This week is known as Parasha Zachor or Shabbat Zachor, the Parasha of Remembering and is one of four special parashas preceding Purim. We are commanded to publicly "hear" a select maftir to remember the lesson of what Amalek did to us. I am struck by how we are a people for whom remembering, Zachor, is a significant ethical principle. Altogether the verbzakhar appears in its various declensions. no less than one hundred and sixty-nine times." (Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi Zachor: Jewish History and Jewish Memory.
One of our most important tenets, Zachor et yom ha Shabbat, remember the Sabbath day, reiterates the story of creation and the institution of the Sabbath perhaps the single most unifying bond of the Jewish people. We are also called upon repeatedly to "remember" the exodus from Egypt, "zacher l'tzeat M'tzraim, another pivotal event in the formulation of our historical consciousness. We are continually reminded as well to remember we were slaves in Egypt. Rosh HaShanah is known as Yom HaZikaron, the Day of Remembrance where we recall that Hashem is the creator of the universe. On this day as well, G-d is said to remember our deeds. We also have the Yizkor service several times a year when we remember our loved ones and pledge deeds of kindness in their memory. It is an interesting question as to why it is a commandment to remember the heinous example of Amalek which certainly serves as a negative lesson qualitatively different than the other positive reminders, many of which serve to remind us of the nature of Hashem. Amalek was a grandson of Esau, the son of a concubine. Our sages have suggested that Amalek absorbed Esau's hatred of the children of Jacob hearing his grandfather bemoan his fate and how Jacob had stolen his birthright. His name became associated with a nation known for its reliance on violence to prove its superiority. We are introduced to Amalek in Exodus, XVII, 9-17. The Israelites were camped in Rephidim and were unhappy, striving against Moshe because of their thirst. Once again they questioned why they were taken out of Egypt, forgetting about the miracles of the Reed Sea and the manna and were wavering in their faith. "Then came Amalek and attacked Israel in Rephidim." When he attacked the weak and vulnerable from the rear in Refidim without cause, the true nature of the Amalekites was revealed. Not a single nation had dared attack Israel except the Amalekites. Amalek did not fear G-d. It is in that time of doubting that our Sages say Amalek appeared. Joshua fights with the people of Amalek by sword while Moshe is holding his staff from the top of a mountain; his fight waged through repentance and prayer. Moshe finally prevails and Hashem tells Moshe he will blot out the remembrance of Amalek. Moshe predicts, "...the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
It is later in the book of Deutoronomy that we are commanded to hear the verses about Amalek:"
Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey when you were leaving Egypt: how, undeterred by fear of God, he came upon you on the march when you were tired and weary, and struck down all those who were stragglers behind. And it will be when God has given you respite from all your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord, your God, has given to you as an inheritance to possess it, you shall erase the name of Amalek from under Heaven, do not forget (Deuteronomy 25: 17-19).
Though we are admonished to wipe out the remembrance of Amalek, we are exhorted to never forget what he did. It is customary for the reader to read the verse two times as there is some question about the pronunciation of whether the word is Zacher or Zachor. This shows the importance of hearing every word correctly. One should be very careful to listen to all the words, since most halachic authorities consider it a mitzvah to hear this portion once each year. The Sages explain that the definition of "remembering" is to speak the matter aloud at least once a year. Since this is not considered a time-related mitzvah, women are obligated to hear the reading as well, though there has been much discussion about this point. If one accidentally missed Parshat Zachor, the obligation may be fulfilled by listening to the Torah reading on Purim itself, or to the weekly reading of Parshat Ki Tetzei(and according to many authorities, Parshat Beshalach as well). There is not a blessing on this commandment of remembering Amalek, since one does not make a blessing on destruction (even of the most evil of the peoples of the world).
In the text, interestingly the word used to describe Amalek's encounter is "asher kar'cha ba'derech" literally meaning that Amalek "happened" upon the Jews. Despite the phenomenal events which had struck Egypt, the ten plagues and the splitting of the Reed Sea, this encounter demonstrated that the Israelites were vulnerable and could still be attacked. However, they were attacked in a most cowardly way. In the Midrash Tanchuma it states,"When Israel came out of Egypt, and G-d split the sea before them and drowned the Egyptians within it, the fear of them fell upon all the nations. But when Amalek came and challenged them, although he received his due from them, he cooled the awe of the nations of the world for them. It was as if the Amalekites "cooled a hot bath", hence the word kar'cha, from the root word kar, cold. Though they scorched themselves in defeat, they encouraged others to think they could prevail against the Israelites.
The attack of Amalek has taken on many symbolic interpretations. For example, Rabbi Abraham Twerski in Living Each Week, sees the the army of Amalek as the antithesis of Israel, the enemy of the Jewish people. "Amalek personifies the forces of evil which threaten the spirituality of Jews in every generation, and there is a perpetual struggle between G-dliness and the evil connivances of Amalek. It is the strategy of Amalek to undermine the spirituality of Israel at moments of weakness, coming upon them when they are weary, confused and bewildered, when they doubt whether G-d is among them. Amalek isolates those that are weakest seducing them into cults and alien faiths." (p.140) His goal was to annihilate the Jewish people spiritually as well.
Parasha Zachor is always read the week before Purim. Haman the Agagite is a descendant of Agag, the king of the Amalekites, who was initially spared by King Saul who grievously erred in not taking his life when first told to do so by Hashem. This story is recounted in the special haftarah we will read on Shabbat Zachor, taken from I Samuel (15:2-34). Mordechai's lineage was traced to the line of King Saul's father, and just as Saul defeated Amalek and its king, Agag, so Mordechai foiled the plots of Haman "the Agagite" (Esther 2:5, 3:1,10).
Haman, as his ancestor Amalek, was the archenemy of the Jews who represented a spiritual force which he abhorred. Just as Amalek was eliminated, so was Haman. There is an interesting parallel in the megillah, where it states that the story of Mordecahi and Haman should be recalled, "these days should be remembered and celebrated by every single generation...and these days of Purim should never cease among the Jews, nor shall their remembrance perish from their descendants." Esther 9:28-29.
Sadly we still have our Amaleks today. In a fascinating Op-Ed piece, "Israel Fears Amalek's Arsenal" in the New York Times, May 16, 2009, writer Jeffrey Goldberg discusses how Netanyahu considers Iran to be a modern day Amalek. Goldberg explains, "Amalek in essence, is Hebrew for existential threat. Tradition holds that the Amalekites are the undying enemy of the Jews... If Iran's nuclear program is, metaphorically, Amalek's arsenal, then an Israeli prime minister is bound by Jewish history to seek its destruction, regardless of what his allies think."
Sometimes as much as one would like to forget Amalek, Haman, Hitler and our current day "Amaleks," such as Ahmadinijad, we cannot. As our history has shown us, we are obligated to remember the lesson of Amalek and to heed the prophetic words of Moshe, "the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." We have seen that in every generation we have to contend with the external threat of those who wish to annihilate us, as well as the continual internal challenges where we must strive to strengthen our spirituality.
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