Commento su Esodo 17:14

כתב זאת זכרון WRITE THIS FOR A MEMORIAL, that Amalek came to wage war against Israel before any other nation.

WRITE THIS FOR A MEMORIAL IN THE BOOK. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented⁴⁷¹This quote from Ibn Ezra is found in his commentary to Numbers 21:14. Part of it is also found here. that “this was a known book, namely, the book of the wars of the Eternal,⁴⁷²Numbers 21:14. which contained the history of the wars which G-d fought for those that fear Him, and it is possible that the history began from the time of Abraham.” There is nothing in these words of his but an opportunity [to say something without due consideration].⁴⁷³It should be pointed out that in his commentary to the Book of Numbers (ibid), Ramban agrees with Ibn Ezra’s comment, by way of the plain meaning of Scripture. This is because it distinctly says there, the book of the wars of the Eternal. Here, however, it just says in the book. Hence Ramban rejects Ibn Ezra’s interpretation that here too it refers to that book of the wars of the Eternal, which is no longer extant, and he proposes his own interpretation, as explained in the text.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the word, baseifer (in the book), alludes to the Book of the Law, something like that which is written, Take this Book of the Law.⁴⁷⁴Deuteronomy 31:26. He is thus stating: “Write this in the Book of My Law so that the children of Israel should remember what Amalek did, for I will utterly blot out his remembrance, and I will lay My vengeance upon him by the hand of My people Israel.”⁴⁷⁵See Ezekiel 25:14. This is the commandment we find written in the Book of Deuteronomy: Remember what Amalek did unto thee.⁴⁷⁶Deuteronomy 25:17. He said, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, to command him to remind Israel of all the travail that had come upon them because of Amalek, for he [Joshua] knows and is witness.⁴⁷⁷See Jeremiah 29:23. G-d is thus hinting that after the conquest of the Land, they would blot out Amalek, for the first commandment upon them was to destroy the seven nations⁴⁷⁸Deuteronomy 7:1-2. and take possession of the Land. This is Scripture’s intent in what is said there: And it shall be when the Eternal thy G-d hath given thee rest from all thine enemies… that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek.⁴⁷⁹Ibid., 25:19. Now had it been like this in the days of Joshua the son of Nun, he would have urged them on to blot out Amalek, but in his days, a good deal of the Land remained to be possessed,⁴⁸⁰See Joshua 13:1. and the time for the fulfilling of the commandment did not come until the reign of Saul.⁴⁸¹See I Samuel, Chapter 15.

כתוב זאת זכרון בספר, a reference to the portion in Deuteronomy 25,17-19.