The Child on His Father's Shoulders and the Biting Dog of Amalek

To what was Israel comparable? To one who was riding upon his father's shoulders, and he would see a desirable thing and say to his father to buy it for him, and he bought it for him. So too a second time, and a third time. As they were walking along, he saw a certain man. He said to him, "Have you seen my father?" [His father said to him, "You are riding upon my shoulders, and everything that you ask I do for you, and you say to him, 'Have you seen my father?'"] What did he do? He threw him off his shoulders, and the dog came and bit him. So were Israel: when Israel went out from Egypt, immediately the clouds of glory surrounded them. They asked, and the Holy One brought down manna for them; they asked for quail, and He brought it to them, as it is said, "And He brought them what they craved" (Psalms 78:29). He was giving them all their needs. They began to reflect and say, "Is the LORD present among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7). The Holy One said to them, "By your lives, I am informing you: behold, the dog is coming and biting you." And who is this? This is Amalek, as it is said, "Then Amalek came" (Exodus 17:8).