Ki Seitzei 25:18 · unit 2

TT #788 · Parashas Ki Seitzei · Seventh Aliyah · Passuk 25:18

The Complete Passuk

אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָֽרְךָ֜ בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּ֤ב בְּךָ֙ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים אַֽחֲרֶ֔יךָ וְאַתָּ֖ה עָיֵ֣ף וְיָגֵ֑עַ וְלֹ֥א יָרֵ֖א אֱלֹהִֽים׃

how he happened upon you on the way and cut down all the stragglers in your rear, when you were weary and exhausted, and he did not fear God.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sifrei / Shabbos.

TT lemma: כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ.

Sefaria

Core Text of Chazal

מְלַמֵּד שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה הוֹרֵג אֶלָּא בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁנִּמְכוּ מִדַּרְכֵי הַמָּקוֹם וְנֶחֱשְׁלוּ מִתַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַמָּקוֹם.

English: This teaches that he killed only those people who had fallen away from the ways of the Omnipresent and had become weak from under the wings of the Omnipresent.

On the daf / in context: Amalek targeted the stragglers — those already spiritually or physically weakened.

Type of Learning

Derash identifying the victims as the weakened stragglers.

What Is Learned

Amalek’s attack was directed at the vulnerable rear of the camp, those who had fallen behind.