Why Remember Amalek?
In most traditional siddurim there is a section following the Shaharit morning service known as the “Six Remembrances” (which unfortunately does not appear in the current editions of the Conservative prayer books) which is recited daily. These six remembrances consist of the six passages in the Torah which include the command “Zakhor/Remember!”
- Remember the exodus from Egypt
- Remember the revelation at Sinai
- Remember the angst that we caused God when the golden calf was built
- Remember how Miriam behaved at her lowest
- Remember the Shabbat to keep it holy
- Remember what Amalek did to you as you left Egypt.
There does not seem to be any specific logic to the inclusion of these six events here other than the command to remember them. And the older I get, the more I realize how tricky memory can be. There are events in my life which took place decades ago – some very insignificant - which I call recall perfectly – at least I think I do. And there are days when I cannot remember what I ate for breakfast.
Noting that these remembrances were juxtaposed to the Rambam’s 13 Principles of Jewish Faith, Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel commented that the Six Remembrances were more important than the Thirteen Principles. For according to Heschel sacred moments are more significant than abstract doctrines since time is at the heart of existence. We can recall historical events easier than the principles of faith. And if we are commanded to recall these particular events daily then the assumption is that an awareness of them will impact on who we are and shape who we are.
However,once a year the command to remember Amalek is given exceptional attention. On this Shabbat before Purim, known as Shabbat Zakhor/ the Sabbath of Remembrance we read as the Maftir portion at the close of our Torah reading the selection from Devarim 25:17-19:
זָכוֹר, אֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק, בַּדֶּרֶךְ, בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם
Remember what Amalek did to you as you left Egypt
We are commanded to remember how Amalek cut down our stragglers – the elderly, the infirm – when we were famished and weary. And we are commanded, once we are safely established in
our own land, to blot out the name of Amalek from under the heavens.
תִּמְחֶה אֶת-זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק, מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם; לֹא, תִּשְׁכָּח
“Do not forget!”
Because rabbinic tradition identified Haman, the villain of the Purim story, as being a descendant of Amalek we are reminded of our obligation to remember what Amalek did to us and our obligation to wipe out every trace of his evil before we launch into our Purim festivities.
But there are some who choose not to remember and prefer to forget for what Amalek did was horrible and we see and read about enough horrors every day. Rabbi Irving Greenberg wrote a number of years ago that:
“Zakhor is a Mitzvah that has made modern Jews uncomfortable. The natural desire to forget and be happy collides with the ongoing pain of memory and analysis... When asked why President Ronald Reagan in 1985 initially declined to visit the Dachau concentration camp, a presidential aide explained that the president was an “up” type of person who did not like to “grovel in a grisly thing.”
Memory cannot be ignored. If God commands Israel to remember Amalek that means that some time in the future if there is another attack by Amalek, then Israel must again go to war. This teaches us the idea that history has a claim on future generations. The "commands" of the past should not be ignored in the present or in the future.
Once we acknowledge our obligations to wage war against true evil – we cannot only prevent its recurrence but we are free to celebrate such victories over evil as we will do on Purim.
President Obama pointed out last week that the forces of Al Qeida are at the lowest level of threat to our freedom since 9/11 if no before. That is because our nation did not forget what Amalek did to our people and our leaders swore to eradicate Amalek from beneath the heavens – no matter how uncomfortable we are with such thoughts.
Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameah,
Rabbi Matt Futterman
Senior Educator
