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Why does the Torah (תורה) command destroying Amalek after defeating "all your enemies" — isn't Amalek already included? The shiur develops the distinction between an oyev (enemy who wants what you have) and a sonei (one who hates your very existence). Amalek is uniquely a sonei, willing to self-destruct just to harm the Jewish people, which explains both the separate command and why Esther called Achashverosh — not Haman — an oyev.
The shiur opens with a textual difficulty in Parshas Ki Seitzei. The Torah (תורה) states: "When Hashem (ה׳) gives you rest from all your enemies around you... you shall erase the memory of Amalek." The phrasing is puzzling — if we have already overcome "all our enemies," why does Amalek need separate mention? Wouldn't "all enemies" logically include Amalek? Rabbi Zweig develops a fundamental distinction between two Hebrew terms for enemy: oyev and sonei. Drawing on a Midrash in Shir HaShirim that connects oyev phonetically to oheiv (lover), he explains that an oyev is someone who covets what you have — your resources, abilities, or power. The oyev wants to take over and absorb what is yours. This is why oyev and oheiv are closely related: both involve valuing what the other possesses. An oyev loves what you have and therefore wants to control it. This describes most historical enemies of the Jewish people — they wanted Jewish talent, wealth, or productivity.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Ki Seitzei 25:19, 24:19
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