Schechter Logo for Print

Can we look positively on Amalek? Parashat Beshalach

וַיִּבֶן מֹשֶׁה מִזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ ה’ נִסִּי: וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי יָד עַל כֵּס יָ-הּ מִלְחָמָה לַה’ בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר דֹּר

“Then Moses built an altar, and he named it The Lord Is My Miracle. And he said, “For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, [that there shall be] a war for the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Dr. Ari Ackerman, Outgoing Dean and Senior Lecturer in Jewish Thought at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, takes us on the path of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook. Rabbi Kook was known for his optimistic, positive attitude towards life. How did he relate to a difficult passage about Amalek in Parashat Beshalach?

Watch the video below and share your thoughts in the comments:

Prof. Ari Ackerman is the President of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies.

President Ackerman is Associate Professor for Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Education. Prior to his elevation to president, Ackerman held the (David) Golinkin Professor of TALI Jewish Education.  He received his PhD in Jewish thought from Hebrew University and was a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton University. His most recent book is a Critical Edition of the Sermons of Zerahia Halevi Saladin (Beer Sheva University Press, 2013). Prof. Ackerman’s new book on creation and codification in the philosophy of Hasdai Crescas – Hasdai Crescas on Codification, Cosmology and Creation (Brill Press, 2022) is newly published. President Ackerman lives with his family in Jerusalem.

Join our mailing list

Sign up to our newsletter for the newest articles, events and updates.

    * We hate spam too! And will never share or sell your email or contact information with anyone