Mechiyas Amalek: Emulating a Vengeful God

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length: 1 hour 30 minutesSynopsis: This morning (3/3/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, I presented an idea I happened upon in Purim 5780 (March 2020) but didn't finish developing. R' Yosef ibn Kaspi asks: How can the Torah wage a war of vengeance against Amalek when revenge is a reprehensible trait and is prohibited by the Torah? His answer is shocking - so much so that even he doesn't feel comfortable spelling it out explicitly. After reviewing the basic facts about the mitzvah to annihilate Amalek (and correcting some misconceptions along the way), we follow the clues left by ibn Kaspi and, with the help of the Rambam, develop his understanding of Amalek, the prohibition against taking revenge, and the mitzvah of ve'halachta bi'drachav (imitatio dei). -----מקורות:שמות יז:יד-טזדברים כה:יז-יטרמב"ם – משנה תורה: הקדמה רמב"ם – משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות, כותרתרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות א:א; ה:א,ד-ה; ו:א,ד רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:מא,נאסתר ח:יא-יגא' שמואל טו:א-גר' יוסף אבן כספי – שמות יז:טזר' יוסף אבן כספי – דברים כה:יזר' יוסף אבן כספי – בראשית מב:טרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות א:ור' יוסף אבן כספי – ויקרא יט:יחרמב"ם – משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ז:ז-חרמב"ם – משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תלמוד תורה ז:יגמדרש תנחומא דברים כה:יט [יא]רש"י – דברים כה:יחרמב"ן – שמות יז:טזרלב"ג - במדבר כה:יז-יח; כז:יז-יח התועלת השני; כב:ב-ו התועלת הראשונה -----The Torah content for the rest of Adar has been sponsored by my friend and chavrusa Zack, with the following dedicatory message: When asked, "Who is a leader you greatly admire?" my grandfather z”l immediately comes to mind. Each person who entered his presence was brought closer to a better version of themselves. This was due to his staunch belief in people and his uncompromising values. Knowledge is similar — it is indiscriminate and uncompromising in its power to help us become our best selves. Thank you Rabbi Schneeweiss for spreading knowledge, and may the memory of my grandfather, Naftali ben Tzvi, be a blessing.-----If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissBlog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comWhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H