Nature of Amalek

Seeing as this Shabbos was also Shabbos Zochor, in which we recount the mitzvah to remember what Amalek did to Klal Yisroel on our way out of Mitzrayim, and that Purim is this week, it’s good to understand the nature of Amalek and the avodah of Purim.

Amalek, outside of just being a nation in the Torah, is a spiritual construct as well. As many have pointed out, Amalek is the same gematria as the word Safeik, meaning doubt. It says in that parsha Amalek “happened upon you on the path…”, the word used for “happen,” קר, is also the same word for “cold.” The nature of Amalek is to bring you to coldness in avodas Hashem through making things appear to be happenstance, rather than hashgocha protis (Divine supervision and interference). One of the best ways to prevent Amalek from having power over you, chas v’sholom, is through remembering that this spiritual force exists, and to actively seek to remove it from within you. When you break the mindset that things occur through chance and randomness, you warm up in avodas Hashem, seeing that everything really is organized from Above.