WRITTEN BY SHMUEL T. ADLER
My dear cousin R’ Eli Markowitz told me the following phenomenally gorgeous thought about our dear son, Yehoshua. (This amazing thought gave me tremendous chizuk; until today!) I am taking the liberty to embellish his main idea with a little of my own thoughts.
We have a mitzva to ‘erase the memory of Amalek’. What does Amalek represent that we have this mitzva that it is so important to erase their memory? This mitzva is so important that everyone, men and woman, are obligated in this Mitzva. Why?
Chaza”l, in one explanation say that Amalek represents and believes that ‘Hakol B’mikreh’ – everything that happens in the world is by chance. Amalek believes that G-d does not run the world; science, nature, and other things govern the world. Amalek represents atheism; no G-d.
Amalek’s belief goes against everything that the Jewish people stand for. Our whole life is about learning Torah and doing Mitzvos in order to bring us closer to G-d. Everything about our lives revolves around the fact that G-d runs the world and we strive every day to get closer to Him. This is why it is so important for us to erase the memory of Amalek. Because Amalek and anyone, even in our generation, who shares those beliefs, represent the opposite of everything which Judaism and Torah are all about.
Now if one looks at the pesukim at the end of Parshas Bo which talk about the Jews fighting Amalek, they describe how Moshe Rabeinu says to Yehoshua, “Go Fight Amalek”. And Yehoshua proceeded to follow Moshe’s instructions. So who led the fight against Amalek in the times Torah? – Yehoshua. Yehoshua fought Amalek and defeated them.
My cousin went on to say that in our times it is our little Yehoshualeh who is fighting Amalek! There are so many negative things which the doctors emphatically predicted about Yehoshua … which turned out to be wrong. If life was governed by nature – we don’t know if or where Yehoshua would be now. The Dr’s gave Yehoshua a few days to live and told us he would be very, very sick. They told us he would never learn to smile or play with toys. Yehoshua’s 2nd year birthday was just a few days after Purim. He is over 2 years old, smiling away – more than the doctors themselves!, and constantly playing with toys. Though Yehoshua still has a journey ahead of him, he is much, much healthier than any doctors predicted.
If I may add, ironically and amazingly, one of the first comments almost everyone makes when seeing Yehoshua – visitors, nurses, therapists and doctors – everyone! – is how cute he is, and what a beautiful SMILE Yehoshua has!
Now, it’s one thing when nurses and volunteers who know Yehoshua and have seen him a lot tell us how cute he is. But s many times even when we are in a new hospital with new staff we keep on hearing from the medical staff how cute he is and how beautiful his smile is! Several weeks ago when Yehoshua was in the emergency room, a nurse was giving over report of Yehoshua (telling over Yehoshua’s medical situation to the nurse who was replacing her shift). The nurse said, “so Joshua has fever, he is acting sick etc. and he is such a cute baby”! Yehoshua being a cute baby has nothing to do with his medical situation, yet the nurse from the ER, first time meeting Yehoshua (who wasn’t even his primary nurse in the ER, she only came into his room 2 or 3 times) added that in to the ‘medical report’ which she was relating over to the replacement nurse! Another time the doctor was debating whether Yehoshua was acting sick because he had to make a decision whether to give him antibiotics etc. I told the doctor that I had seen Yehoshua smiling a few times and that it seemed to me that he was feeling ok. The doctor turned to me and exclaimed “I don’t trust Joshua’s smiles!, even when he has a high fever I still see him smiling”!!!
And this is the child who doctors gave only a few days and told us that he would always be very, very, sick and would never learn to smile! So much for Amalek! We actually have a beautiful picture of Yehoshua, when he was about two years old (Dr’s said he would have only a few days to live), his face lit up with a smile (Dr’s said he would never learn to smile), and he was playing with toys (Dr’s said he would never learn to play with toys)!!! (Picture is enclosed)
Yehoshua has proven and continues to prove that in no way is life just happen-stance; governed by science and nature. So many times Yehoshua has defied doctors’ negative prognosis, science, and nature, proving them all wrong. Yehoshua shows us that G-d is clearly running the show! Our little Yehoshualeh, born so prematurely, in the 24th week, weighing and measuring just a bit more than 1 pound, 1 foot; has and still is continuing to completely, totally, and utterly destroy Amalek.It is so apropos that Yehoshua was born – in the month of Adar! just a few days after Purim! Just like Yehoshua in the Torah, our Yehoshualeh is and has defeated Amalek to the utmost degree!
L’zchus Refua Sheleima Yehoshua Ben Nechama Aliza; L’iluy Nishmas Chaim Pinchos ben Yaakov Yitzchok