Amalek Disguised as Canaanites and Israel's Ambiguous Prayer

"And the Canaanite heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim" (Numbers 21:1). "And the Canaanite heard" — once the Canaanites heard that Aaron had died, they said: Their scout has died; now is the hour for us to go and wage war against them. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: It says "that Israel came by the way of Atharim" — the meaning of "Atharim" is "the scouts" (ha-tarim). Once they heard that Aaron the great priest had died, they said: Their great scout has died, and the pillar of cloud that used to wage war for them has been removed; now is the hour for us to go and wage war against them. Another interpretation: "And the Canaanite heard." But did the Canaanite dwell in the Negev? Surely he dwelt in the hill country, as it is said: "Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev, and the Canaanite dwells in the hill country" (Numbers 13:29). Rather, who was this Canaanite? This was Amalek, who dwells in the Negev, as it is said: "Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev." The Amalekites said: At first, when we came to wage war with Israel, they defeated us by their voice, by that with which their father was blessed, as it is said: "The voice is the voice of Jacob" (Genesis 27:22) — they lifted up their voice and cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, so that the Amalekites would fall, and He heard their voice and delivered us into their hand. Now let us do a thing so that they will not recognize us. What did they do? They went to the land of Canaan and learned the language of Canaan, and their king too put on the garments of Canaan — this was the king of Arad — and he made himself out as if he were a king of Canaan. They said: When they wage war they will say that we are Canaanites, and they will cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, to deliver the Canaanites into their hand, while we are Amalekites, and we will slay them. When Israel heard — from the time that Israel came, these spies, by the way of Atharim, and "Atharim" means nothing other than "scouts." And whence do we know that the spies went by that road? For thus Moses said to them: "Go up here into the Negev" (Numbers 13:17). "And fought against Israel, and took some of them captive." They took from them only a single maidservant, and she was of their own, for thus it is said "captive" — she was of the captivity. When they saw them — for they were speaking the tongue of Canaan and their garments were like the Amalekites', except that the king of Arad changed himself so that he resembled the wild ass (arod) of the wilderness — Israel said: This nation, we do not recognize it. If we cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, to give the Amalekites into our hand, perhaps they are Canaanites; and if we cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, to give the Canaanites into our hand, perhaps they are Amalekites. Rather, what did Israel do? They cried out to the Holy One, blessed be He, in a general way; they said to the Holy One, blessed be He: "If You will indeed deliver this people" etc. (Numbers 21:2). And the Holy One, blessed be He, heard, and delivered them into their hand, as it is said: "And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel" (Numbers 21:3).