Divrie Torah
You can find weekly Divrie Torah on the
Parshah here. We plan to IY'H have guest writers as well, consisting of some of the
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Ki Zeizei
At the very end of Parshat Ki Zetzei (25:17) we encounter one of the
more
famous commandments, instructing us to remember what Amalek did to us as we
left Mitzrayim. While the whole world saw the Yidin as untouchables, Amalek
decided to kill us by attacking the weak people lagging behind, thus
proclaiming to the world that they weren't afraid of Hashem by attacking His
nation. However, they were scared of the Jews themselves, which is why they
attacked the weak ones. Strangely, though, the next few Pesukim tell us to wipe out the
memory of Amalek from this world. So which is it? Should we remember what they did to us,
or should we wipe out their memory and forget? To top it all, the Torah then tells us
AGAIN to not forget!?
To help us understand the issues involved here, Chazal have
explained, using an analogy, that it's as if Amalek jumped into scolding hot
water, and although they were burned, they cooled the water, and everyone
around them was a little bit more comfortable with the hot water. As the
book "Majesty of Man" elaborates, human nature dictates that the more we see
of something, the less sensitive we are to it. So what's the solution? Well,
the Torah tells us to remember, erase, and yet remember: Remember the
elements in this world that would pick on the weak and defy Hashem and
authority, but only so that you could erase them, thereby erasing their
influence. The final step is to never forget what happens when we surround
ourselves with negative influences. As human nature dictates, and as the
history books (following this battle) record, we are influenced by our
society, neighborhood, and by our friends. Just as we must be careful not to
let ourselves be affected by anything negative, we must also remember that
we can have a positive or negative effect on those around us! May we have
the strength to control ourselves and inspire others.
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