וּנְתָנָ֞ם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ לְפָנֶ֖יךָ וְהִכִּיתָ֑ם הַחֲרֵ֤ם תַּחֲרִים֙ אֹתָ֔ם לֹא־תִכְרֹ֥ת לָהֶ֛ם בְּרִ֖ית וְלֹ֥א תְחָנֵּֽם׃
quand l’Éternel, ton Dieu, te les aura livrés et que tu les auras vaincus, tu les frapperas d’anathème. Point de pacte avec eux, point de merci pour eux!
Kol Dodi Dofek
23. With respect to the seven nations of Canaan Maimonides wrote in Hilkhot Melakhim 5:4: “It is a positive mitzvah to destroy the seven nations [of Canaan], as it is said:‘You shall utterly destroy them’ (Deuteronomy 7:2), and anyone who encounters one of them and does not kill him has violated an injunction, as it is said, ‘Do not keep alive a soul’(Deuteronomy 20:16), and [in fact] their memory has already been erased. “Radbaz [R. David Ibn Abi Zimra, sixteenth century] located the source of the last line, “and their memory has already been erased,” in the words of R. Joshua (M. Yada’im 4:4), “Sennacherib, king of Assyria, has already arisen and intermingled all of the nations” [i.e. so that none retained their distinct identity].
But note something strange : in relation to the destruction of Amalek, Maimonides does not add the words “and their memory has already been erased.” In Hilkhot Melakhim 5:5, Maimonides writes: “And similarly it is a positive mitzvah to erase the memory of Amalek, as it said: ‘Erase the memory of Amalek’ (Deuteronomy 25:19), and it is a positive mitzvah to forever remember his evil deeds and his laying ambush (against you), in order to arose anger against him. As it is said, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ Tradition teaches: Remember — with your mouth; do not forget in your heart, for it is prohibited to forget his enmity and hatred.”
From Maimonides’ words it appears that Amalek still exists in the world, whereas the seven nations of Canaan have descended to the depths of oblivion. One wonders why Maimonides did not employ the rule of R. Joshua that “Sennacherib came and intermingled all the nations” with relation to Amalek. The answer to this question is very simple. The Bible testifies that Amalek still exists in this world. Go and see what the Torah says: “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). Accordingly, it is impossible for Amalek to be blotted out of the world until the coming of the Messiah. So said our Sages: “God’s name and throne will not be complete until the children of Amalek are blotted out” (Rashi to Exodus 17:16). But where is Amalek? I heard the answer from my father of blessed memory. Every nation that conspires to destroy the Jewish people is considered by the halakhah to be Amalek. My father added that as concerns Amalek itself we were commanded to perform two mitzvot: (a) [for the individual] to blot out the memory of Amalek, which is incumbent on everyone [to slay] any individual member of Amalek [that he encounters], as expounded in the Torah portion of Ki Tetzeh, “You shall blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19), and (b) [for the community] to engage in communal military preparedness for war against Amalek, as it is explained in the Torah portion of B’shalach, “The Lord will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). With relation to any other nation that stands ready to destroy us, we are [now after the time of Sennacherib] commanded to wage war against it [even] while it prepares for war against us,and our war against it is a “War of Mitzvah”, in accordance with the command of the Torah that “The Lord will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation.” However, the destruction of individuals, which is derived from the Torah portion of Ki Tetzeh, refers only to the biological descendants of Amalek. The words of Maimonides include the obligation to wipe out individuals, which does not apply to any other nation that plots destruction against the People of Israel. However, since the obligation of warring Amalek pertains to such a nation (as well), he did not employ the phrase “And its memory has already been lost.” The status of Amalek exists even now after the nations were intermingled [by Sennacherib]. And perhaps this is the basis for Maimonides’ view (Hilkhot Melakhim 5:1) that a defensive war by Jews against an enemy who comes to wage war against it is a “War of Mitzvah”. For this kind of war is subsumed by the notion “The Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.” To be sure, Maimonides especially singled out the war with Amalek [in that regard]; nevertheless, one may say that saving Jews from an enemy that has arisen to destroy them is encompassed to this Torah portion [i.e., the destruction of Amalek]. Cf., Sotah 44b, s. v. amar R. Jochanan.
But note something strange : in relation to the destruction of Amalek, Maimonides does not add the words “and their memory has already been erased.” In Hilkhot Melakhim 5:5, Maimonides writes: “And similarly it is a positive mitzvah to erase the memory of Amalek, as it said: ‘Erase the memory of Amalek’ (Deuteronomy 25:19), and it is a positive mitzvah to forever remember his evil deeds and his laying ambush (against you), in order to arose anger against him. As it is said, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ Tradition teaches: Remember — with your mouth; do not forget in your heart, for it is prohibited to forget his enmity and hatred.”
From Maimonides’ words it appears that Amalek still exists in the world, whereas the seven nations of Canaan have descended to the depths of oblivion. One wonders why Maimonides did not employ the rule of R. Joshua that “Sennacherib came and intermingled all the nations” with relation to Amalek. The answer to this question is very simple. The Bible testifies that Amalek still exists in this world. Go and see what the Torah says: “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). Accordingly, it is impossible for Amalek to be blotted out of the world until the coming of the Messiah. So said our Sages: “God’s name and throne will not be complete until the children of Amalek are blotted out” (Rashi to Exodus 17:16). But where is Amalek? I heard the answer from my father of blessed memory. Every nation that conspires to destroy the Jewish people is considered by the halakhah to be Amalek. My father added that as concerns Amalek itself we were commanded to perform two mitzvot: (a) [for the individual] to blot out the memory of Amalek, which is incumbent on everyone [to slay] any individual member of Amalek [that he encounters], as expounded in the Torah portion of Ki Tetzeh, “You shall blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19), and (b) [for the community] to engage in communal military preparedness for war against Amalek, as it is explained in the Torah portion of B’shalach, “The Lord will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). With relation to any other nation that stands ready to destroy us, we are [now after the time of Sennacherib] commanded to wage war against it [even] while it prepares for war against us,and our war against it is a “War of Mitzvah”, in accordance with the command of the Torah that “The Lord will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation.” However, the destruction of individuals, which is derived from the Torah portion of Ki Tetzeh, refers only to the biological descendants of Amalek. The words of Maimonides include the obligation to wipe out individuals, which does not apply to any other nation that plots destruction against the People of Israel. However, since the obligation of warring Amalek pertains to such a nation (as well), he did not employ the phrase “And its memory has already been lost.” The status of Amalek exists even now after the nations were intermingled [by Sennacherib]. And perhaps this is the basis for Maimonides’ view (Hilkhot Melakhim 5:1) that a defensive war by Jews against an enemy who comes to wage war against it is a “War of Mitzvah”. For this kind of war is subsumed by the notion “The Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.” To be sure, Maimonides especially singled out the war with Amalek [in that regard]; nevertheless, one may say that saving Jews from an enemy that has arisen to destroy them is encompassed to this Torah portion [i.e., the destruction of Amalek]. Cf., Sotah 44b, s. v. amar R. Jochanan.