"Beshalach — Part IV — Amalek, War, and Moral Seriousness"

4.1 — Amalek as Leitzanus (Rav Avigdor Miller)

The First War After Redemption

Parshas Beshalach closes not with hunger or rest, but with war. This timing is precise. Amalek does not attack a vulnerable slave nation fleeing Egypt. He attacks after miracles, after the Sea, after song, after manna, after Shabbos. The Torah introduces Amalek at the moment when faith should be strongest.

[וַיָּבֹא עֲמָלֵק — “And Amalek came”]

For Rav Avigdor Miller, this is not coincidence. Amalek represents a unique spiritual force: leitzanus—mockery, cynicism, and cooling indifference. Where faith seeks meaning, Amalek seeks to drain seriousness from the world.

Rav Miller: Amalek Is Not Hatred, but Ridicule

Rav Miller repeatedly emphasizes that Amalek’s danger lies not primarily in violence, but in attitude. Amalek does not argue theology; he sneers at it. He does not refute miracles; he trivializes them.

The Torah describes Amalek as one who attacked:

[אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ — “who happened upon you on the way”]

Rav Miller explains kar’cha not merely as ambush, but as cooling—turning awe into coincidence. Amalek whispers: “Yes, the sea split… but things happen. Don’t get carried away.”

Leitzanus does not deny Hashem. It makes Hashem irrelevant.

Why Amalek Comes After Miracles

Rav Miller teaches that cynicism thrives where inspiration is fresh. When people are moved deeply, leitzanus rushes in to neutralize it. Amalek’s role is to ensure that miracles do not change behavior.

Faith is dangerous—to evil—when it becomes serious. Amalek attacks precisely when seriousness is possible.

This explains why Amalek targets the weak and stragglers:

[וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים — “he cut down those lagging behind”]

Rav Miller notes that leitzanus preys on fatigue. When discipline weakens, cynicism feels like relief.

Leitzanus as the Enemy of Yiras Shamayim

Rav Miller defines yiras Shamayim as living with weight—recognizing that actions matter because Hashem is present. Leitzanus dissolves that weight. It turns responsibility into joke, reverence into embarrassment.

This is why Amalek is the antithesis of Shabbos, manna, and discipline. Where discipline teaches restraint, leitzanus encourages disengagement. Where Shabbos sanctifies time, leitzanus empties it of meaning.

Faith cannot coexist with mockery—not because mockery disproves it, but because it paralyzes commitment.

Moshe’s Hands and the War Against Apathy

The Torah describes the battle in strange terms:

[וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרִים מֹשֶׁה יָדוֹ וְגָבַר יִשְׂרָאֵל — “When Moshe raised his hand, Israel prevailed”]

Rav Miller explains that Moshe’s raised hands symbolize direction of attention. Victory depends on whether the people look upward—toward Hashem—or downward—toward chance.

This is not magic. It is orientation. Amalek is defeated only when seriousness returns.

Why Amalek Must Be Remembered

The Torah later commands:

[זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק — “Remember what Amalek did to you”]

Rav Miller explains that remembering Amalek is remembering how quickly inspiration fades when cynicism is allowed to speak. Forgetting Amalek means forgetting how vulnerable faith is after emotional highs.

Memory preserves seriousness.

Conclusion: Choosing Weight Over Wit

Parshas Beshalach teaches that the greatest threat to faith is not persecution, hunger, or danger—it is leitzanus. Amalek does not demand surrender. He invites laughter, dismissal, and shrug.

Rav Avigdor Miller warns that a Jew must choose: a life of weight or a life of wit. One leads to covenant; the other dissolves it.

Amalek enters history to remind us that miracles do not endure on their own. Faith survives only where seriousness is protected—and where mockery is refused entry at the door.

📖 Sources

• Full sources available on the Mitzvah Minute Parshas Beshalach page under insights and commentaries.