Another name for the Amidah is Shemoneh Esrei (= 18), a reference to the 18 blessings of the Amidah. But in typically delightful and maddening Jewish fashion, there are actually 19 blessings. One was added after the other 18, and most sources suggest it is blessing number 12. This blessing condemns “slanderers,” and evil people more generally. And in no uncertain terms. It asks G-d to “cut them off, uproot them, break, and crush and subdue them.”
Who exactly these “slanderers” are is less than clear. Collaborators with the Romans? Heretics? Christians (unlikely)? Gnostics? The specific identity is disputed. The anger and contempt is not.
Which makes the origin of the blessing that much more interesting. The Talmud tells us that after the 18 blessings of the Amidah were formulated, Rabban Gamliel, asked if anyone of his sages could formulate a blessing relating to the “minim” (roughly: heretics, but meaning unclear). “Shmuel Hakatan rose and composed it” (Talmud Berachot 28b).
Why Shmuel Hakatan? Because he said, “At the fall of your enemy do not rejoice,” (Pikei Avot 4:24) Problem is, that’s a direct quote from Proverbs (24:17-18). So why does he get any credit for just quoting the Bible? Because, the rabbis said, he not only preached the principle but lived up to it in his own life.
And in this particular case, that really matters. Because what this prayer centers on is one of the greatest tensions we face in life. It is at the core of virtually every great piece of literature dealing with good and evil, from Lord of the Rings to Othello to Star Wars to Billy Budd to Dracula. How does one fight evil with the ferocity that is necessary; while at the same time maintaining o One’s humanity and avoiding the descent into a maelstrom of hatred.
Put another way: How do we fight evil without becoming evil? Now that’s something worth praying for.