Looks are skin deep – Parshas Chukas 5770
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Loading ...“וַיִּשְׁמַע הַכְּנַעֲנִי מֶלֶךְ עֲרָד יֹשֵׁב הַנֶּגֶב כִּי בָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֲתָרִים וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁבְּ מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁבִי” (במדבר פרק כא)
Rashi says a very puzzling thing on right after Aharon HaKohen passes on. The Torah tells us that it is heard that Aharon passed on and the anunim that had been guiding Bnei Yisroel leave their presence. The nation of Amalek ימ”ש believe that there is no protection from Hashem anymore ח”ו and they decide to attack. Amalek are the descendants of Esav and they have a land that they believe is rightfully theirs.
There seems to be a discrepancy as to the nature of the dress of Amalek. Rashi says that they dressed in Amalek clothing and spoke like Cannanim. The Midrash Yilamdu says that they also dressed like Cannanim. The Yilamdu is very clear to understand, it is Rashi that is puzzling. According to both the intention was an attempt to trick Bnei Yisroel so that their prayer are incorrect, they would pray to defeat Cannan when in fact they were fighting Amalek. Bnei Yisroel said a neutral prayer and avoided their tactic all together.
Not that it means anything, but I was unable to find any basis for Rashi explanation. Targum Yonasan may be the earliest who makes reference to Amalek instead of Cannan like all of the other Targum. A simple question is how did he know that the pasuk is dealing with Amalek since it says Cannan. There is a pasuk:
“עֲמָלֵק יוֹשֵׁב בְּאֶרֶץ הַנֶּגֶב וְהַחִתִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהָאֱמֹרִי יוֹשֵׁב בָּהָר וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי יֹשֵׁב עַל הַיָּם וְעַל יַד הַיַּרְדֵּן” (במדבר פרק יג)
There is an obvious contradiction between this pasuk and our pasuk. Our pasuk speaks of the Cannanim who dwell in the Negev, whereas this pasuk says that Amalek live in the Negev. From this we can begin to understand where the commentators understood how our pasuk is dealing with Amalek. Additionally we can understand how it may be possible for Rashi to say that they dressed as Amalek but spoke like Cannanim as there is an obvious contradiction that needs clarification.
As I already mentioned Rashi’s understanding bothers me, while I have pointed out this contradiction to go as far as Rashi is difficult. The main difficulty is once Amalek are going to change their language, why not go all the way and change their dress. I saw from the Belzer Rebbe a pshat that was far from what I was looking for. He says that we see from here that the dress is so important to a person that had Amalek changed their dress to that of Cannan they would be like Cannan to the degree that the tefillah would work! In complete opposition to what Rav Aharon Leib Shteiman said a nice point that whose to say that had Bnei Yisroel said the wrong nation their prayers would not have been answers, he implies that it was understood that it was this nation they were fighting.
I asked my great Rebbi, HaRav Nochum Lansky Shlita how to understand Rashi. He suggested on the spot that there is a connection between this and Yaakov and the birthright. I think what my Rebbi meant was that it is known that Amalek came from Esav. When Yaakov went to his father to receive the birthright he put hides on his arms to make them appear to be hairy like that of his brother Esav. Yitzchak proclaimed that hands are that of Esav but the voice is that of Yaakov, and he gave Yaakov the berachah.
Perhaps the pshat is that Amalek want to get the land that they thought should have been theirs. Esav was the antithesis of Yaakov therefore where Yaakov changed his physical appearance, Amalek change their voice. Directly following the tefillah of Bnei Yisroel the pasuk says ”וישמע ה’ בקול ישראל ..”as if to say that the voice of Yaakov was still heard.
