Halakhah su Deuteronomio 25:19

Another version of what appears to be an identical attempt to resolve this difficulty is cited by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik in the name of his father, the late Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik, in a footnote to his "Kol Dodi Dofek," Ha-Dat ve-ha-Medinah, ed. M. Rottenberg (Tel Aviv, 5724), pp. 192–93.⁷This article is also included in Torah u-Melukhah, ed. S. Federbush (Jerusalem, 5721) and forms the second part of Mosad ha-Rav Kook’s edition of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s Ish ha-Emunah (Jerusalem, 5735). Rabbi Soloveitchik argues that the commandment with regard to Amalek is really a twofold one: (1) an obligation devolving upon each individual Jew to destroy the genealogical descendants of Amalek; (2) a communal obligation to defend the Jewish people against any enemy threatening its destruction. These differing obligations are indeed recorded as separate commandments. The commandment recorded in Deuteronomy 25:19, "you shall erase the memory of Amalek," is addressed to all individual Jews and refers only to genealogical descendants of Amalek. Exodus 17:16, which speaks of "the war of God against Amalek," is addressed to the community as a whole and lends sanction to a preemptive war undertaken in the face of impending danger. Since the latter type of warfare, although categorized as a war against "Amalek," must be waged against any would-be aggressor, Rambam eliminates mention of the fact that the genealogical descendants of Amalek are no longer identifiable. This thesis leads to a conclusion contradictory to that of Rabbi Gershuni. While Rabbi Gershuni's explanation would lend sanction to a war of aggression against professed enemies, according to this analysis only preemptive or defensive wars may be undertaken even against the avowed foes of the people of Israel.

That is that He commanded us to reward a Hebrew (Jewish) slave when he goes free, and not to have him leave [his owner's domain] empty-handed. And that is His saying, "You shall surely reward him" (Deuteronomy 15:8). And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in the first chapter of Kiddushin. (See Parashat Re'eh; Mishneh Torah, Slaves 3.)

To blot out his seed from the world: That we were commanded to blot out the seed of Amalek and to destroy his memory from the world - male and female, old and young. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 25:19), "you shall blot out the memory (zekher) of Amalek" - as all are included in "the memory." And a great man of the generation (gadol hador) already erred in the vocalization of this word - and that was Yoav ben Tzeruiah - and he left over the females from them. As many were those that did not pay careful attention when they learned this verse and Yoav jumbled [it] and read "male" (zakhar) instead of "memory" (zekher), as it comes [down] in Bava Batra 21b in the chapter [entitled] Lo Yachpor.