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Why did Moshe appoint Yehoshua, his talmid in Torah (תורה), to lead the battle against Amalek? The shiur develops the idea that Milchemes Amalek is uniquely the king's war, not the nation's war, which explains why Moshe (as political leader) took command and elevated Yehoshua to equal partnership. The distinction between the king's role in Milchemes Amalek versus other wars helps resolve why Moshe later sought his children as leaders even after training Yehoshua in warfare.
The shiur analyzes the Gemara (גמרא)'s question on Parshas Beshalach regarding Moshe's appointment of Yehoshua to fight Amalek. The Gemara on daf mem ches (48) asks why Moshe chose Yehoshua specifically for this military role, when Yehoshua was known as Moshe's primary student in Torah (תורה) learning, not as a military leader. The Gemara offers two answers: First, Moshe was training Yehoshua for future military leadership when bringing the Jewish people into Eretz Yisrael. Second, since Yehoshua descended from Yosef through the tribe of Ephraim, and Yosef was responsible for bringing the Jewish people down to Egypt, it was fitting that his descendant should protect them as they departed from Egypt.
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Beshalach 17:9
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