The War Against Amalek

In what way was Amalek so much worse than any of Israel's other enemies? What was the significance of Moshe keeping his hands raised throughout the war? Through an examination of the text we can understand that Amalek's war was, instead, the calculated plan of a nation coming to disrupt and thwart God's plan concerning the nation of Israel. We can also learn about two different models of leadership- the model of Moshe as a representative of God and that of Yehoshua, as the natural future leader of the next generation.

Moshe and his staff change from being tools to accomplish God's great and overt miracles, and instead become means of expressing the hidden Divine providence that acts within the natural reality. Thus it is specifically this natural war that turns into an exceptional educational opportunity to mold the religious consciousness of this generation, already used to miracles. God's hand works not only in great miracles that are visible to all, but also guides the world in its everyday activities and provides for each individual and nation in accordance with its needs and its actions.