The Prophet Shmuel's command to destroy the animals of Amalek-I Sam. ch 15

[edu]

Ultimately the reason that we do commandments is because, G-d our Creator and King commanded us to do these actions, regardless of whether we understand or intuitively agree with the command.
His will is above our human considerations of morality.

However, it has been the custom of many Rabbis throughout the generations to try to find reasons for the commandments to make them more understandable to us.
This may be acceptable, so long as we don't say, that the commandment is no longer applicable because the underlying reason for it is no longer applicable. For G-d didn't make his commandments dependant upon our reasons and who says we even guessed correctly all the real reasons for the commandments.

With this in mind, I would like to ask the members of this forum what "reasons" do you have for the commandment to destroy the animals of Amalek.
To "start the  ball rolling" I will at this time offer at least 3 possible reasons.
1] to make it clear to the people, that the war against Amalek is a national war, where we make absolutely no differentiation between Guilty Amalekites and Innocent ones. Such differentiations inevitably lead to Jews being killed. Liberals like to play Devils advocate and say, isn't this just like the Nazi treatment of the Jews in the Holocaust. My answer is that this is the wrong comparison. It's like the treatment the USA gave Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the atom bomb, which instantly ended World War II instead of having to fight with the purity of arms morality of the secular Zionists against Gaza which inevitably leads to losses on our side and possibly even losing the war altogether.
2] The Torah says that animals used for bestiality should be destroyed. By destroying the animals of Amalek we are declaring that we also suspect them of bestiality.
3] Perhaps there were hideouts of the Amalekites that would only have been found if we had completely destroyed their animals.

[muman613]

edu,

I have heard it explained that Amalek represents all the forces which stand against Hashem. I am sure you have heard the explanation that Amalek intended to 'Cool Off' the Children of Israel from their experience at the Yam Suf. The Amalekites had no fear of Hashem and acted boldly to show everyone that Hashem and his people were not so mighty. So they attacked the weak and old who trailed behind the main group.

http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5767/tetzaveh.html
Klal Yisrael is on the opposite end of the spectrum, in the arena of "this and the corresponding opposite to this has the L-rd created" [Koheles 7:14]. Klal Yisrael's mission is to praise that which is praiseworthy, to give homage to that which is worthy, to revere and to honor that which is so deserving, and to build up and to respect that which is important in this world. In his inimitable fashion, Rav Hutner states: "This battle is about the ability to profane (koach haChilul) versus the ability to praise, show respect and revere (koach haHilul)."

All of us -– to a greater or lesser extent -– have a tendency to mock (be 'mevatel') and be cynics. It is so emancipating! If there is nothing important in the world then it releases me to do whatever I want. Think about it! If there is no institution or person in this world that is worthy of my respect then I am a free agent. What restrains me? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, in whatever place I want. This is laytzanus in its worst form. This is the battle between Amalek and Klal Yisrael.

This is exactly what Amalek did. When the entire planet, the entire civilized world stood in awe of Klal Yisrael after the splitting of the Red Sea –- there was somebody who said "Agh! No big deal!"

When Chazal interpret "asher karcha b'derech" (literally "who cooled you off in your journey") they give an example -- that Amalek was like a person who jumped into a scalding hot bathtub, who cooled it off for everyone else who came after. Amalek is all about taking that which frightens everyone and saying: "It's no big deal!"

The battle is about scoring versus praising; about bitul versus respect. This is a timely message to us in the United States at this point in history. If one looks at the popular press, one of the most prevalent discussions among social commentators today is that Americans are a bunch of cynics. Someone did a Lexus-Nexus search for me. Between January 1997 and February 1998 the word cynic appeared either in the title or in the first paragraph of over 5000 articles. People are cynics. They like to be "mevatel" because they want to be free. They don't want to have the pressure of being in awe of someone whose standards they cannot personally live up to.

Oh, I am sorry... I now realize you are not asking us about the Parasha, you are asking about the Haftorah reading of Shmuel...

I am not familiar with this question at this time... I will see if I can find an answer...

[muman613]

According to one interpretation I have found it was because Shmuel felt that saving the animals was actually what Hashem really wanted to happen...

This is interesting:

http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5756/tetzaveh.html

Shaul HaMelech went to war and smote Amalek, but he had mercy on the King of Amalek and on the animals. HaShem became angry with Shaul and ordered Shmuel HaNovi to strip the monarchy from him. When Shmuel came to deliver this message to Shaul, the King came out to greet the prophet. Shaul HaMelech's first words to Shmuel HaNovi were "I have fulfilled the word of HaShem."

How is this possible? Shaul HaMelech could not bring himself to kill them all. He had mercy. So the first words out of his mouth should have been, "Shmuel, I am sorry. Shmuel, I blew it -- I have a soft heart." However, that is not what Shaul said. Shaul HaMelech bragged about fulfilling the letter of the law!

HaShem made a clear inventory of what he wanted accomplished. Shaul was supposed to kill all the animals. He did not kill all the animals. How could he claim he fulfilled the word of HaShem?

There can only be one answer. Shaul HaMelech believed that this was the Will of HaShem. He believed that by saving the animals and eventually sacrificing them, that would be a sanctification of HaShem's Name. Shaul believed that this is what HaShem _really_ intended. This was Shaul's understanding - based on the power of the 'Urim'.

This is a classic example of having the power of 'Urim' but not the power of 'Tumim'. A person can sometimes be blinded. Whether it is for reasons of personal motive or out of fear of people or for any other reason. For some reason, Shaul HaMelech misinterpreted the 'Urim'. He looked at the words of the Torah and said, 'This is what HaShem means; this is what HaShem wants' - - and yet was completely wrong.

The power of 'Tumim' is reserved for the select few. That is why we need a leader, a Gadol [a Great Torah personality]; that is why we need a Rav; that is why we need a Rosh Yeshiva [Dean of a Yeshiva]. As much as we think we may be able to figure out the 'Urim' on our own, we still need guidance -- because we do not always know the 'Tumim'.

We can be well intended and think we have textual proofs, but if we do not have the guidance of a person who is gifted with the insight of 'Tumim', we can make tragic errors.

Maybe in some way it was what Hashem wanted...

[Yaakov Mendel]

the war against Amalek is a national war, where we make absolutely no differentiation between Guilty Amalekites and Innocent ones.

There is no such thing as an "innocent" Amalekite. Not all kinds of ennemies are Amalekites. Amalek deliberately intends to annihilate the Jewish people. The way I understand it, Amalek is a notion whose purpose is to remind us not to make any compromise, not to show any weakness, any foolish compassion, towards those who are out to exterminate us.
For instance, those who advocate a "two-state" solution because they sincerely believe that it will bring peace to the Israelis are very dangerous fools and, in fact, they are ennemies of Israel, even if they may not realize it, but they are not Amalek.

[muman613]

There is no such thing as an "innocent" Amalekite. Not all kinds of ennemies are Amalekites. Amalek deliberately intends to annihilate the Jewish people. The way I understand it, Amalek is a notion whose purpose is to remind us not to make any compromise, not to show any weakness, any foolish compassion, towards those who are out to exterminate us.
For instance, those who advocate a "two-state" solution because they sincerely believe that it will bring peace to the Israelis are very dangerous fools and, in fact, they are ennemies of Israel, even if they may not realize it, but they are not Amalek.

I hear what you are saying but I will also bring up that there were other nations who went to war against the Jewish nation in the desert in the Torah. Some of them receive special mention including Moab and Ammon. But Hashem reserves a very special place for the Amalekites. Their denial of Hashems power in this world, and his love of the Jewish people, are the reason we are implored to always remember what he did to us in the desert, and to blot out his name for eternity.