Amalek the orlah blocking gerim from drawing near

במדרש לץ תכה זה עמלק ופתי יערים זה יתרו.

In the Midrash: "Strike the scoffer" — this is Amalek; "and the simple one will become wise" — this is Yisro.

The Midrash reads the verse as two responses to the same event: when the scoffer Amalek is struck, the "simple" Yisro takes the lesson to heart and grows wise, drawing near.

לכך נסמך פרשת יתרו למלחמת עמלק כי אחר ויחלוש יהושע את עמלק נתקרב יתרו.

This is why Parshas Yisro is placed next to the war of Amalek, for after "Yehoshua weakened Amalek," Yisro drew near.

The Torah juxtaposes Yisro's arrival with Amalek's defeat to show cause and effect: the weakening of Amalek is precisely what made room for Yisro to come close.

כי בנ"י נבראו לתקן כל העולם ולקרב הכל תחת כנפי השכינה כמ"ש במד' ה' כו' ומעוזי ומנוסי ביום צרה אליך גוים יבאו.

For Bnei Yisrael were created to rectify the whole world and to bring everything close under the wings of the Shechinah, as it says in the Midrash: "Hashem etc., my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble — to You nations will come."

The mission (shlichus) of Bnei Yisrael is to repair all of creation and draw the nations near to Hashem; ultimately even the gentiles will come to recognize Him.

כי כל הגליות וצרות שבנ"י נכנסין לשם.

For all the exiles and troubles that Bnei Yisrael enter into —

The very galus and suffering that Bnei Yisrael undergo are part of this mission.

כדי לקרב הניצוצי קדושה שנתפזרו בין העמים.

are in order to bring close the holy sparks (nitzotzei kedushah) that were scattered among the nations.

Bnei Yisrael descend into exile among the nations precisely to gather and elevate the holy sparks dispersed there — redeeming the kedushah hidden within the world.

וכמו שבנ"י נבראו להעיד על הבורא ולברר האמת כמ"ש תתן אמת ליעקב.

And just as Bnei Yisrael were created to testify about the Creator and to clarify the truth, as it is written: "You shall give truth to Yaakov,"

Bnei Yisrael's role is to bear witness to Hashem and to reveal the truth in the world — "truth" being the special trait of Yaakov.

כן עשו הא שוא שבראתי בעולמי.

so too Esav — "ah, the falsehood (shav) that I created in My world."

As a counterforce, Esav (and his offshoot Amalek) embodies the falsehood Hashem placed in the world, standing opposite the truth of Yaakov.

והוא עומד ומעכב שלא לברר האמת בעולם.

And he stands and obstructs the clarification of the truth in the world.

Amalek's function is to block and delay the revelation of truth — to prevent the world from recognizing Hashem.

ועמלק הוא מול אות ברית קודש כמ"ש בזוה"ק סוף בשלח.

And Amalek stands opposite the sign of the holy bris, as stated in the Zohar at the end of Beshalach.

Amalek is positioned directly against the os bris kodesh — the holy sign of milah — as the Zohar teaches.

ולכן זרק מילות למעלה.

Therefore he threw the severed foreskins upward.

Amalek mocked the bris by hurling the cut-off orlos heavenward, an act of contempt directed at the sign of milah itself.

ונראה שהוא הערלה דחפיא על ברית ולכן כ' ראשית גוים עמלק כמ"ש במ"א כי כל אחיזת האומות בערלה והשורש שלהם במה דערלה חפיא על ברית כמ"ש כל הגוים ערלים.

And it appears that he is the orlah that covers over the bris, and therefore it is written "the first of the nations is Amalek," as explained elsewhere — for the whole grip of the nations is in the orlah, and their root is in the fact that the orlah covers over the bris, as it is written: "all the nations are uncircumcised (areilim)."

Amalek is the "foreskin" that conceals the holy bris; he is called "first of the nations" because the nations' entire foothold and root lies in this orlah that covers and hides the inner kedushah of the bris.

ולכן תן חלק לשבעה שמצות מילה בשמיני.

Therefore: "give a portion to seven" — for the mitzvah of milah is on the eighth.

The seven days before milah correspond to the natural world; milah on the eighth day points beyond nature, to the dimension above it.

ולא נולד האדם מהול כדי להיות אחיזה גם לאומות.

And a person is not born already circumcised, so that there should be a foothold also for the nations.

By design, man is born with the orlah and not already circumcised — leaving a "grip" for the nations in this world, a covering that must be actively removed.

אבל לעתיד יתעבר כל הערלה לכן אחריתו עדי אובד כמו שהערלה נכרתת.

But in the future all the orlah will be removed, and therefore "his end is to be destroyed" — just as the orlah is cut away.

In the future the entire orlah will be eliminated; Amalek, who is the orlah, will likewise be utterly destroyed, cut off just as the foreskin is severed in milah.

וזה החותם של בנ"י שהם בני עוה"ב.

And this is the seal of Bnei Yisrael, that they are children of the World to Come.

The bris milah is the seal marking Bnei Yisrael as belonging to Olam Haba.

שלא יהי' זכר לערלה בעוה"ב.

For there will be no remnant of the orlah in the World to Come.

In the World to Come, no trace of the orlah — and therefore no trace of Amalek — will remain.

כי כל הערלה נעשה ע"י חטא הראשון.

For all the orlah came about through the first sin.

The "covering" of the orlah is itself a consequence of the sin of Adam; it is not part of man's original, untainted state.

וז"ש אמחה כו' זכר עמלק מתחת השמים.

And this is the meaning of "I will blot out etc. the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens."

Hashem's vow to erase Amalek "from under the heavens" is precise in its wording, as the next lines explain.

ומה חלק יש לעמלק בשמים.

And what portion does Amalek have in the heavens?

The Sefas Emes asks: why specify "from under the heavens" — does Amalek have any share in heaven itself?

אבל תחת השמים רומז למילה.

But "under the heavens" alludes to milah.

The phrase "under the heavens" hints to the realm of milah — the bris that is "beneath" the heavenly gate.

ולפי שערלה חפי' על ברית קודש בזה יש לו חלק תחת השמים.

And because the orlah covers over the holy bris, in this Amalek has a portion "under the heavens."

Amalek's only foothold — his "portion under the heavens" — derives precisely from the orlah covering the holy bris in this world.

ולעתיד ימחה זה החלק.

And in the future this portion will be blotted out.

When the orlah is finally removed in the future, Amalek's sole portion will be erased entirely.

והנה אברהם אבינו ע"ה פתח זה הפתח להכניס הגרים תחת כנפי השכינה.

And behold, Avraham Avinu opened this opening to bring converts (gerim) in under the wings of the Shechinah.

Avraham, through his own milah and his work of drawing people close, opened the doorway by which gerim can enter beneath the wings of the Shechinah.

ועמלק עומד לסתום זה הפתח.

And Amalek stands to seal up this opening.

Amalek's role is the opposite of Avraham's — to block and close off the very gateway through which the nations can draw near to Hashem.

ולכן בכל מקום שיש מחיות עמלק יש התקרבות הגרים.

Therefore, in every place where there is a blotting-out of Amalek, there is a drawing-near of converts.

Wherever Amalek is erased, the blocked gateway reopens, and gerim are drawn close — the two are directly linked.

וכן במפלת המן כ' אחר כך ורבים מע"ה מתיהדים:

And so too with the downfall of Haman, it is written afterward: "and many of the peoples of the land became Jews."

The Purim story confirms the pattern: once Haman (of Amalek) fell, the gateway opened and many gentiles converted and joined Bnei Yisrael.

Summary: Amalek is the orlah that covers and blocks the holy bris — the force of falsehood that obstructs the revelation of truth and seals the gateway through which the nations can draw near to Hashem. Avraham opened that gateway for gerim; Amalek stands to close it. Therefore wherever Amalek is blotted out, gerim are drawn near, as seen when Yisro came after Amalek's defeat and when many converted after Haman's downfall. In the future the orlah — and Amalek with it — will be removed entirely.