The end of the parasha Ki Tesse tells us
זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים
Remember what Amalek did to you on the road, when you left Mitzrayim.
We read this on the Shabbat before Purim. It’s a Mitzvat Asseh from the Torah, to remember what Amalek did. Many siddurim bring it down after Alenu. Every day, we should remember what Amalek did.
What did Amalek do?
אשר קרך בדרך
Simply speaking, he cooled you off. Others say the word קרך comes from the root מקרה / happenstance. Amalek says everything in life is a coincidence. Don’t believe in G-d or miracles, or hidden miracles.
The numerical value of Amalek is ספק safek- doubt.
Amalek represents the power to put doubt in our belief system.
Every day we have to remember that they came to attack as we left Egypt, to cool us off when we were all hot, on fire from the miracles of Yetziat Mitzrayim. They came to interfere. It’s interesting to note the place in the Torah that tells us this: Seemingly, in the middle of a sentence. It comes right after many laws about weights and measures: that we shouldn’t use a big rock and a small rock, or large measures and small measures; that everything should be proper. We should not keep two different systems of measurement, one for buying and one for selling.
כי תועבת ה׳ אלקיך כל עשה אלה
All these things are abominable to G-d. Following this, the Torah says to remember what Amalek did.
What’s the connection between faulty weights and measure and Amalek?
Furthermore, the HeEmek Davar brings a Gemara in Bava Batra that says that the sin of faulty measures is worse than adultery! That’s a very harsh statement. How are we to understand that?
He explains that there are two types of sin- one type is the sin of desire, when a person can’t control himself. This is bad and punishable. The other type of sin is calculated. It’s not based on lust or desire. A man with faulty weights wasn’t just walking down street and suddenly got tempted by the smell of unkosher pizza, which he just had to eat. This man is sitting in his fruit store selling tomatoes, and wants more profit margin, so he plays with his weights and measures to make 3% more per sale. That’s calculated. That is an Emunah deficiency. He is not in the heat of the moment. He’s cold and calculated. He thinks he can’t make money unless he cheats. This sin doesn’t come from lust and desire. It comes from a lack of Emunah in Hashem, the One the one who gives us parnasa with hashgacha pratit. Therefore, this falls under the category of Avoda Zara- idol worship, because he thinks that control of the world isn’t from G-d.
So, in a way, although not literally so, it’s worse than adultery in that it has in it the roots of idolatry, which is worse than adultery. He says that is why Amalek comes to attack when a person is not careful with weights and measures: because that is Amalek’s whole business- A lack of Emunah and Bitachon. And the idea that G-d isn’t in charge of your personal life.
The HeEmek Davar says that the first time Amalek came to attack was when the Jews were lacking water and they said
היש ה׳ בקרבינו אם אין
is G-d with us or not?
That’s when Amalek came to attack.
And it was there that Rashi gives the beautiful mashal of a father walking with his son on shoulders. Everything the child asked for, he got. Ice cream, sure, lollipop, yes. Then in a momentary blip, he couldn’t get what he wanted. For one instance his father said no -no Big Gulp, you’ve had too much sugar. And then the child cries, sees a passerby and asks Where’s my father?
The father had been carrying him the whole time! So, the father puts the child down and a dog comes and barks at him.
So too, G-d says: I’m carrying you on the clouds of glory and you want to know where I am? Amalek comes to attack whenever we falter in our basic fundamental Emunah. We have to remember this every day:
G-d is in charge. We don’t have to finagle or play games for our parnasa. He will bring us beracha.