The end of Parashat Ki Tese talks about Amalek, in Parashat Zachor, which we read every year before Purim. This is a preparation for Pesach, because, as it says, “Remember what Amalek did, on the road when they left Mitzrayim.”
Amalek always comes when we’re on the road. He interferes with our growth. When you are inspired and on your way to something great, he interferes. Rav Moshe Shapiro, a’h, a great Gadol in Eretz Yisrael, once explained that we see this throughout history. Amalek comes when we are leaving Mitzrayim, Amalek comes in the times of David HaMelech, when they were trying to get ready for the first Bet HaMikdash, Amalek comes in the times of Haman, when we were trying to build the second Bet HaMikdash. Whenever we are on the road to greatness, Amalek comes to interfere. And Amalek will be here at the end of times as well, when Mashiach comes.
Whenever we are b’Derech/on the road, he’s there.
And this isn’t just the Jewish people as a whole. It is every individual as well.
Based on this concept, Rav Avraham Schorr said recently at Yad Yosef, that every year, Amalek tries to interfere with our Seder night. He says that that is why we burn the Chametz before Pesach, in order to burn Amalek, so that he shouldn’t interfere, once again, with our Seder night.
It is interesting to note that the main focus of the night of the Seder is the four pesukim from Parashat Ki Tova, when, with the Bikurim in our hands, we are full of Hakarat HaTov and gratitude to God for everything that He did, and we mention that as Hashem took us out of Mitzrayim, b’yad hazaka, u’bzroah Neruda/with a string hand, and outstretched arm etc…
And right before Ki Tova, at the end of Ki Tese, is the story of Amalek. Because Amalek is lurking in the background, waiting to attack our Seder night. He’s right there, right before Ki Tavo. Rabbi Schorr adds that, based on a Zohar, Lavan
ארמי אבד אבי/the Amari, who tries to destroy my father Yaakov,” is connected to the power of Amalek.
This isn’t only in the past, but constantly, in the present.
The Hasidim read that pasuk in a deeper way, and explain that ארמי אבד אבי means there is a force called Arami that is אבד אבי trying to destroy the God is my father. He doesn’t want me to remember the concept of בנים אתם לה׳ אלקיכם /You are children to Hashem
That’s the force of Amalek, and it’s the force that interferes with our realizing that we are princes. We are God’s chosen children.
That’s why I’m the night of the Seder, it’s k’neged Arba’a Babim/ four sons. Even the Rasha is called a son, because even though they sin, they are still considered children of Hashem, who is our Father. The Yetzer Hara wants to destroy this, because he knows that once we forget how special we are, and that we are children of God, he has us, and he can cause us to do anything. That is why, on the night of the seder, part of our job is to reinstate in our minds that we are children of Hashem. Hashem said, on the night of the Seder, “My son, the first born the Jewish people.“
It says that Yitzhak gave the Berachot to Yaakov on the night of the Seder, because that is when we connect to our Father in heaven. Amalek is trying to uproot that connection and say, “No, Jews.. You are no different than anyone else. You don’t have a father taking care of you. It’s all coincidence and happenstance.”
That’s why he interferes with Hakarat HaTov. Amalek is there to cause us to become arrogant, to make us think that we did everything on our own.
Steven Ashear shared that middle two letters of word רמי Arami, are רם, which means arrogant. That’s the power of Amalek. Additionally, the numeric value of those two letters adds up to 240, which is the same as ספק-doubt.
Amalek is there to be arrogant and think that he did everything himself. He doesn’t attribute it to his father.
And when does Amalek come?
In Beshalach 17,7 the Jewish people said, “ היש ה׳ בקרבנו אם אין Is Hashem present among us or not?”
And then, in the next pasuk, it says,
ויבא עמלק Amalek came
This is where Rashi gives the famous mashal, comparing this to a man who put his son on his shoulders, and took him out. Anything that the son wanted, the father gave him. Then they met up with a man, who caused the boy to ask, “Have you seen my father anywhere?“
The father then said to the boy, “You don’t know where I am?!” And he put down his son, after which the son got bitten by a dog.
Amalek is the man that we meet, who suddenly causes us to forget who our father is.
On the night of the Seder, our job is to remember who our father is. Our father is Hashem.
He is taking of me. I am on His shoulders and even when I don’t see Him, or understand Him, I am still on His shoulders. That is the lesson, and that is what Amalek tries to uproot.
As Rabbi Schorr says, every individual has to remember that Amalek is there to ruin his Seder, and take away his belief that Hashem is controlling the world, to make him feel like things are happenstance, to get him frustrated and angry at every event that doesn’t go his way.
But when you realize that it’s all coming from Hashem, the frustration goes away and you’re able to be happy, and enjoy, and appreciate everything that happens, and truly have Hakarat HaTov.
B’ezrat Hashem, we will be successful.
Have a wonderful day and, as we get closer, a Hag kasher v’Sameach