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.