The War Against Amalek by Both America and Mashiah

Shemot 17:16:

טז  וַיֹּאמֶר, כִּי-יָד עַל-כֵּס יָהּ, מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה, בַּעֲמָלֵק--מִדֹּר, דֹּר.

16 And he said: 'The hand upon the throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'

We know from the Rambam (Hil. Milachim 1:2) that wiping out Amalek is a prerequisite for the building of the Beit Hamikdash.  It is therefore an essential part of the Geula process.  We also know this from the famous statement of Haza"l quoted by Rashi on the above verse that Hashem's Name and Throne will not be complete until Amalek is destroyed.

We know that the Ketz of the Ramban (echoed by Rabbeinu Bahye) was in the year 5118.  Perhaps, one could say that the world was almost ready for the Final Redemption in that year but for the fact that the world still contained remnants of Amalek.  Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, saw to it to bring about their end.

How so?

14th Century Spain was the beginning of the end of Spanish Jewry.  5151 was the big turning point, but even 36 years prior to that in 5115, when Peter I (Pedro I) of Aragon - a friend of the Jews - was king, his half-brother Henry de Trastámara ימ"ש massacred 1200 Jews of Toledo.  5 years later, he killed all the Jews of Najera.  6 years after that, there were more massacres.  Farrand Martinez ימ"ש in 5151 and Torquemada ימ"ש in 5242-5252 took Amalek's hatred to new levels.  However, one could say that it was around the time of 5118 that Amalek and its hatred was beginning its resurgence.

Out of this hatred, Hashem brought the רפואה in Columbus' discovery of America.  It is widely thought that Columbus was searching for a refuge for the Jews from persecution.  The act of discovering America brought about a series of events that eventually led to the establishment of the United States of America in 5536.

The United States - due to its ocean-length distance from Europe - has emerged as a beacon of non-Jewish generosity in this world.  Yes, there is anti-Semitism on its shores, but barring a few dark periods, it has institutionally shunned and continues to shun the Amalek-like nature of its trans-Atlantic counterparts.  It has been dubbed by the greatest of rabbis a "Malchut Shel Hessed" - a kingdom of kindness, especially to the Jews.  And it is a great friend to the State of Israel.

Not only that, but it is America who fights the wars against Amalek in the world.  Whether it be the Amalekim of the Nazis ימ"ש or Al-Qaeda ימ"ש or anyone else, the USA stands to fight them.  I'm not saying the USA is all good - as far as assimilation goes, it's been pretty terrible - but as far as fighting against Amalek, it's been the best non-Jewish nation to do so in history.

When we take the above verse, we can split it up like the following:

וַיֹּאמֶר - And he said:

כִּי-יָד עַל-כֵּס יָהּ, מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה - gematria of this phrase is 418

בַּעֲמָלֵק - gematria of this word is 242

מִדֹּר, דֹּר - from generation to generation

In other words, from the year 5118, which was the Ramban's Ketz, the only thing stopping the Final Redemption was the eradication of Amalek.  In order to do so, Hashem needed to give Amalek a resurgence around that time.  (This is because this is how Hashem works just like He raised up Haman ימ"ש before his downfall.  See Rashi on Esther 3:1.)  This very growth brought about the non-Jewish arch-enemy of Amalek - America.  America was founded exactly 418 years after the Ramban's Ketz.  Hashem's Name and Throne were sorely missing during this time period.

When America was founded, Hashem created a non-Jewish nation to fight against Amalek.  Of course, it would have been better if the Jews would be the ones to fight against Amalek alone, but we weren't worthy yet.  So Hashem created a non-Jewish nation to do the world's dirty work.  This nation has so-far lasted 242 years, representing Hashem's war בעמלק (gematria 242) - against Amalek.  This brings us to this year that is closing upon us - 5778.

The words מדר דר can also be related to the current year - 5778 - as there is a connection to another verse with similar words that I connected to this year here.  ע"ש.

It could be that America's mission is now over.  May Hashem, from now on, only use Mashiah to finish the job of wiping out Amalek, as only Mashiah can do so, and may this happen speedily in our days, Amen.