Did Netanyahu's October 2023 speech really call for a genocide of Palestinians by invoking the biblical Amalekites? Tucker Carlson thinks so. Here's why he's wrong.
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We should stand up against the Tucker Carlsons of the world, and proudly say, if you believe in the Ten Commandments where G-d announced, "I am HaShem your
G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt...", then you must believe that the same G-d told Shaul, through the navi Samuel, to kill every man, woman, and child of Amalek.
It's really not worth it to debate people like Tucker. I believe he is trying to revitalize the old Christkillers argument, and is not interested in knowing the truth. Any thing any Jew will do will be twisted. Our honeymoon from antisemitism is over. We are surrounded from the political Right and Left with implacable foes.
Jacob D
1 month ago
I agree with your general comment regarding Tucker Carlson's distortion and cherry picking of Netanyahu's quote, falsely accusing Netanyahu of inciting genocide, when in fact he specifically prioritized the safety of non-combatants, while linking Hamas (not Gazans collectively) to Amalek.
Where I disagree is regarding the command in 1 Samuel 15 for Saul to annihilate the Amalekites. There's no way to soft-pedal the text. The command was to eliminate them as a nation entirely, not merely the royal family, or the "city of Amalek", where Saul lay in wait. In fulfilment of that command (1 Sam. 15:7), "Saul struck down Amalek from Havilah till you come to Shur, which is before Egypt". Clearly the target was Amalek as a widely dispersed nomadic desert tribe, not only their center of power.
That is a plausible reading, but a problem is: how are there armies of Amalekites just a few years later, sufficient to destroy Ziklag (1Shmuel30)?
Rambam/Maimonides (Guide 3:50) says that not everyone called 'Amalek' was actually Amalek. My proposal (one that Midrashim use in other contexts) is that populations are named after their governing city (or citadel). If you eliminate the latter you eliminate the entire national identity.
In I Sam.15:5 we actually see that King Shaul appears to have that intent when he brings his arm to camp against 'ir amalek' - the city. Of course if you come to destroy their royal city/citadel you are going to face a massive armed response and have to first defeat the Amalekite armies 'from Havila to Shur'.
Love your content Rabbi Rowe. You are the chareidi Ben Shapiro! However I don't think your take on Amalek is correct. We don't have to be apologetic about genocide against Amalek. However, with ANY OTHER nations there is no obligation to wipe them out completely, including the 7 nations of Canaan, if they choose to leave on their own. Amalek is unique since they are the epitome of evil, and have this unique obligation. As to your question, how did Amalek suddenly reappear a few months later in Samuel I, 27, and chapter 30, it can postulated that they came from the "best of the sheep, the cattle..." Amalek were master magicians, and many turned themselves in sheep and cattle, and when no one was looking, changed back and ran away! Keep up the good work!
One last point. Dovid conquered the band of Amalek that burnt Ziklag with only 400 men. 400 Amalekians escaped by camels, but we are not talking about an Amalekian army of thousands. Possible a thousand Amalekians escaped Shaul onslaught by temporarily turning themselves into animals.
If I Were Jewish
We should stand up against the Tucker Carlsons of the world, and proudly say, if you believe in the Ten Commandments where G-d announced, "I am HaShem your
G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt...", then you must believe that the same G-d told Shaul, through the navi Samuel, to kill every man, woman, and child of Amalek.
It's really not worth it to debate people like Tucker. I believe he is trying to revitalize the old Christkillers argument, and is not interested in knowing the truth. Any thing any Jew will do will be twisted. Our honeymoon from antisemitism is over. We are surrounded from the political Right and Left with implacable foes.
I agree with your general comment regarding Tucker Carlson's distortion and cherry picking of Netanyahu's quote, falsely accusing Netanyahu of inciting genocide, when in fact he specifically prioritized the safety of non-combatants, while linking Hamas (not Gazans collectively) to Amalek.
Where I disagree is regarding the command in 1 Samuel 15 for Saul to annihilate the Amalekites. There's no way to soft-pedal the text. The command was to eliminate them as a nation entirely, not merely the royal family, or the "city of Amalek", where Saul lay in wait. In fulfilment of that command (1 Sam. 15:7), "Saul struck down Amalek from Havilah till you come to Shur, which is before Egypt". Clearly the target was Amalek as a widely dispersed nomadic desert tribe, not only their center of power.
That is a plausible reading, but a problem is: how are there armies of Amalekites just a few years later, sufficient to destroy Ziklag (1Shmuel30)?
Rambam/Maimonides (Guide 3:50) says that not everyone called 'Amalek' was actually Amalek. My proposal (one that Midrashim use in other contexts) is that populations are named after their governing city (or citadel). If you eliminate the latter you eliminate the entire national identity.
In I Sam.15:5 we actually see that King Shaul appears to have that intent when he brings his arm to camp against 'ir amalek' - the city. Of course if you come to destroy their royal city/citadel you are going to face a massive armed response and have to first defeat the Amalekite armies 'from Havila to Shur'.
Love your content Rabbi Rowe. You are the chareidi Ben Shapiro! However I don't think your take on Amalek is correct. We don't have to be apologetic about genocide against Amalek. However, with ANY OTHER nations there is no obligation to wipe them out completely, including the 7 nations of Canaan, if they choose to leave on their own. Amalek is unique since they are the epitome of evil, and have this unique obligation. As to your question, how did Amalek suddenly reappear a few months later in Samuel I, 27, and chapter 30, it can postulated that they came from the "best of the sheep, the cattle..." Amalek were master magicians, and many turned themselves in sheep and cattle, and when no one was looking, changed back and ran away! Keep up the good work!
One last point. Dovid conquered the band of Amalek that burnt Ziklag with only 400 men. 400 Amalekians escaped by camels, but we are not talking about an Amalekian army of thousands. Possible a thousand Amalekians escaped Shaul onslaught by temporarily turning themselves into animals.