Parashat Tetzaveh ~ Shabbat Zachor
Adar 13, 5773 ~ February 23,
2013
by Barry Waldman
GUESS WHAT? YOU ALREADY WON
THE GRAND SUPER LOTTO
And
dedicated to the memory of Yocheved Leba bat Naomi v’Yehudah
'I don't
understand you,' said Alice. 'It's dreadfully confusing!'
'That's the
effect of living backwards,’ the Queen said kindly: 'it always makes one a
little giddy at first.’
'Living
backwards!' Alice repeated in great
astonishment. 'I never heard of such a thing!'
'— but there's
one great advantage in it, that one's memory works both ways.’
'I'm sure mine
only works one way,’ Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they
happen.’
'It's a poor sort
of memory that only works backwards,’ the Queen remarked.
(Through the
Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll)
Parsha Tetzaveh is the
only parsha from the beginning of sefer Shemot until the end of sefer Devarim
that does not mention Moshe Rabbeinu – it is exclusively the parsha of
Aharon. And if not for being Shabbat,
today would also be Ta’anit Esther – unlike most fast days which are named for
their day and month, this is a day specifically for Esther. Today is also
parsha Zachor, in which we recall Amalek:
You shall
remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt. How he happened upon you (karcha) on the way and cut off all the
stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear
G-d. [Therefore,] it will be, when
Hashem your G-d grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the
land which Hashem, your G-d, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that
you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You
shall not forget! (Devarim 25:17-19)
These pesukim present a
contradiction – how does “remembering” Amalek help us “blot out the
remembrance” of Amalek?? Why not just forget about him in the first place? Through the confluences of this day, the
Torah hints that the answer must lie in the personalities and achievements of
Aharon and Esther.
Let’s begin with a
definition. Zachor – typically
translated as “remember” – does not mean what it currently does in English,
i.e., to retrieve information out of storage. Instead, its meaning is closer to
the original Latin root memor i.e. “mindful.” In Hebrew, it refers to a condition in which
past, present, and future are held together in a continual, fluid, heightened
state of mindfulness. It is an
integrative function (re-member implies “connect again”) that provides us with
selfhood and identity. Thus,
Without
Zichronos, we would have no real Life…There would be nothing to attach our
present to our eternity, nothing to connect the minutiae of our journey through
time to wholeness, no way to connect our beginning to our end. Our lives would only skim the surface of
time, and the ripples would soon be forgotten.
(Rav Matis Weinberg: Patterns in
Time – Rosh Hashanah)
In short, zicharon
provides context – an overarching totality in which the individual details and
moments of our lives have meaning. This
is precisely what Amalek seeks to destroy.
Amalek are the world’s nihilists – those who doubt the existence of
meaning itself.
We gain a clue to Amalek’s
chief weapon through the manner in which he attacked Israel – through “karcha” (happenstance). Amalek uses the idea of randomness to
deconstruct what Yisrael comes to assert through zicharon. It’s not that Amalek denies that patterns can
be found in a random universe; his only claim is that their interpretations are
purely individual, disconnected from any objective, underlying reality. Thus, Amalek becomes the revisionists of
history (“Why should your version of the facts be more accurate than anyone
else’s?”), and the moral relativists (“Why should your interpretation of truth
have more value than anyone else’s?”)
It’s not that Yisrael
renounces the presence of randomness in the world. The difference is that where Amalek uses
randomness to destroy meaning,
Yisrael sees it as the source of
meaning. Perhaps nowhere can this be
seen better than in the story of Esther.
But first, an example from
quantum physics to provide some background:
within any given lump of uranium, there is no way to determine which
particular atoms will undergo radioactive decay and when – it’s a completely
chaotic process. However, with near
certainty, we can tell precisely when half of the atoms in that lump of uranium
will have undergone decay. Despite the
mind-boggling number of possible random permutations in which individual atoms
can decay, there is yet a single, profound order that underlies the chaos.
Similarly, when Mordecai
tells Esther that if she fails to act, “revach
v’hatzalah ya’amod layehudim mimakom acher” (relief and salvation for the
Jews will come from somewhere else), he is essentially saying this: “Yisrael represents a fundamental order within
the universe, and its survival is a given. There are an infinite number of ways
in which events can randomly transpire to neutralize Ahashveros and Haman. So
actually, Esther – we don’t need you to save the Jews.”
But if that’s the case,
why should Esther risk her neck? What’s
to prevent her from heading back to her room for a nap, and simply wait for
Ahashveros to fall off the roof and land on top of Haman, or the like?
The answer is
zicharon. What Mordecai tells Esther is
that, yes – there are an infinite
number of ways in which the Jews can be saved…but let it be said that they were
saved through you. Let it be your
tikkun of history (Esther is descended from Shaul, who spared the life of Agag,
ancestor of Haman). Let it be your story – let the book be called
Megillat Esther!
But that leaves us with a
bigger problem – what, exactly, is Esther to do? How can she possibly
contrive any plan of definitive action when unpredictability and the law of
unintended consequences rule the day? It
is here that we discover the linkage of parsha Zachor to Tetzaveh and Aharon.
Our first introduction to
Aharon is in parsha Shemot, where Moshe is reassured that far from Aharon being
jealous of his younger brother’s accomplishments, he will be “samach b’libo” (happy in his heart).
This week’s parsha details the clothing Aharon will wear as Kohen Gadol,
including the choshen – the
breastplate that bears the names of b’nei Yisrael “al libo (over his heart)…for zicharon.”
Aharon is all heart.
In lashon haKodesh, the heart is not the seat of emotion, but of responsiveness [1] (just as biologically
it is exquisitely responsive in terms of rate and rhythm to external and
internal stimuli). And herein lies the
secret of Esther’s success. She enters
the King’s chambers not with any pre-planned course of action [2], but armed
only with the resolve to be attentive, sincere, and responsive to events as they
unfold – her vulnerability itself being the source of her power. Aware of the implications of her actions in
terms of her personal history and their significance within the overall saga of
Yisrael, she ultimately defeats Haman with meaning itself. And that is how we blot out the remembrance
of Amalek with remembrance.
And what is the relevance
of Esther’s achievements for our own lives?
Think about this for a moment:
The odds of winning the California Mega Millions Lotto jackpot are 1 in
175,711,536. The average number of human
sperm per emission is 180,000,000 – and only one gets to fertilize the
egg. So, was your birth similar to
winning the lottery –i.e., a highly improbable statistical incident that “just
happened”? Or was your conception a purposeful
event, specifically desired by G-d? I
would suggest that the answer is indeterminate, and depends on you.
The beauty of living
within the context of zicharon is that time flows forwards and backwards. End results can redefine initial conditions;
the future can change the past. This is
what allows Chazal to say, “Great is Teshuvah…for it turns sins into merits”
(Yoma 86b).
And so, if you relate to
your life as a random event that brought you into a chaotic world in which good
things happen and bad things happen, and the goal is to enjoy the good as much
as you can when it comes your way, and deal with the bad as best as you can
when it meets up with you – then indeed, your conception was a result of two gametes that just happened to bump into each
other in the middle of the night, and it will remain that way.
However, if you view the
randomness inherent in the universe as inimitable opportunities for you to
respond in ways that allow you to become the self you were meant to be, a self
with a personal narrative that is also attached to the story of Yisrael from Bereishis bara Elokim until the coming of Mashiach – in other words, part of an
overarching zicharon that gives you a unique identity – then, indeed, your
conception was necessary, awaited [3], and cherished, and becomes the very
source of “Yismach Hashem b’ma’asav”
(Hashem rejoices in His works).
You have already won the
jackpot in the Grand Super Lotto called Being.
The task now is to experience every moment as “the chance of a lifetime
in a lifetime of chance.”
FOOTNOTES
[1] “I SPOKE WITH MY OWN HEART” (Koheleth 1:16). The heart sees, as it is said, “My heart hath seen much.” It
hears, as it is said, “Give Thy servant therefore a heart
that hears.” (I Melachim 3:9). It walks, as it is said, “Went not my heart?” (Melachim II 5:26). It
falls, as it is said, “Let no man's heart fall within him.” (Shmuel
I 17:32) It stands, as it is said, “Can thy heart
stand?” (Yechezkel 22:14). It rejoices, as it said, “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory
rejoices.” (Tehillim 16:9). It cries, as it is said, “Their heart cried unto Hashem.” (Eicha
2:18). It is comforted, as it is said, “Bid Jerusalem take heart.” (Yeshayahu 40:2). It is
troubled, as it said, “Let not your heart
feel bad” (Devarim 15:10)...It grieves, as it said, “It grieved Him at His heart.” (Bereishis 6:6). It
fears, as it is said, “For the fear of thy heart.”
(Devarim 28:67). It can be broken, as it is said, “A broken and contrite heart.” (Tehillim 51:19)...It
overflows, as it is said, “My heart
overflows with a good thing.” (Tehillim 45:2)...It desires, as it is said, “You
have given him his heart's
desire.” (Tehillim 21:3)...It is refreshed, as it said, “[I will fetch a morsel
of bread] that you may sustain your heart.”
(Bereishis 18:5). It can be stolen, as it said, “And Ya'akov stole Lavan's heart.”
(Bereishis 31:20). It is humbled, as it said, “Then perchance their
uncircumcised heart
be humbled.” (Vayikra 26:41). It is enticed, as it is said, “He spoke
enticingly upon the heart of
the damsel” (Bereishis 34:3). It errs, as it is said, “My heart is bewildered.”
(Yeshayahu 21:4). It trembles, as it is said, “His
heart trembled.” (Shmuel I 4:13). It is awakened, as it is said, “I
sleep, but my heart
wakens.” (Shir HaShirim 5:2). It loves, as it is said, “You shall love the L-rd
your G-d with all your heart.”
(Devarim 6:5)...It searches, as it is said, “I, the L-rd, search the heart.” (Yirmiyahu 27:10). It
is rent, as it is said, “Rend your heart,
and not your garments.” (Yoel 2:13). It meditates, as it is said, “The
meditation of my heart
shall be understanding.” (Tehillim 49:4). It is like fire, as it is said, “It
would be in my heart
like a burning fire.” (Yirmiyahu 20:9)...It turns in repentance, as it is said,
“That turned to the L-rd with all his heart.”
(Melachim II 23:25)... It takes in words, as it is said, “And these words,
which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart.”
(Devarim 6:6)...It gives thanks, as it is said, “I will give thanks unto Hashem
with my whole heart.”
(Tehillim 91:1)...It makes merry, as it is said, “It came to pass when their hearts were merry.” (Shoftim
16:25)...It speaks from out of itself, as it is said, “Now, Hannah, she spoke
in her heart.”
(Shmuel I 1:13)...It receives commandments, as it is said, “The wise heart will receive
commandments.” (Mishlei 10:8)...Hence, “I SPOKE WITH MY OWN HEART, SAYING: LO, I HAVE
GOTTEN GREAT WISDOM.” (Koheleth Rabbah I 16:1)
[2] see Megillah 15B – the Rabbis offer many of
their own ideas for what Esther had been plotting when she invited Haman to the
party. Rabbah b. Abbuha came across
Eliyahu HaNavi, and asked which of the reasons was correct. Eliyahu replied, “All of the above!” (i.e.,
she was keeping all options open)
[3] “What is the
implication of the Scriptural text, ‘Who counts the dust of Jacob, or numbered
the (seed) of Israel?’ (Bamidbar 23:10). It teaches that the Holy One,
blessed be He, sits and counts the (seed) of Israel. 'When, [He wonders], will
appear (one) from which a righteous man could be fashioned'?” (Niddah 31A)
