One of the 613 mitzvahs of the Torah is to erase the memory of Amalek. We even have a Torah reading designated once a year, on the Shabbat before Purim, for us to fulfill this mitzvah as a community.

But since Sennacherib, king of Ancient Assyria, forcibly displaced all the tribes of the Middle East, it is impossible to identify an Amalekite. How does the mitzvah remain relevant today?

It is relevant because every mitzvah has both a physical and a spiritual manifestation. The physical side of this mitzvah does not currently apply, but the spiritual side is alive and well.

And since the mitzvah to fight Amalek is not a once-in-a-lifetime mitzvah, or even a once-in-a-year mitzvah, but a daily responsibility, it is a constant battle from which we cannot rest.

Amalek was the nation that met the Jewish people as they broke out of their bondage in Egypt through miracles and wonders, as they charged with all the fire and enthusiasm of a freshly-born nation towards Mount Sinai and the Promised Land.

The nations of Canaan trembled in dread and fear. But Amalek was not moved. They lost a battle against the Jews, but they were successful in bringing the temperature down for all involved.

That is the spiritual Amalek we tackle every day. The chill factor.

A Jew must be on fire. Every day. And every day, Amalek comes with a new strategy to cool you down.

Every morning, light your fire anew.

Likutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 208; vol. 2, p. 387.