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Lehavas David · Parshas Beshalach · Maamar יד

Making Handles for Torah to Defeat Amalek

From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Shemos 17:14
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאׇזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי־מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה אֶת־זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם
Hashem said to Moshe, “Write this as a remembrance in the book, and place it in the ears of Yehoshua, that I will surely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.”
1“Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Write this as a remembrance in the book, and place it in the ears of Yehoshua, that I will surely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.’”1 Notice the wording: why does the verse say “in the ears of Yehoshua” in particular? The Ramak, R' Moshe Cordovero, raised this question in his Or Ne'erav, and the Rema MiPano cited the question in his sefer Asarah Maamaros.2
וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה כְּתוֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם (יז, יד). יֵשׁ לְדַיֵּיק הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳בְּאָזְנֵי׳ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דַּיְיקָא (וכן הקשה הרמ״ק באור נערב ח״ה פ״ב, והביאו הרמ״ע מפאנו בספר עשרה מאמרות מאמר חיקור דין ח״ה פ״ט).
  1. Shemos 17:14. ↩
  2. Or Ne'erav, part 5, ch. 2; Asarah Maamaros, Maamar Chikur Din, part 5, ch. 9. ↩
In shortThe Ramak and the Rema MiPano asked why the verse places Amalek's memory “in the ears” of Yehoshua.
2We can explain this along the lines of what my holy father and teacher, zt"l, said on the verse “And so that you may relate in the ears of your son and your son's son …”3 My father asked what “in the ears” means. He explained that it alludes to Chazal's saying that Shlomo HaMelech made “ears” for the Torah4 through his enactments of washing the hands, eruvin5 and so on. Rashi explains there: like the ears of a vessel, the handles by which one holds it. In the same way, we must make handles for the Torah, such as customs and the like, so that we can hold on to the Torah and keep it. Then the rest of the verse will be fulfilled in those who do so: “and you will know that I am Hashem.” Those are his holy words.
וְיֵשׁ לְבָאֵר עַל דֶּרֶךְ שֶׁפֵּירֵשׁ כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה מַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (י, ב) ״וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְךָ וּבֶן בִּנְךָ״ וְגוֹ׳, וְדִקְדֵּק מַה הַכַּוָּונָה ׳בְּאָזְנֵי׳. וּפֵירֵשׁ, שֶׁמְּרַמֵּז לְמַאֲמַר חז״ל (עירובין כא, ב) שֶׁעָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה הַמֶּלֶךְ ע״ה אָזְנַיִם לַתּוֹרָה בְּתַקָּנוֹתָיו בִּנְטִילַת יָדַיִם וְעֵירוּבִין וְכוּ׳, וּפֵירֵשׁ רש״י כְּאָזְנֵי כְּלִי שֶׁאוֹחֲזִין אוֹתוֹ בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ כֵן צְרִיכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת אָזְנַיִם לַתּוֹרָה כְּמוֹ מִנְהָגִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, בִּכְדֵי שֶׁנּוּכַל לְהַחְזִיק וּלְקַיֵּים אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, וְאָז יִתְקַיֵּים בָּהֶם הֶמְשֵׁךְ הַכָּתוּב ״וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה׳״, עכד״ק.
  1. Shemos 10:2. ↩
  2. Eruvin 21b. The Hebrew word oznayim means both “ears” and “handles.” ↩
  3. Washing the hands before eating bread, and the eruv, which permits carrying on Shabbos between private domains. ↩
In short“In the ears of your son” hints, the Rebbe's father taught, at making “ears,” handles, for the Torah: enactments and customs to hold it by.
3In light of this we can also explain the verse here, “and place it in the ears of Yehoshua”: Hashem commanded Moshe to have Yehoshua make handles for the Torah, and in this way stand firm against Amalek. For the holy sefarim, among them the Toldos Yaakov Yosef, the Kedushas Levi and the Avodas Yisrael, teach that every person has something of Amalek within him.6 So even in our time one can keep the mitzvah of wiping out Amalek, by wiping out one's own personal Amalek. This is done by working hard to make handles for the Torah and strengthening oneself in Torah and mitzvos. That includes guarding and keeping the customs of Israel, which safeguard the keeping of the mitzvos. In this way we can protect ourselves from Amalek's kelipah, his force of impurity, for his war was aimed against Israel's keeping of the mitzvos. And this is the war against Amalek “from generation to generation,”7 until the coming of the righteous Redeemer. Amen, may it be His will.
וּלְפִי זֶה יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ גַּם הַכָּתוּב כָּאן ׳וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁצִּיוָּה אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה אָזְנַיִם לַתּוֹרָה, לַעֲמוֹד עַל יְדֵי כָּךְ נֶגֶד עֲמָלֵק. דְּהִנֵּה אִיתָא בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (תולדות יעקב יוסף יתרו, קדושת לוי שקלים, עבודת ישראל זכור, ועוד), שֶׁלְּכָל אֶחָד יֵשׁ בְּחִינַת עֲמָלֵק בְּתוֹכוֹ, וַאֲפִילּוּ בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה אֶפְשָׁר לְקַיֵּים מִצְוַת מְחִיַּית עֲמָלֵק, עַל יְדֵי שֶׁיִּמְחֶה אֶת הָעֲמָלֵק הַפְּרָטִי שֶׁלּוֹ. וְזֹאת הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁמִּתְחַזְּקִים לַעֲשׂוֹת אָזְנַיִם לַתּוֹרָה וּלְחַזֵּק עַצְמָם בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַמִּצְוֹות, וּבִכְלָל זֶה לִשְׁמוֹר וּלְקַיֵּים אֶת מִנְהֲגֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהֵם הַשְּׁמִירָה לְקִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹת, וְעַל יְדֵי כֹּחַ זֶה יוּכְלוּ לְהִשָּׁמֵר מִקְּלִיפַּת עֲמָלֵק אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה מִלְחַמְתּוֹ מְכוּוֶּנֶת כְּנֶגֶד קִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹות בְּקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְזֶהוּ מִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק מִדּוֹר דּוֹר, עַד בִּיאַת גּוֹאֵל צֶדֶק, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
  1. Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Yisro; Kedushas Levi, Shekalim; Avodas Yisrael, Zachor; and elsewhere. ↩
  2. Shemos 17:16. ↩
In shortWe fight Amalek, even the Amalek within, as “in the ears of Yehoshua” teaches: by making handles for the Torah and holding fast to Israel's customs.
Takeaway

Amalek's war is against our actual keeping of the mitzvos, and each of us carries something of Amalek inside. We fight him not only with Torah and mitzvos themselves but with the handles that let us hold on to them, the customs of Israel. Treasuring our customs is our own share in the war against Amalek in every generation.

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