עמלק (דברים כה יז). עם לק פרח כזחלא. ד"א עמלק, עם לק, אומה שבא ללוק דמן של ישראל ככלב, ר' לוי בשם ר' שמעון בן חלפתא אמר למה היה עמלק דומה, לזבוב שהוא להוט אחר המכה, כך היה עמלק להוט אחר ישראל ככלב, תני בשם ר' נתן ארבע מאות פרסה בא עמלק להלחם עם ישראל ברפידים, שנאמר עמלק יושב בארץ הנגב וגו' (במדבר יג כט), והוא [יושב] לפנים מכולם. בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים (דברים כה יז), אמר ר' לוי מן הדרך בא עליהם כליסטים, משל למלך שהיה לו כרם, והקיפו גדר, והושיב בו המלך כלב נשכן, אמר המלך כל מי שיבא ויפרוץ הגדר ינשכו הכלב, לימים בא בנו של מלך, ופרץ הגדר, נשכו הכלב, כל מקום שהיה מבקש להזכיר חטא של בנו שפרץ הכרם, אמר לו זכור אתה שנשכך הכלב, כך כל זמן שהקב"ה מבקש להזכיר חטאן של ישראל, מה שעשו ברפידים, שאמרו היש ה' בקרבנו אם אין (שמות יז ז), הוא אומר להם זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק.
(Deut. 25:17:) AMALEK ('MLQ): People ('M) of the locust (YLQ).47Tanh., Deut. 6:9, cont.; PRK 3:8. The translation is following Buber’s suggestion here in n. 71, who would read YLQ (“locust”) instead of LQ (“lapping” or “greedy”). Buber also notes that he suggests the same emendation in his edition of PRK 3:8, n. 98. They spread out like the zahla locust. Another interpretation of AMALEK ('MLQ): People ('am) lapping (leq), a people who came to lap up the blood of Israel like a dog.48Cf. PR 12:12. R. Levi said in the name of R. Simeon ben Halafta: To what may Amalek be likened? To a fly who is inflamed <with passion> after an <open> wound. So was Amalek inflamed like a dog <with passion> after Israel.49Cf. PR 12:12. It is taught (in a baraita) in the name of R. Nathan: Amalek came four hundred parasangs (i.e., a little over 900 English miles) to fight with Israel in Rephidim, as stated (in Numb. 13:29):50See Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exod. 17:8; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, ‘Amaleq, 1. AMALEK DWELLS IN THE LAND OF THE NEGEB…. And he [dwells] in the interior beyond all of them (i.e., beyond all the tribes listed in this passage).51The description hardly fits the geography. For an explanation of what the text seems to mean, see Enoch Zundel in his commentary ‘Ets Yosef to the parallel passage in Tanh., Deut. 6:9, who says that when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were west of the land of Israel with Amalek dwelling in the southern horn to the east and with all the other peoples on the west side. There are four hundred parasangs from the land of Amalek to the place where Israel entered the Negeb. Moreover, the land of Israel midrashically is four hundred parasangs square. (Deut. 25:17:) <REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID TO YOU> ON THE WAY AS YOU CAME OUT OF EGYPT.52PRK 3:9. R. Levi said: He came upon them from the wayside like a bandit.53Gk.: lestai, reading lestes for lestim in accord with Buber’s n. 77. The confusion between the two forms is common. See Jastrow, s.v. LYSTYS. It is comparable to a king who had a vineyard which he had enclosed with a fence and in which he had put a biting dog. The king said: Whenever anyone comes to break through the fence, the dog will bite him. One day the king's son came and broke through the fence. The dog bit him. Whenever he wanted to bring to mind the transgression of his son who broke through to the vineyard, he would say to him: You remember how the dog bit you. Similarly, whenever the Holy One wants to bring to mind the sin of Israel, what they did in Rephidim, when they said (in Exod. 17:7) IS THE LORD PRESENT AMONG US OR NOT? He says to them (in Deut. 25:17): REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID TO YOU.
עמלק (דברים כה יז). עם לק פרח כזחלא. ד"א עמלק, עם לק, אומה שבא ללוק דמן של ישראל ככלב, ר' לוי בשם ר' שמעון בן חלפתא אמר למה היה עמלק דומה, לזבוב שהוא להוט אחר המכה, כך היה עמלק להוט אחר ישראל ככלב, תני בשם ר' נתן ארבע מאות פרסה בא עמלק להלחם עם ישראל ברפידים, שנאמר עמלק יושב בארץ הנגב וגו' (במדבר יג כט), והוא [יושב] לפנים מכולם. בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים (דברים כה יז), אמר ר' לוי מן הדרך בא עליהם כליסטים, משל למלך שהיה לו כרם, והקיפו גדר, והושיב בו המלך כלב נשכן, אמר המלך כל מי שיבא ויפרוץ הגדר ינשכו הכלב, לימים בא בנו של מלך, ופרץ הגדר, נשכו הכלב, כל מקום שהיה מבקש להזכיר חטא של בנו שפרץ הכרם, אמר לו זכור אתה שנשכך הכלב, כך כל זמן שהקב"ה מבקש להזכיר חטאן של ישראל, מה שעשו ברפידים, שאמרו היש ה' בקרבנו אם אין (שמות יז ז), הוא אומר להם זכור את אשר עשה לך עמלק.
(Deut. 25:17:) AMALEK ('MLQ): People ('M) of the locust (YLQ).47Tanh., Deut. 6:9, cont.; PRK 3:8. The translation is following Buber’s suggestion here in n. 71, who would read YLQ (“locust”) instead of LQ (“lapping” or “greedy”). Buber also notes that he suggests the same emendation in his edition of PRK 3:8, n. 98. They spread out like the zahla locust. Another interpretation of AMALEK ('MLQ): People ('am) lapping (leq), a people who came to lap up the blood of Israel like a dog.48Cf. PR 12:12. R. Levi said in the name of R. Simeon ben Halafta: To what may Amalek be likened? To a fly who is inflamed <with passion> after an <open> wound. So was Amalek inflamed like a dog <with passion> after Israel.49Cf. PR 12:12. It is taught (in a baraita) in the name of R. Nathan: Amalek came four hundred parasangs (i.e., a little over 900 English miles) to fight with Israel in Rephidim, as stated (in Numb. 13:29):50See Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exod. 17:8; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, ‘Amaleq, 1. AMALEK DWELLS IN THE LAND OF THE NEGEB…. And he [dwells] in the interior beyond all of them (i.e., beyond all the tribes listed in this passage).51The description hardly fits the geography. For an explanation of what the text seems to mean, see Enoch Zundel in his commentary ‘Ets Yosef to the parallel passage in Tanh., Deut. 6:9, who says that when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they were west of the land of Israel with Amalek dwelling in the southern horn to the east and with all the other peoples on the west side. There are four hundred parasangs from the land of Amalek to the place where Israel entered the Negeb. Moreover, the land of Israel midrashically is four hundred parasangs square. (Deut. 25:17:) <REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID TO YOU> ON THE WAY AS YOU CAME OUT OF EGYPT.52PRK 3:9. R. Levi said: He came upon them from the wayside like a bandit.53Gk.: lestai, reading lestes for lestim in accord with Buber’s n. 77. The confusion between the two forms is common. See Jastrow, s.v. LYSTYS. It is comparable to a king who had a vineyard which he had enclosed with a fence and in which he had put a biting dog. The king said: Whenever anyone comes to break through the fence, the dog will bite him. One day the king's son came and broke through the fence. The dog bit him. Whenever he wanted to bring to mind the transgression of his son who broke through to the vineyard, he would say to him: You remember how the dog bit you. Similarly, whenever the Holy One wants to bring to mind the sin of Israel, what they did in Rephidim, when they said (in Exod. 17:7) IS THE LORD PRESENT AMONG US OR NOT? He says to them (in Deut. 25:17): REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID TO YOU.