The 18th century gaon and tzaddik, Rabbi Yonasan Eibshitz, produced a massive contribution to the world of Torah scholarship. This included the Kabbalistic masterpieces, sefer “Yaaros Devash” and sefer “Shem Olam” and numerous halachic works. A valiant defender of Am Yisrael, Rabbi Yonasan traveled throughout Eastern Europe representing his brethren in order to ease their plight. As he was held in great esteem by many prominent non-Jewish scholars and Christian leaders, Rabbi Yonasan used his influence to obtain permission to print the Talmud, which had been outlawed and censored by the Church due to accusations that it contained anti-Christian references.
A story is told that illustrates the confidence, faith, clarity and penetrating Torah wisdom with which Rabbi Yonasan faced down many antisemites:
“A bishop had forced Rabbi Yonasan into a debate aimed at invalidating Judaism. Sticking his nose in the air, he slung an ancient accusation at Rabbi Yonasan Eibshitz: ‘In our New Testament, God is a God of love … But in your Old Testament, to which you so ignorantly cling, God is filled with vengeance and war!’
“Ah, I see,” Reb Yonasan replied calmly. ‘For you, God is all about love, and that’s why you are always waging war and committing violence. For us, God fights our battles and takes vengeance on our oppressors, and that’s why we are always focused on love and adding light.’”
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This Shabbos, we read parshas Zachor, a reading which empowers us with the biblical mitzvah to “remember” the senseless hatred that drove Amalek to attack the weak and infirm among us. Without even an intention to benefit from our land, our property or belongings, Amalek’s attack was driven simply by bloodthirst, and the most ancient form of hatred. Publicly reading this parsha in advance of Purim threads a narrative, connecting the motives of Amalek with those of Haman, and insists that we recognize the relevance of this mitzvah for us today.
Recently, Jew-hatred has once more been “normalized” on mainstream platforms, such as the bewilderingly absurd “Tentifada” movement on university campuses. Along with these politicized expressions, there has been a dramatic rise in (reported) antisemitic incidents worldwide. In Germany, they rose by 240%; in the United States, by nearly 400%, and London, by more than a startling 1,000%. In our days, the despicable apologetics and even glorification of Islamist rapists, murderers and torturers, is a stark reminder that the spirit of Amalek is alive and well.
Our Islamist enemies incessantly cite their hadith, religious traditions, teaching them that pursuing and hunting down Jews is a divine mandate: “The ‘hour’ will not be established (the “day of judgment” when they believe that, chas v’shalom, the disbelievers in Islam will be punished) until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say, ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me; come and kill him!’”
Despite the great darkness of these movements, antisemitic hatred and hypocrisy, in fact, serve as reminders of who we are. We are—as they acknowledge—different from all other nations. And when we are singled out, we are stimulated to ask what it really is that sets us apart. This gives us the opportunity to reassert our commitment to the spiritual and international obligations we carry: to bring an awareness of oneness and redemption to the world, and thus be an ohr lagoyim—a light unto the nations.
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Although the physical descendants of Amalek became mixed into the nations and we cannot currently pinpoint where or who they are, Rav Joseph Soloveitchik maintained that those who sow hatred of Am Yisrael in the world are—at least—the disciples and ideological “descendants” of the spiritual lineage of Amalek. In this way, the dramatic worldwide surge in antisemitism in our times makes Shabbos Zachor all the more relevant:
מִלְחָמָה לַה׳ בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר דֹּר
“Hashem is at war with Amalek from generation to generation,” (Shemos, 17:16).
This is not simply the struggle of klal Yisrael; this is a fight of good versus evil. It is Hashem’s war. And there is a sweetness in being empowered as active partners with the Ribbono Shel Olam, and knowing that we are not alone. Whether the hatred emanates from the conspiracy theories of the ideological right, the “woke,” progressive political left, politicians and reshaim (evil ones) in the United Nations, random people on their social media soapbox or even morally confused protesters on the streets of our own homeland—we can stand tall in the face of our enemies’ derision. We can stand with our Am (nation)—with holy pride in who we are, and with joy and faith in our purpose in this world.
In Eretz Yisrael and around the world, Jewish blood cries out for vengeance, and we pray for the קל נקמות ה׳—the “All Powerful God of Vengeance” to reveal Himself and restore His honor, and the honor of our people. With moral clarity and confidence, we cry out for divine intervention, and eagerly await the joyous day when we will see retribution: אבינו מלכנו נקום לענינו נקמת דם עבדיך השפוך—“Our Father, our King, avenge before our eyes the spilled blood of Your servants!”
Shabbos Zachor invites us to joyfully prepare for the sweet moments of retribution we pray to relive in Megillas Esther. At that time, more than 75,000 people who were committed to wiping out the Jews in the 127 states of the Persian dictator were killed in battles of self-defense:
וַיַּכּוּ הַיְּהוּדִים בְּכָל אֹיְבֵיהֶם מַכַּת חֶרֶב וְהֶרֶג וְאַבְדָן וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם כִּרְצוֹנָם
“And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did as they wished to those who hated them,” (9:5).
In this verse, the Vilna Gaon, zt”l, distinguishes between אֹיְבֵיהֶם—“their enemies,” and שנאיהם—“their haters.” An אויב—“enemy,” is one who himself commits evil, while a שונא—“hater,” is one who is a sort of “bystander,” someone who is merely “happy when evil is done.” According to the Gra, those who hated us, the bystanders who were “bilti meuravim—uninvolved,” will have the same fate as our “enemies.” Indeed, those who have enjoyed a baklava, cheered, celebrated or “liked” an evil post on social media when physical, verbal or psychological evil was committed against Hashem’s people, will share the same fate as the active perpetrators.
Thus, we await the great day when Hashem will complete the human efforts of Tzahal—and will take full vengeance on our oppressors and all enemies of humanity. In the meantime, may we pray to merit focusing on love and adding goodness and light:
ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה
“For the Yehudim, there was (and will be) orah v’simchah, light and joy …!”
Rabbi Judah Mischel is executive director of Camp Hasc, the Hebrew Academy for Special Children. He is the founder of Tzama Nafshi and the author of the “Baderech” series. Rav Judah lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh with his wife, Ora, and their family.
