We have all experienced it and are probably guilty of it to some extent. “Chutzpah” is so ingrained in our social fabric that dictionary.com explains to the uninitiated it can be used to describe audacity, nerve, impudence and gall. I believe the original Hebrew term was so widely adopted, because “chutzpah” really refers to something much deeper and more sinister than simple brazenness.
As this is the Shabbat before Purim, during synagogue services we will read a short portion titled Parshat Zachor form the Torah after reading the weekly Torah portion. These three verses toward the end of Deuteronomy describe the mitzvah incumbent upon every Jew to remember and never forget what the nation of Amalek did to us shortly after the exodus from Egypt.
Literally weeks after the Israelites were liberated from Egyptian slavery, the Amalekites journeyed hundreds of miles from their homeland to wage war with them in the wilderness. The attack was unprovoked and completely unjustified as the Israelites were not poised to inherit their land and posed no threat to them at all. Besides, the Amalekites were well aware that they would lose, so why did they do it?
Our sages compare the Amalekite tactic to the scenario of a boiling hot tub that everyone was afraid to dip into until one nut-job jumped in. Even though he got severely burned, the water was no longer that intimidating to everyone else.
The Exodus from Egypt and the Splitting of the Sea were such monumental events that all the nations cowered in fear and the Israelite morale was at an all-time high. The miraculous display of divine power ensured that no one would dare oppose them as they advanced to Sinai to receive the Torah and then on to Israel to inherit their promised homeland. It also ensured that there would be no internal resistance to the spiritual journey they were experiencing.
The Amalekites sought to disrupt this global perception and to destroy the Israelite morale by launching their suicide attack, and they were wildly successful. This is the epitome of “Chutzpah:” disrupting something positive for no reason at all.
Today the Amalekite nation does not exist, nevertheless we are still obligated to remember them because there is an Amalek inside each one of us. For example, at times one may experience clear divine providence and feel inspired to express thanks to G-d by doing an extra mitzvah or giving extra charity until an internal voice says “Meh, chill out. It was just a coincidence.”
How to respond to such internal chutzpah? With positive chutzpah. Do an extra mitzvah - for no reason at all. Learn some more Torah even if your schedule is overwhelming - just because. Increase your tzedakak giving even if the bank has not been growing lately - simply out of chutzpah.
It’s the only language Amalek understands.
ב"ה