Masters of Deception – Chukat
Following Aharon’s death, the Torah tells us “And the Canaanites, the king of Arad, who dwell in the Negev, heard that Israel was approaching through the Negev and they fought with Israel and took prisoners (Bamidbar 21:1).
Rashi (and other Mefarshim, like R’ Bachyei) tell us that these were not Canaanites at all, but Amalekites who spoke the language of the Canaanites. In other words, it was Amalekites posing as Canaanites. Rashi continues on to say that the reason the Amalekites attacked exactly at this point is because Aharon had just died, and as we all know, the Pillars of Glory that protected Bnei Yisrael in the midbar were due to the merit of Aharon.
When Aharon died, the pillars disappeared briefly and returned shortly after, in Moshe’s merit. Meanwhile, the Amalekites, seeing the brief disappearance of the pillars, decided it was the perfect opportunity to strike. Rashi says (ibid.), that Amalek is like a “death belt” for Israel and never misses an opportunity to inflict harm on us.
Why the ruse though? Why deceive Israel into thinking they were Canaanites, by speaking the Canaanite language? Only upon closer examination, in the thick of the war, did Israel observe that they were dressed as Amalekites. The last time the Amalekites struck was in Refidim, before receiving the Torah. Then there was no ruse, they attacked as Amalekites, not disguised as anyone else. It did not end well for them then, so they changed tactics.
The Torah, by detailing this episode, reveals to us another ugly face, one of the many, that make up the profile of Amalek, Israel’s nemesis. By deceiving Israel into thinking they were Canaanites, Israel would pray to Hashem to help them defeat the “Canaanites.” But since they were Amalekites and not Canaanites, Israel’s prayers would not work. And the ruse worked, in the beginning.
The Amalekite attack succeeded and they managed to capture hostages. Taking hostages for the purpose of extortion and weakening their enemy was one of Amalek’s modus operandi (back then and today). We have numerous incidences of this behavior, for example with David HaMelech and the battle of Tziklag (Shmuel Alef 27).
After revealing this ruse, Bnei Yisrael prayed to Hashem to help them defeat “this nation” (generically, without specifying exactly Amalek/Canaan) and thus managed to defeat and kill them.
From this episode we learn that Amalek is not just some “regular” enemy who fights with Israel because they have a specific dispute, be it territorial, religious, etc. Amalek wages war on Am Yisrael because they are our nemesis, Hashem created them with this purpose. As it says (Kohelet 7:14) “G-d made this to counter this.” Just like Am Yisrael are called “Reishit” (Yirmiyahu 2:3), so too are Amalek called “Reishit” (Bamidbar 24:20).
It is impossible to reach an agreement with Amalek, because the only thing that will satisfy them is our obliteration and vice versa, Am Yisrael and G-d’s name in the world can never be complete until Amalek is obliterated. This is why the Torah commands us to wipe them out (Devarim 25:19).
The way Amalek wages war with us is not the way normal wars are waged. Amalek has an intricate knowledge of what makes Am Yisrael “tick” and uses this knowledge to our disadvantage at every possible opportunity. Case in point, our episode above – praying to Hashem using the wrong enemy’s name. They know Hashem listens to our prayers, but if our prayers are inaccurate (asking to defeat Canaanites when they are Amalekites), they are not answered. Our parsha teaches us that Amalek are masters of deception.
Am Yisrael are, at this very moment, on the threshold of Redemption. One of the prerequisites of the Geulah is that we battle with, and defeat, Amalek. This is the war that Israel is currently waging.
It is not a war with a single entity. Simply defeating the Ayatollah regime in Iran will not make Amalek go away (although it is a huge step in the right direction). Amalek are masters of deception and they hide in places where nobody would think to look. They infiltrate ethnic groups, countries, organizations and governments – surreptitiously, in disguise.
For example, they have infiltrated a large portion of American academia, the U.S. Democratic party and certain factions of the Republican party. They have infiltrated governments in Europe and ethnic groups like the Houthis in Yemen, the (so-called) “Palestinians” in Gaza, etc. They have commandeered worldwide media channels via funding from oil rich countries such as Qatar.
Amalek has sent their tentacles all over the world, attempting to breed a new generation of youngsters to spout their doctrine of obliteration of Am Yisrael. Sometimes the slogans are blatant, like “From the river to the sea;” sometimes subtle, phrases like “peace-accords,” “de-escalation,” “disproportionality,” etc.
How does one battle such a deceptive, partially hidden, multi-tentacled enemy? The answer is by bringing them out of the shadows and into the light. This is the process we are seeing now. All the “tentacles” are becoming visible, one by one. One need only observe who is supporting Iran and urging Israel (and the U.S.) to end the war.
The voices to end the war without total Israeli/U.S. victory are infested by the tentacles of Amalek. By decapitating the “head of the octopus,” i.e., Iran, we will have dealt a serious blow, but this is not the end of the battle. We need to eliminate all the tentacles as well, one by one.
It is a staggering and intimidating task that requires us to improve our relationship with Hashem and to cry out to Him to aid us (Bamidbar 21:2).
Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What famous medical symbol has its origins in out parsha?
Answer to Last Week’s Trivia Question: The Gemara (Sanhedrin 109b) lists two “nameless” wives that appear in the parsha. Who were they married to? The wife of Korach (who destroyed her family) and the wife of On ben Pelet (who saved her family).
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