מצות מחיית עמלק בזמן הזה

(1) לזכור מה עשה לנו עמלק: That we were commanded to remember what Amalek did to Israel - that he began to harass them when they left Egypt, before any other nation or kingdom raised their hand against them; and as the matter is stated, (Numbers 24:2) "Amalek is the first of nations." Its [Aramaic] translation (Onkelos Numbers 24:2) is "The first battle of Israel was Amalek" - because everyone was afraid of them when they heard of God's great hand that He used for them in Egypt. But the Amalekites, due to their evil hearts and evil disposition, did not turn their hearts to all of this, and harassed them [by waging war]. And as a result of this, Amalek was able to remove the great fear from the hearts of the other nations. And it is like the matter that our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, analogized it (Pesikta Rabbati 12, Midrash Tanchuma on Devarim 25:17) to the analogy to a large boiling pot that no person could enter and [then] one [individual] comes and jumps and enters it. Even though he is burnt, he cools it for others. And about the memory of their matter is it stated (Deuteronomy 25:17), "Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt."

(2) About the roots of this commandment are to put into our hearts that anyone who distresses Israel is despised in front of God, blessed be He; and that according to his evil and his great deceptive damage, will be his downfall and bad [occurrences], as you find with Amalek: That due to [the fact that] he committed a great evil to Israel - that he began to harm them - blessed be He, commanded us to 'destroy his memory from the earth' and root it out after him, until its end (see Sefer HaMitzvot LaRambam, Mitzvot Ase 189)

(3) From the laws of the commandment are that which our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Megillah 18a) that the obligation of this remembrance is with the heart and with the mouth (see Sefer HaChinukh 330). As so is it in Sifrei, Parshat Bechukotai (at the beginning), "'Remember what Amalek did' - could it be with the heart? When it says 'do not forget' - behold, [this refers to] the forgetting of the heart. Behold, what is [the purpose of] 'Remember?' That it should be recited in your mouth." To here is [what is written] in Sifrei. [It is] in order to not forget the thing, lest the enmity be weakened and be removed from the hearts over the length of time.

(4) We do not know an established time in the year or the day for this remembrance with the heart and the mouth, such as we are commanded to remember the exodus from Egypt every day and every night. And the reason [for the latter] is that that remembrance is a fundamental principle of religion, and as we have spoken about this in detail in many other places in this book. But the reason for remembering what Amalek did, is only that the hatred in our hearts not be forgotten. And for this, it is enough to remember the matter once a year, or in two years, or in three years. And behold, in all the places of Israel, they read the Book of the Torah over a year, or two or three - at the very least. And behold, they fulfill this commandment with that. And perhaps we should say that the custom of Israel to read Parashat Zachor on a specific Shabbat each and every year is [as a law from the] Torah. And it is due to this commandment that they fixed it like that. And it is always the Shabbat before Purim. And the law should be to read it on Purim day, because it is from the matter of the day, since Haman the wicked was from the seed [of Amalek]; but in order to make known that before the miracle [of Purim], we were commanded in this remembrance, they fixed the [reading] before Purim. However they made it adjacent to Purim, in the way that they, may their memory be blessed, say (Berakhot 21b) in [certain] places, "they placed the matter adjacent to it."

(5) This commandment is practiced in every place and at all times, by males, because it is upon them to wage war to avenge the enemies, and not upon women. And one who transgresses this, and did not remember and recite with his mouth what Amalek did to Israel ever, has negated this positive commandment, and also transgressed the negative commandment that comes upon this - which is "do not forget,' as we will write in the negative commandments (Sefer HaChinukh 604) with God's help.

(4) If they do not come to peaceful terms or they make peace but do not accept the Seven Commandments, we engage in war against them and slay all their adult males. We take all their money and children as spoils. We do not kill the women or minors, as it says, “the women and the children” (see Deut. 20:14 and 2:34) which means the male children. To what do we refer? To a Discretionary War with one of the other nations. However, with one of the Seven Nations or with Amalek who do not make peace, we leave no soul alive, as it says, “so you shall do with everyone…only of the cities of the nations…do not leave alive any soul” (Deut. 20:15-16), and regarding Amalek it says, “erase the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 25:19). How do we know that this is referring to those who do not make peace with us? For it says, “there was no city which came to peace with the Children of Israel except the Chivites, dwellers of Givon. Everything, they took in the war. For from G-d their hearts were strengthened to the call of war with Israel, so that they may be destroyed.” (Joshua 11:19-20). They were offered peace, and refused.

(4) It is a Positive Commandment to exterminate the Seven Nations, as it says, “surely, you shall destroy them” (Deut. 20:17). Anyone who comes across any of these nations and fails to kill them violates a Negative Commandment, as it says, “you shall not keep alive any soul” (Deut. 20:16). Nonetheless, they have already all been destroyed and their memory forgotten.

(5) It is a Positive Commandment to obliterate Amalek, as it says, “erase the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 28:19). It is a Positive Commandment to perpetually remember their wicked deeds and their ambush in order to arouse our enmity against them, as it says, “remember what Amalek did to you” (Deut. 25:17). By Tradition we have learned that “remember” means by speech, “do not forget” (Deut. 25:19) – in one’s heart; for it is forbidden to forget their enmity and hatred.