Why are we reading this passage in particular before Purim? [Haman = Amalek]
What is the main duality implied in this passage? [Steer the discussion to predator/prey and how this is apparently implied in the order of Creation.]
- Why would God have this dynamic of predator and prey inside God's creation? What can be its purpose? - For more on this see Joe Septimus's sheet on Predator & Prey; https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/2176]
(כ) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שָׁא֜וּל אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ בְּק֣וֹל ה' וָאֵלֵ֕ךְ בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחַ֣נִי ה' וָאָבִ֗יא אֶת־אֲגַג֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמָלֵ֔ק וְאֶת־עֲמָלֵ֖ק הֶחֱרַֽמְתִּי׃ (כא) וַיִּקַּ֨ח הָעָ֧ם מֵהַשָּׁלָ֛ל צֹ֥אן וּבָקָ֖ר רֵאשִׁ֣ית הַחֵ֑רֶם לִזְבֹּ֛חַ לַֽה' אֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ בַּגִּלְגָּֽל׃ ... (לב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל הַגִּ֤ישׁוּ אֵלַי֙ אֶת־אֲגַג֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמָלֵ֔ק וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אֵלָ֔יו אֲגַ֖ג מַעֲדַנֹּ֑ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲגָ֔ג אָכֵ֖ן סָ֥ר מַר־הַמָּֽוֶת׃ (ס) (לג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר שִׁכְּלָ֤ה נָשִׁים֙ חַרְבֶּ֔ךָ כֵּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֥ל מִנָּשִׁ֖ים אִמֶּ֑ךָ וַיְשַׁסֵּ֨ף שְׁמוּאֵ֧ל אֶת־אֲגָ֛ג לִפְנֵ֥י ה' בַּגִּלְגָּֽל׃ (ס)
(20) Saul said to Samuel, “But I did obey the LORD! I performed the mission on which the LORD sent me: I captured King Agag of Amalek, and I proscribed Amalek, (21) and the troops took from the spoil some sheep and oxen—the best of what had been proscribed—to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” ... (32) Samuel said, “Bring forward to me King Agag of Amalek.” Agag approached him with faltering steps; and Agag said, “Ah, bitter death is at hand!” (33) Samuel said: “As your sword has bereaved women, So shall your mother be bereaved among women.” And Samuel cut Agag down before the LORD at Gilgal.
(1) And so, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month—that is, the month of Adar—when the king’s command and decree were to be executed, the very day on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to get them in their power, the opposite happened, and the Jews got their enemies in their power. (2) Throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the Jews mustered in their cities to attack those who sought their hurt; and no one could withstand them, for the fear of them had fallen upon all the peoples. (3) Indeed, all the officials of the provinces—the satraps, the governors, and the king’s stewards—showed deference to the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. (4) For Mordecai was now powerful in the royal palace, and his fame was spreading through all the provinces; the man Mordecai was growing ever more powerful. (5) So the Jews struck at their enemies with the sword, slaying and destroying; they wreaked their will upon their enemies. (6) In the fortress Shushan the Jews killed a total of five hundred men. (7) They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, (8) Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, (9) Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, (10) the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the foe of the Jews. But they did not lay hands on the spoil.
It is interesting to view these episodes as a paradigm shift in the predator prey dynamic. Note that P&P does not go away, in some Messianic ideal. Messianism, viewed that way, is actually the end of the basic dynamic of creation.
Rather, venahafoch hu, it becomes inverted. Prey becomes predator and predator becomes prey.
What are we to make of this?
When you are the predator, you are in control. On the human level, because you initiate the attack, you can choose its nature.
A few decades ago President Johnson reframed to language of the predator in his anti-poverty initiative referring to it as the “War on Poverty”: the idea that we should use power to fight for the poor, not to oppress them even more.
As one reframes the language of the predator, one can also reframe the definition of what the survivor is. Maybe the survivor is not the strongest and fiercest, but may be the smartest, the most passionate, the most adaptable, the most universal, the most humane, the most respectful.
So when power is reversed, and when we are powerful, the question is: what will we make of this dynamic? Will it be about physical might, like war, genocide, persecution, or physical abuse? Or will it be about values like human rights, education, or expanding wisdom and scientific capabilities?
May this week give us moments of reflection and openness to reframe the attack, and become more human.