THE ALLIANCE OF HANDS

Israel experienced thirst, and it was quenched; hunger, and it was satisfied. Now, with Amalek, it senses the threat of the enemy. God intervenes once again through his servant Moses. There is a symbolic element that returns in Exodus 17:8-13: that of raised hands. The hands raised toward heaven (God) favourably influence the outcome of the war against the Amalekites. In contemporary culture, hands thus express the power of mediation. To say “raised hand” means “mighty hand.” God himself, in Scripture, manifests his strength with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm (cf. Deut 7:19); his hand always punishes, forgives, and gathers the scattered flock (cf. Ezek 20:33-44). On the path of salvation, the hand of God is often joined with the hand of man; think, for example, when Moses, in the story of the plagues of Egypt, grasps God’s staff in his hand and works wonders; when, again, he throws soot into the air with his hand, causing ulcers among the Egyptians. In Moses, it is the very hand of God that works signs and wonders. Therefore, when Moses is on the mountain and holds his hands raised toward God, and remains there motionless, it means that in the hour of trial he does not fail in his role as mediator. His gesture is not magic, but it expresses his faith in God, the only one who can decide the outcome of the battle. Victory over the enemy is therefore possible in the alliance of hands, those of God and those of man, closely joined. But victory is also possible in a fraternal alliance. Indeed, on the mountain, Moses is not alone; with him are Aaron and Hur, the priest and the judge. In this “Trinitarian” icon, we grasp the importance of fraternal solidarity. But not only that. The proper functioning of the Lord’s community is possible only where the various institutions support and complement each other. Moses represents prophecy; Aaron, on the other hand, is the high priest, and expresses mercy. If prophecy intuits God’s will, the priesthood always mediates mercy. But these are not enough; Hur, the icon of justice, is also needed, which every true judge must know how to exercise in the name of YHWH. Prophecy, priesthood, and the exercise of justice must therefore go hand in hand. Woe betide if prophecy does not work with the priesthood, for it would become violent; woe betide if mercy acts without prophecy and justice, for it would foster idolatry and abuse. What should we do when Amalek arrives, when we are struck by the enemy who attacks from behind? Amalek, in Jewish tradition, is not only the eternal enemy, but also the symbol of evil, of the negativity that cannot be controlled and that arrives unexpectedly (cf. Exodus 17:8). Evil, the episode teaches us, always attacks on two fronts: within history (where Joshua fights) and on the mountain (where Moses intercedes), where we encounter hands that not only fight head-on but also reach out to heaven, as we have said. At the end, there is an invitation: write down what happened in a book to remember it later (cf. Exodus 17:14). It is important to know that remembering the victory over Amalek is one of the 613 mitzvot (commandments). What does it mean? That we must not forget evil, that other Amalek will appear in history. This is why we must record everything in a book for everlasting memory. What does it mean? That we must not forget evil, that other Amalek will appear in history. This is why we must record everything in a book for everlasting memory.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey