The Enemy's Uniform

And the king of Arad, the Canaanite, the inhabitant of the south, heard that Israel came by way of the spies, he made war against Israel and took some of them prisoners. Then Israel vowed a vow to God, saying: if You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, I will doom their cities to destruction.          Numbers 21:1-2

Rashi quotes a Midrashic interpretation:

“The inhabitant of the south” was Amalek, as the verse [Numbers 13:29] says “Amalek was the inhabitant of the south.” But Amalek changed his speech, talking in the Canaanite tongue, so Israel would be misled … But Israel saw their uniforms were those of Amalek …

Given Amalek’s desire to mislead the Israelites, it seems rather strange that they would keep their uniforms but change their language. The uniform is noticeable from a distance, while the difference in speech would be noticed only at relatively close range.

My father explained that the Midrash wishes to issue a warning about the tactics of Israel’s enemies. Amalek, the first to attack Israel after the exodus, was committed to Israel’s destruction. However, on this occasion, Amalek found it convenient to change its language and not openly declare its true intention. Our Sages warn us to be aware that it is the same enemy, whose goals have not changed, despite the different choice of language.

The modern parallel is the claim that the Arab countries (and their supporters throughout the world) are not anti-Semitic, but “only” anti-Zionist.

Perhaps the second contemporary lesson is that must not ignore what we see with our own eyes (the uniforms of Amalek) and prefer to hear that which we want to hear from our enemies.

It remains to be seen if we have learned the lessons which this Midrash teaches.  

In these verses, the Torah describes the battle between the Canaanites and Israel, and in so doing, teaches us how to deal with our enemies. Israel prayed to God, but also went to war against the Canaanites. Torah Judaism teaches that we must do our utmost. We must not say that since we are a small people and the enemy is so strong, we have no chance against him, and therefore we cannot fight. We must do as much as we possibly can. On the other hand, we must not make the mistake of thinking that our strength alone is sufficient. We must fight the enemy, and at the same time pray to God for His help. Through our actions and prayer together, we succeed.