When Amalek attacked Israel soon after leaving Egypt it followed Israel’s bitter complaint to Moses, and by extension to God, of a lack of water. God tells Moses to take his staff and hit the rock in Chorev and to bring forth water which Moses did successfully. This incident ends with Moses calling the place Massah and Merivah, which in Hebrew means “testing and contention,” and Israel saying: “Is God among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). The very next verse reads: “Amelek came and battled Israel in Refidim.” On the juxtaposition of these two incidences Rashi comments that God [as it were] said to Israel - I am always among you and ready to provide all your needs, and you ask if I among you or not? By your life a dog will come and bite you and you will cry out to Me and then you will know where I am!This Rashi is an anthropomorphic way of tying these two events together, and even more so, to show how Israel’s doubt in God’s presence brought upon them the energy of Amalek. The Ba’al Shem Tov revealed this connection through a numerical equivalent. The word Amalek in gematria equals the word suffek, which means “doubt.” Israel’s lack of faith and expression of doubt in God in a spiritual sense created their own archenemy.