Halakhah sa Exodo 17:8: Gray Matter I, Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing, Kitzur Shulchan Arukh & Sheiltot d'Rav Achai Gaon

Aside from these individuals, the Bible contains other examples of wars where the spiritual elite fought. Rashi (Bemidbar 31:3) asserts that the soldiers in the wars against Amaleik (Shemot 17:8-16) and Midyan (Bemidbar 31) were specifically chosen based on their religious piety. The Radak and Malbim (Shofetim 5:14) explain that, after defeating the army of Canaan, the prophetess Devorah gave special praise to the people of Machir and Zevulun precisely because their religious leaders fought in the battle. All of these sources clearly teach that no fundamental problem exists with spiritual leaders serving in an army. The advisability of their service in the Israeli army today, however, remains to be determined.

On the first day of the Feast of Dedication, the section read is that containing the Priestly Benediction and continuing till the end of the section referring to the offering on the first day of the Dedication of the Tabernacle (Numbers 6:22-7:17). On the second day, the section read is that referring to the offering of the prince who brought his offering on the second day of that Dedication (ibid. 7:18-23). And so on till the eighth day, the section read is that referring to the offering on the eighth day of the Dedication of the Tabernacle up to the end of the summary of the offerings and continuing till the end of the weekly portion (ibid. 7:54-89).^*Ashkenazi practice is to add ibid. 8:1-4. On Sabbath, the lesson from the Prophets is Zechariah's Vision of the Candelabrum (Zechariah 2:14-4:7). If there are two Sabbaths in the feast of Dedication, Zechariah's Vision of the Candelabrum is the lesson from the Prophets on the first Sabbath; and, on the second Sabbath, the account of the Candelabra in Solomon's Temple (I Kings 7:40-50) is read. The person who reads in the scroll the special section for the feast of Dedication reads the lesson from the Prophets. On the Feast of Lots, the section beginning, "And Amalek came" (Exodus 17:8-16) is read in the morning service.

Every oleh must read³⁸Or have the ba’al koreih read for him, as is the present custom. at least three verses. On Mondays and Thursdays and at the Shabbos Minchah service, it is required that in all no less than ten verses be read. We should read a minimum of four verses for the third oleh.³⁹Some allow three verses to be read. If it happened that in all only nine verses were read, i. e., three for each oleh, the obligation is fulfilled. On Purim, we read only nine verses for all [the olim] combined because the subject matter ends [after nine verses].⁴⁰On Purim, the holiday commemorating our victory over Haman, a descendant of Amaleik, we read of the attack of Amaleik upon us in the wilderness. (Exodus 17:8–16). That chapter contains only nine verses.