off so that he will serve Hashem in a cold, perfunctory, robotic manner, for which the prophet rebukes the Jewish people: “Their fear of Me has become a command of people, which has been taught.”[10]

But the Amalek within doesn’t stop there. One who lacks any passion in serving Hashem will decline further and further in his observance of Torah and Mitzvos until he ultimately abandons them altogether, G-d forbid. With coldness and apathy, the inner Amalek seeks to uproot everything, just as Haman the Amalekite sought to wipe out the Jewish people completely.

Sinister Severance

Thus, the word Amalek alludes to the word “umolak,”[11] to sever. Melika was the ceremony in the Beis Hamikdash where the priest would sever the head of a bird at the back of its head.

Likewise, the inner Amalek seeks to spiritually sever the head from the body by opposing the Daas of holiness.

It is also precise that Amalek is associated with melikah, where the head is severed at its back.

The[12] brain is divided into three “hollows,” i.e., compartments—two in the front and one in the back, corresponding to the three forms of intellect, Chochmah, Binah, and Daas. The right hemisphere houses the intellect of Chochmah, the left, the intellect of Binah, and the posterior, the intellect of Daas.

Thus, it is precise that melikah is done at the back of the head, for the inner Amalek seeks to sever the intellect of Daas, which is physically located at the back of the head.

A further comparison: The spinal cord provides support for the body and extends from the back of the head, which, as mentioned, houses the intellect of Daas.

The body represents the performance of the positive and negative Mitzvos. As explained, this performance stems from the inspiration elicited by the intellect of Daas.

Thus, just as melikah involved severing the head from the spinal cord and body, so does the inner Amalek seek to sever the intellect of Daas from the emotions so that it can prevent the performance of the Mitzvos.

Based on the Rebbe Rashab’s Sefer Hamaamarim 5643, 5644, 5645, p. 305 ff.; Sefer Hamaamarim 5654, p. 196 ff., p. 337 ff.

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[1] Shemos 15:14.

[2] See Hayom Yom, 12 Shevat: “Intellect and emotional enthusiasm are two distinct realms: One is cool and settled, the other is seething and frenetic.”

[3] Tanya, ch. 3, end.

[4] Devarim 4:39.

[5] Tanya, ch. 4, beg.

[6] See ibid., Gate of Unity and Faith, chs. 1-3.

[7] See ibid., chs. 25, 37, 46.

[8] Devarim 25:18.

[9] Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 9.

[10] Yeshayahu 29:11.

[11] Vayikra 5:8.

[12] See Zohar 5:262a.

Transforming the Evil Inclination

The Koach Ha’misaveh

The root of the Animal Soul is a raw, undirected desire. This is known as the Koach Ha’misaveh, the Faculty of Desire. This faculty doesn’t desire to commit sin, it just desires pleasure. However, this desire for pleasure is raw and intense, similar to the desire of an animal.

In contrast, while humans also experience desire, the intensity of this desire is normally moderated by intellect, ensuring that it is expressed in a controlled manner. This means that they don’t disregard conflicting obligations.

For instance, a wild predator, like a lion, will attack and kill prey without hesitation when hungry, acting purely on instinct. A human, on the other hand, even when extremely hungry, will often exercise restraint due to social norms, laws, and ethics. For example, in a famine or survival situation, a person might resist stealing food from another or resorting to extreme actions like cannibalism, even if it means suffering.

Thus, the Koach Ha’misaveh is an animal-like desire in that when it is fully expressed in the person, he can lose himself and forget about considerations dictated by the intellect.

In its essence, the Koach Ha’misaveh itself is not evil, because it can be directed towards G-dliness. It is simply a pure potential for intense desire. Therefore, it can be rectified.

Rectifying the Koach Ha’misaveh

What is evil is when the Koach Ha’misaveh assumes an evil form, whether an evil thought, speech, or action. One has then allowed one or more of the seven negative traits to be expressed in the form of a sin. This is the typical or default expression of the Koach Ha’misaveh.

The key to redirecting the Koach Ha’misaveh is Teshuvah, by reminding oneself of Hashem and how abandoning Him is “evil and bitter,” as explained.

When he reflects on this at length, and truly appreciates this to be true, and deeply regrets his sinful deeds, he uproots[1] his desire for those evil deeds and removes the negative spiritual energy that he brought down into the world through those sins.

This is the meaning of the command to banish the Seven Nations in our divine service.

Transforming the Koach Ha’misaveh

Once the person has pulled the Koach Ha’misaveh out of its expression in sinful behavior, he can then take its raw energy and transform it, so that the same intense desire that was once directed toward sin is channeled to desire G-dliness instead.

This is the meaning of the teaching of our sages that the reason that we are told “And you shall love Hashem with all your hearts,”[2] in the plural, is that we should love Hashem with our “two inclinations”—both the Good Inclination and the Evil Inclination,[3] for the Evil Inclination should also be inspired with love for Hashem. But how is it even possible for the Evil Inclination to love Hashem?

The explanation is that the essence of the Evil Inclination is the Faculty of Enticement (Koach Ha’meisis), which provokes the Koach Ha’misaveh so that the person feels a desire for something that he thinks will give him pleasure.

Normally the Evil Inclination provokes the Koach Ha’misaveh to entice the person to do evil, thinking that doing so will bring pleasure. However, by resisting this temptation and by uprooting the desire for sin through heartfelt Teshuvah, one creates the potential to use this power of enticement to instead awaken the Koach Ha’misaveh to desire G-dliness and holiness.

This is what the Talmud means when it explains that one should bring the Evil Inclination to love Hashem.

This is also the deeper meaning of the verse discussing the Messianic Era, “Then I [Hashem] will transform for the nations a pure tongue, that all will call upon the name of Hashem and serve Him with one purpose.”[4] Just as the nations will be transformed to serve Hashem, so can we transform our Evil Inclination to serve Hashem, as explained.

Based on the Rebbe Rashab’s Sefer Hamaamarim 5643, 5644, 5645, p. 305 ff.; Sefer Hamaamarim 5654, p. 196 ff., p. 337 ff.

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[1] See Derech Mitzvosecha, Mitzvas Vidui U’teshuvah.

[2] Devarim 6:5.

[3] Berachos 54a. Sifri and Rashi on the verse.

[4] Zephaniah 3:9.