Lust

Lust!

The driving force behind the Egyptian Empire was a lust for physical pleasure. The Tanach on a number of occasions links the Egyptians with donkeys. The Hebrew word for donkey is חמור (Chamor) which is closely related to the word חומר (Chomer) which means raw physicality. This is the symbol of the spirit of Egypt.

When the Jewish Nation left Egypt they took with them all of the riches of the Egyptian Empire. While this is to be understood on the pshat level as referring to the gold and silver, it also means that they took the spiritual power of Egypt as well. This is why the Medrash teaches us that every Jews left Egypt with countless donkeys loaded with riches. The donkeys symbolize the spiritual power of Egypt.

But when the Jewish Nation took the power of lust they did not leave it in its raw physical form. Instead they directed it towards lust for things that are holy. The trait of lust is one that can take on a positive or a negative form. For the Egyptians it was negative, but for the Jewish Nation it was directed in a positive way.

By contrast, when it comes to the nation of Amalek there is nothing good to take from them; they are doomed to utter destruction. That is because their trait is one of anger and destruction. These are traits which have no counterpart on the side of good and must ultimately be gotten rid of entirely.