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Why does the Torah (תורה) command destroying Amalek after saying "from all your enemies" — wouldn't Amalek already be included? The shiur distinguishes oyeiv (enemy seeking gain) from soneh (hater willing to self-destruct). This yesod unlocks why Esther called Haman an "oyeiv" when he was clearly a soneh — she was pointing to Achashverosh, telling him Haman manipulated him into being the Jews' oyeiv.
The shiur opens with a difficult textual problem in Parshas Ki Seitzei (Devarim 25). The Torah (תורה) states, "When Hashem (ה׳) gives you rest from all your enemies (mikol oyvecha) surrounding you in the land... you shall eradicate the memory of Amalek." The difficulty: if "mikol oyvecha" means "from all your enemies," Amalek should already be included. Why does the Torah then command separately to destroy Amalek? If Amalek hasn't been overcome, how can the Torah say you have rest from "all" your enemies? Rabbi Zweig explains a fundamental distinction in Hebrew terminology. There are two words for enemy: oyeiv and soneh. An oyeiv is someone who fights you because they want something you have — land, resources, strategic advantage. The conflict has a rational objective. A soneh, by contrast, is a hater — someone willing to destroy you even at the cost of their own destruction, with no objective gain. The word soneh describes pure hatred without rational purpose.
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Devarim 25:19
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Why didn't Noach daven for his generation while Avrohom advocated for Sedom? Noach viewed each person as an independent island responsible only for their own teshuvah. Avrohom understood that all humanity is interconnected through shared perspective and values, making prayer for others both possible and necessary.
