Rabbinic tradition emphasizes the importance of every verse, word, and even letter of the Torah, the Word of God. It was, after all, delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Yet, can a seemingly unimportant verse, found in an apparently unimportant list of “begets,” be as important as those regulating worship or social ethics? Well, yes.

In this week’s Torah portion of וַיִּשְׁלַח/vayishlach, “and he sent,” after Jacob returns to the Promised Land and is restored with his brother Esau, the Torah in Genesis 36 lists the generations of Esau. In this listing of generations, there is a seemingly insignificant verse, which could be easily overlooked, save for the highlight of one descendant of Esau: Amalek.

The verse:

וְתִמְנַע הָיְתָה פִילֶגֶשׁ לֶֽאֱלִיפַז בֶּן־עֵשָׂו וַתֵּלֶדלֶאֱלִיפַז אֶת־עֲמָלֵק אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי עָדָה אֵשֶׁת עֵשָֽׂו

“Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife” (Gen. 36:12).

Timna, a concubine. This is a kept woman. She has no position, rights, control, or voice in the house where she dwells and births children, or any house for that matter. Yet, here she is, forever recorded in the Torah, the Word of God, speaking to us. But what is she saying?

The Talmudic rabbis wonder the same thing. If every verse, word and letter is precious, sacred, important, then there must be something very important about Timna. The name Timna/תִּמְנָע means restrained; from a root meaning to keep back or deny. As a concubine, she is restrained and kept back. She belongs to Eliphaz/אֱלִיפַז, meaning “god of gold.” His name speaks to his, Eliphaz’s, refinement. She was restrained, while he was refined.

But where did she come from. The rabbis speculate that Timna had been a woman of position in another tribal family, perhaps even a princess. Hearing that God was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, she desperately desires to join this covenant family. Yet, the rabbis say, she was turned away for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps, they speculate, there was concern about her sincerity. In despair, and with nowhere else to turn, she turns to the family of Esau and becomes a concubine to a son of Esau. Not a wife or a prostitute, and in no manner ideal, but she has found a small measure of security in this ancient world.

While this is speculation on the part of the rabbis, there was a son born: עֲמָלֵק/Amalek, meaning to dwell in a valley. Amalek was born in disgrace. He was a son in the house, but not of equal standing as the other sons. We know that ultimately this disgrace poisoned him, even developing into a spiritual infection. As the son of a concubine, he had to fend for himself, without the assured protection of tribe, land or inheritance. In time he would learn to take what he needed, and destroy perceived threats to his security. Yet, Amalek becomes a nation. This is why that seemingly insignificant verse is important.

One of the great commandments, Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord,” is easy to point to and say, “Yes, this is very important!” But what about when we neglect the importance of such a verse?

The nation of Amalek would follow the founder into the valley of bitterness, unforgiveness, savagery, and self-preservation. Adopting the shame of Amalek’s disgrace, and the restrained social weakness of his mother, they would war upon the weak of those who once rejected their matriarch Timna: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God” (Deut. 25:17-18; cf. 25:19, 26:13). They would fight against the people who once turned their matriarch away.

Timna is speaking to us in cautionary language. Perhaps her message, as a woman of no power or position, using only her name, is for us to carefully consider just how we treat people. We must read and apply the Word of God carefully, and not, by our actions, turn people away from it and ultimately away from Yeshua/Jesus. In a corrective manner, the Torah tells us not to turn away those who are outcast, but rather return their dignity to them by recognizing their humanity. Doing so in faith, acting upon the Word of God, “blots out” the memory of Amalek from under heaven. This, however, is a generational fight, as the Torah says, “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:16). Imagine the power of the hatred, fear, and injury that leads to the spiritual formation of power that attacks the very weakness and rejection in people that Amalek once experienced. People, in fact, much like his mother.

How is this spirit defeated and “blotted out” from under heaven today? As Yeshua taught, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt. 25:40). In a word, covenant kindness.

Timna is not responsible for the man Amalek became, or the nation he founded, but her life can give us pause, and in that pause, time to pray about how we live out “love the Lord your God,” “love your neighbor,” “love the stranger,” and even our enemy as ourselves.

We see the rabbis are correct, there is great value in every verse, word and letter, as Timna speaks, and teaches us so much.

Be well. Shalom.