Thread by @GREENESJ333

Roger Froikin @rlefraim wrote, "Why is it important to take a look at the Torah references to Amaleq and in a different way?
1)

The Torah tells of a tribe that attacked the Jewish People on their way out of Egypt 3400 years ago and that G-d ordered that this tribe, “Amaleq,” should be completely destroyed and that no spoils be taken.
2)

Our Sages have tried to interpret this story from a number of directions, from trying to discover who they were, tying them to Esau, to coming up with all sorts of spiritual explanations for what happened, to explain away what seems like a blood-thirsty end to a people.
3)

To really understand, put aside the nice stories used in explanation, and see how our Sages used metaphor to illustrate lessons. Why the connection with Esau? Because to our Sages, Esau was the personification of a people who put power above all other values, and
4)

who were willing to abandon normative morality and means in favor of a desired end. Esau was identified with the excesses of Rome, the power of Rome that ignored moral standards developed by many cultures over many many years.
5)

So, what was Amaleq? It was a people who chose to attack the Jewish population at its weakest, recently out of slavery, going through a barren land with little food, appearing to have little ability to defend itself.
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They attacked to murder men, women and children in the most brutal way, rape, hostage taking, pure barbarity and to steal what the Jews had if anything.
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And what are we told justice should be? Kill them all, destroy their flocks, destroy all that they have. But do not take anything of theirs.
8)

Get it? We were not destroying Amaleg to get anything from them. We were told not to take spoils. Not to do what they did. No kidnapping of their women and children nor of anything they had.
9)

We were told that we must remove a threat to our existence — remove it completely — because if we don’t, it will come back to haunt us, to damage us, sometime in the future.
10)

Now, think Hamas, the PLO, Islamic Jihad, and all the other names that all have the same general goal — killing Jews, ending Israel and then, ending Western civilization.

How are these organizations any different from Amaleq?
11)

Can't answer, can you? Because these groups are no different than Amaleq. They are Amaleq. That is the metaphor.
12)

They attacked Israel in 1973 on Yom Kippur. They attacked again on October 7, 2023 on another Jewish Holiday. They, when they had the opportunity, murdered, raped, tortured, burned babies alive, took prisoners and
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held them as hostages, continuing the torture and rapes on their victims. They are Amaleq.

And you do not negotiate with Amaleq. You do not make deals. You do not allow them to come back again in the future.
14)

And International law, the Geneva Conventions, agree, in that they excluded terrorists from any benefits or consideration. So, Jews & Christians, that claim to value Torah/ Bible should know what is necessary.

Destroy Amaleq — or whatever group of Amaleq today calls itself."
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