The Jewish people are not particularly good at holding grudges, so our preoccupation with Amalek, now more than 33 centuries old, is startling. The Torah admonishes us to "Remember what Amalek perpetrated against you on the way when you left Egypt ... you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens, do not forget." (Dvarim 25:17-19). Indeed, HaShem promises Moshe that "I will totally obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens" (Shmot 17:14). Of all the enemies of Israel, why is Amalek singled out for eternal enmity?

This historic hatred is almost as surprising as the original battle. Why did Amalek attack an unsuspecting, unprepared people? The Torah in its account of the battle is silent on Amalek's motivation, simply stating "And Amalek came and fought with Israel...." (Shmot 17:8, the beginning of the Torah portion we will read on Purim morning). So how was Amalek transformed into evil incarnate?

Some other details of the war stand out. Immediately after the start of hostilities, "And Moshe said to Yehoshua, choose men for us and go out to battle Amalek. Tomorrow, I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of HaShem in my hand. And Yehoshua did as Moshe told him, to battle Amalek, and Moshe, Aharon and Chur ascended to the top of the hill." (Shmot 17:9-10) But who is Yehoshua? The Torah assumes we know who he is, but this in fact is the Torah's first mention of Yehoshua! No biographical data of Yehoshua is provided here. Later, we are told that Yehoshua is Moshe's "attendant" (Shmot 24:13), and even later "And his youthful attendant Yehoshua the son of Nun did not leave the tent" (Shmot 33:11). Why doesn't the Torah introduce Yehoshua here, at the first reference to him? For that matter, why is Chur similarly not introduced at his first mention here?

Finally, why did Moshe, Aharon and Chur ascend the mountain? And why did Moshe build an alter (Shmot 17:15) after the battle?

My teacher and friend, Rabbi Joseph Schapiro, zt"l, once explained as follows:
Amalek is an unusual enemy, one which challenges the very essence of our national existence. The Divine mission of the Jewish people encompasses two components. Avraham is told that he will be the progenitor of a great nation which will be the repository of a unique moral code, and given the responsibility to keep that moral code alive and accessible to mankind. We are designated the "first born" of HaShem, and this designation is transmitted to Yitzchok and Yaakov - but disputed by Esav, who claims the birthright for himself.

Avraham is also promised the land of Israel for himself and his descendants, and he builds an altar upon his arrival in the land. When the covenant of the land of Israel is reiterated to Yitzchok and Yaakov, they, too, build altars. Yet, historically, our rights to Eretz Yisrael were consistently challenged by Canaan and the other indigenous tribes.

In effect, the first-born status of Israel has two elements, rights to the Torah and to the land of Israel - and Amalek contests and wages war against both.
After all, who is Amalek? Amalek is a mixed-breed - he is the grandson of Esav on his father's side (Breishit 36:12) and a descendent of Canaan through his mother Timna (see Sefer HaYashar). Amalek is therefore a dangerous, volatile and frightening hybrid of Esav and Canaan who seethes with resentment and lives with a dual grievance against the Jewish people. As the seed of Esav, he denies our status as the Am HaShem and our religious legitimacy; as the offspring of Canaan, Amalek rejects our rights to the land of Israel, stridently proclaiming "listim atem - you are robbers of our land"(cf. Rashi, Breishit 1:1)
Amalek always launches a two-pronged assault - on our religion and nationhood, on our legitimacy as G-d's people and our title to the land of Israel. Amalek's hatred is fierce, ideological and eternal; it cannot be assuaged or negotiated away. He is more than just a political or military foe.

Amalek's dual attack demands a dual response. The challenge to our claim to Eretz Yisrael can only be met by Yehoshua - not Yehoshua who is Moshe's attendant, but Yehoshua who will ultimately be the conqueror of the land of Israel. And Amalek waves the banner of Esav and his claim to the birthright; this assertion is defused by the prayers of the three people whose lives reflect the three expressions of the birthright; Moshe, the symbol of Torah and prophecy; Aharon, the representative of the priesthood; and Chur, the scion of Yehuda, the symbol of Jewish royalty.

Yehoshua and Chur require no formal introduction, because they appear here not as personalities in their own right - but as symbols of their respective missions; the conquest of Eretz Yisrael and the establishment of the monarchy of Israel.

The battle with Amalek is joined when Moshe ascends the mountains and raises his hands heavenward. And it is not merely a battle of men, swords and spears - but a battle of ideas which have shaped history, moved civilization forward and transformed mankind. In the battle, we succeed only when the people of Israel "turn our thoughts Above" (Rosh HaShana 29a), when we remember our cause and mission, and embrace our righteous destiny. Amalek aims to undermine the Kedushat Ha'Am and the Kedushat HaAretz (the sanctity of the people and the land) - and in every generation we must respond to their aggression vigorously and forcefully.

When that battle ended with the weakening (but not defeat) of Amalek, Moshe imitated the Avot and built an altar, confirming the destiny of the people of Israel in the land of Israel by elevating the earth itself to serve of HaShem. Even before we received the Torah, Amalek's surprising and dastardly attack was a brutal reminder of our mission and its opponents, and the source of our enemies' relentless and unending hostility to the Am HaShem.

"Zachor b'peh, al tishkach b'lev - Remember verbally, do not forget internally". We must remember Amalek in every generation, because Amalek still lives! Our standing as the Am HaShem is still under assault, and our claim to Eretz Yisrael is still under siege. We must therefore ever verbalize our remembrance of Amalek's evil, and never let our passion moderate or fade with time. We must never reconcile ourselves to the existence of the evil of Amalek, for accommodating that evil jeopardizes our existence and diminishes our national purpose.

To overcome the threats of Amalek requires strength of character, Torah knowledge and Jewish commitment - a willing soul and an able spirit.
In the end, our struggle with Amalek is the struggle for our national identity. In that struggle, we embrace our destiny and revel in our status as the nation whom Divine Providence protects and preserves in the face of intractable evil. To remember Amalek - who they are and who we are - is to hasten the day when HaShem's internal war with Amalek will reach its just and inevitable conclusion, when again "His name and His throne will be complete", and His kingship will reign supreme over all mankind, speedily and in our days.