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Why did Amalek attack when Israel was "weakened in learning"? The shiur explains that "rafu yadayim" means treating Torah (תורה) as merely a means to an end rather than as intrinsic connection to God. This Amalek philosophy—that effort lacks inherent meaning—is defeated when we experience learning itself as fulfillment, which is why Shavuos and Purim (פורים) require eating: celebrating Torah as life itself, not mere preparation for it.
Rabbi Zweig opens with an apparent contradiction about what caused Amalek's attack. Parshas Beshalach states "sherafu yedeihem midivrei Torah (תורה)" (their hands weakened from Torah), suggesting a spiritual cause, while Parshas Ki Seitzei emphasizes physical exhaustion ("ayef v'yagei'a"). The resolution lies in understanding what "weakened hands" truly means. The shiur introduces a fundamental distinction between two types of human activity: means-to-an-end versus ends-in-themselves. Most work is instrumental—you work to get paid, not because the work itself is fulfilling. This creates exhaustion because the activity itself provides no satisfaction. When we say in davening "shehema ameilim v'einam mekablim sachar, va'anachnu ameilim u'mekablim sachar," we're not claiming others don't get paid. Rather, their work provides no intrinsic reward (the work itself is unfulfilling), while our amal in Torah provides sachar in the experience itself—the learning is inherently rewarding as a connection to God.
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Parshas Ki Sisa (with references to Beshalach and Ki Seitzei)
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