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2/22
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54
Thank you for making
SAJE a great success!
Torah Portion
Can Commandment To Annihilate
Tribe Of Amalek Be Justified?
refused by Amalek, ultimately the
Torah's requirement to annihilate a
whole people, including the infants,
is something beyond my under-
standing. In addition, the rabbis
have instituted the reading of these
verses every year to ensure that we
will not forget this obligation.
After the Sept. 11 atrocities, I've
his reading comes from
seen
literature that purports to
the end of Detueronomy
prove
the "barbarism of Islam" by
and deals with the war
quoting
verses from the Koran.
against the tribe of
Surely detractors of Judaism could
Amalek. Through this read-
attribute a similar bar-
ing, we fulfill the biblical
barism to our religion by
obligation to "remember"
quoting
the verses of this
what the tribe of Amalek
special
reading.
did to the Jewish people in
Certainly after the mad-
the wilderness — an
ness
of Sept. 11, all civi-
unprovoked attack against
lized
peoples must
the weak and infirm — and
denounce "murder in the
we are bidden to affirm our
name of God," whatever
resolve to destroy this
that name might be. I am
nation.
convinced
that the mas-
This reading takes place
RABBI EL IEZER
sacre
of
innocent
Muslims
on the Shabbat before
COHE N
by
Baruch
Goldstein
at this
Purim because, according
Special t o the
time
of
year
was,
in
his
to tradition, Haman, the
Jewish News
mind, a fulfillment of this
villain of the Purim story,
biblical obligation. Any
was a descendant of this
violence or suffering aimed at inno-
tribe of archenemies of the Jewish
cent people simply because they
people and of God Himself.
belong to particular ethnic, national
To me, this particular reading is
or
religious group must be con-
one of the most enigmatic and trou-
demned
by all.
bling portions of the Torah. As an
Those
among the Jews who iden-
observant Jew who believes the
tify someone and, therefore, justify
evil against them because
they are "Amalek" cer-
tainly cannot be doing
the real will of God.
How then do I under-
stand these verses? Are
they metaphor or to be
taken literally? How are
they to be understood? I
Torah to be Divine, it is extremely
simply do not know. All I can do is
difficult for me to understand this
to pray as David did (Psalms
obligation to commit genocide. And
119:18) "Open my eyes that I may
although the Talmud (Ber. 28a)
behold
the wonders of Your
indicates that from the time of the
Torah."El
Assyrian wars (circa 722 B.C.E.),
none of the biblical tribes can be
identified and thus the command-
ment to wipe them out cannot be
implemented; the obligation itself is
disturbing.
There are those rabbinic authori-
Can suffering imposed for reli-
ties who maintain that this is an
gious
reasons ever be justified?
obligation for Messianic times only.
Can
man
really expect to
Even though Maimonides and the
understand
the word of God?
Raavad hold that this obligation
Is
genocide
anything other than
applies only after an offer of peace is
an abomination? Why has reli-
made by the Jewish people and
gion caused so much suffering
in human history?
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of
Congregation Or Chadash.
Shabbat Tetzaveh:
Exodus 27:20-30:10;
Deuteronomy 25:17-19;
I Samuel 15:2-34
T
The wisdom of Torah
helps give to us clarity.
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