Amalek Attacks Because Israel Let Go of the Torah

"Then Amalek came" (Exodus 17:8). Rabbi Yoshiyah and Rabbi Elazar Chisma say: This verse is inscribed and explained by Job, "Can the papyrus grow without a marsh? Can the reed-grass thrive without water?" (Job 8:11). Just as it is impossible for papyrus to be without a marsh and for reed-grass to be without water, so it is impossible for Israel to separate from the words of Torah. Because they separated from the words of Torah they fell into complaining; therefore the enemy came upon them, for the enemy comes only because of sin and transgression, as it says, "Then Amalek came." "Then Amalek came" with brazen face, as it says, "and he did not fear God" (Deuteronomy 25:18). Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta says: He came with counsel, for he went and gathered all those thousands and myriads in order to receive punishment. They said: How can we stand against them? Pharaoh who stood against them, the Holy One, blessed be He, drowned in the sea; how can we stand against them? He said to them: I will give you counsel as to what you should do. If they defeat us, flee; and if not, come and help us against them. Rabbi Natan ben Yosef says: Amalek strode past five nations and came and waged war with Israel, as it says, "Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev, and the Hittite and the Jebusite and the Amorite dwell in the hill country, and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along the Jordan" (Numbers 13:29); he was farthest of them all. Rabbi says: He came only from the mountains of Seir; Amalek strode four hundred parasangs and came and waged war with Israel. Others say: Let Amalek the ingrate come and exact punishment from a people of ingrates. "And he fought with Israel at Rephidim." Rabbi Yehoshua says: He entered beneath the clouds of glory and stole souls from Israel and killed them, as it says, "who happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear" (Deuteronomy 25:18). "At Rephidim." Rabbi Chananiah said: We asked Rabbi Eliezer about this matter when he sat in the great academy, what is Rephidim? He said to us: Its plain meaning. And further, Rabbi Chananiah said: We asked Rabbi Eliezer when he sat in the great academy, why did Israel redeem firstborn donkeys but not redeem firstborn camels or firstborn horses? He said to us: It is a decree of the King of kings of kings, blessed be He. Another explanation: Because they assisted Israel at the time of their going out from Egypt, for there was not one of them who did not have seventy donkeys before him laden with silver and gold and precious stones and pearls. The expounders of hidden meanings say: "Rephidim" means nothing but "they slackened their hands" [rifu yadayim], for they slackened their hands from the Torah; therefore the enemy came upon them, for the enemy comes only because of sin and transgression. And so it says, "And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he forsook the Torah of the LORD, and all Israel with him" (2 Chronicles 12:1). What does it say next? "And it came to pass in the fifth year, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD" (2 Chronicles 12:2).