Today we will share an Emunah- Bitachon thought related to the reading of Amalek that we're going to do this week, as we always do before Purim. The Midrash Tanhuma asks, what exactly did Amalek accomplish? Amalek attacked the Jewish people and Amalek got burnt, so what did they accomplish? The Midrash Tanhuma compares it to a bubbling hot bath that everyone is afraid to go into. Then one man jumps in, and cools it off for everybody else, even though he gets burnt. What exactly is that mashal telling us? The Baalei Mussar explain that there are different levels of Emuna. A person can believe in his head . If he’s very intellectual, and cerebral, he believes in God based on proofs and philosophy. Another person might believe in God through his heart , and his emotions bring him to recognize God. He's moved by a beautiful scene, and he's emotionally a believer. Then there's a level called Emunah Hushit/ Emunah in the senses , when a person can feel and touch God as a reality. That is the highest level. It's not something cerebral or emotional. And just like you wouldn't put your finger in fire because instinctively, you pull it out, that was the level of Emuna and clarity that the world had regarding the power of God and the superiority of the Jewish people. It was like a bubbling hot bath to them. It wasn't a question of intellect. It wasn't a question of emotion. They knew not to put their finger in, because they’d get burnt. That's what Amalek cooled off. That's why it says Asher Karacha Baderech, he cooled us off. What did he cool exactly? The Elder of Kelm explains beautifully that Amalek wanted to cool the Jewish people off from their own greatness. From, in his words, “ The greatness of their heart and the greatness of their souls. ” Everything that happened through Yetziat Mitzrayim lifted up the Jewish people to a higher level, and they, in turn, understood their connection to God. They understood they were the Am HaNivchar / The Chosen Nation . They had no question. It was obvious- just like a prince doesn't play in the sandbox with beggars because he just doesn’t belong there. That was the power of the Jewish people, and that’s what Amalek tried to take away- our sense of greatness. Haman tried to do this to Mordechai as well. He tried to break Mordechai. But about Mordechai it says, “ We Jewish people don't bend. We don't bow .” We're not broken. And we don't become humbled in front of all of the attackers. So not only did Haman not break Mordechai, but the opposite happened. Haman ended up parading him through the streets on the horse. This is what happens in our generation as well. There are always people that try to make Jews feel secondary and unimportant. According to the Gaon of Vilna and many others, Germans are descendants of Amalek, and their whole job was to make the Jews feel like they weren’t even human. Forget about that being the chosen people, they wanted us to feel subhuman. They tattooed numbers into our arms as if we had no identity. As if we weren’t a people. But we have to lift ourselves up and realize that we are the Am HaNivchar. W e're not going to be affected by the outside chatter of social media, by all the “ Hitler was right,” comments and all the antisemitism. It’s all there to break us. But the job of Purim is to lift us up. We have to realize how special we are. We are that bubbling bath. We are the untouchables. On Purim, Nahapochu - everything turns around , and we can be uplifted. Rav Wolbe used to say that Purim is the time where we see the true greatness of the Jewish people. Look how we act when we're drunk! No one is killing each other, everyone's just blessing each other. Everyone is happy and everyone's dancing. Mishloach Manot, Matanot L’Evyonim….it's a beautiful day. It's a beautiful time, and we're supposed to walk out of it on fire , realizing the unique qualities and the special traits of the Jewish people. Have a Shabbat Shalom.