Shmuel And Agag

לזכות שמואל אלכסנדר בן נעכא גיטל שיגדל לתארת עם ישראל

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the story of how Shmuel dispensed of Agag the king of Amalek [which inspired this little burst of lightening]. Agag was an EVIL man. Before Shmuel killed him he said כאשר שכלה נשים חרבך כן תשכל מנשים אמך - Just as your sword caused to many woman to lose a close relative, so your mother is going to lose you.

That is a strange thing to say, as if all he did was make women lose someone close to them. He was a murderer! He murdered innocent human beings!! Shmuel should have said - "Just as you killed others, so you will be killed". So there:).

Much has been said on this pasuk. Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi Shlita explained that there is a unique, sinister and profound evil, when a person not only kills but thinks to himself "How pleasurable it will be to know that this boy's mother will mourn for him for many years to come. And mamesh a gevald to think about his newly widowed wife crying at his funeral, and his orphaned daughters shedding oceans of tears - what a pleasure". That was Agag and because of that Shmuel said that just as your unspeakable evil was premeditated to cause other women pain, so will your mother experience your loss.

I add that when someone dies he only dies once. When someone loses a child or spouse they die a million deaths. Every time they think about their beloved, departed relative something inside them dies. Agag with one act of murder wanted to kill other sensitive [bi-gimatria women] people millions of times. That is worse than the actual killing.

In the last 70 years between Nazis and Arabs we have experienced much Agagism.

How can we counter this? When you do an act of kindness, think about the ripple effect. Maybe - how proud it will make your parents or how the person who was the benefactor of your kindness will pass it forward.

פלאי פלאות!!:-)