Each year, on the Shabbat before Purim, we observe Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of Remembrance. While remembrance is core to our tradition, on this Shabbat, we specifically recall Amalek and his treachery.
Amalek, the Torah tells us, attacked our famished, weary ancestors as they fled Egypt for the Promised Land. He and his army attacked from the rear, targeting the weakest and most vulnerable (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). According to the rabbis of the Talmud, Haman—the villain of the Purim story—is a descendant of Amalek.
As important and painful as it is to remember this episode and the countless times in our people’s history that we have been preyed upon by those who would seek our destruction, we are also reminded to recall the many moments of redemption and joy we have known. Every Friday night, as we recite kiddush, we recall zecher l’tziat Mitzrayim (זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִצְרָיִם
—the memory of our Exodus from Egypt); the Passover seder is an exercise in remembrance—every morsel of food we eat reminds us of our escape from bondage; and on Sukkot, we remember with joy our journey through the wilderness to the land of freedom. The point is that our tradition calls upon us to remember many things—both the good and the bad, moments of destruction alongside moments of deliverance.
These lessons are perhaps particularly apt at this moment. We are filled with great concern for our sisters and brothers in Israel as acts of terror multiply and the fabric of Israeli society frays. We feel an increasing sense of anxiety here at home in the face of growing antisemitism. In a time like this, we recall the lessons of Amalek. We respond by redoubling our efforts to protect ourselves from those who would take advantage of our vulnerability. We must, by all means, look to our own well-being and take all of the appropriate steps to ensure our safety and security.
And—this is perhaps equally important—we should also find the capacity to celebrate with joy our many blessings, the countless moments of goodness and redemption we have experienced as a people and as individuals.
May this Shabbat and our celebration of Purim allow us the opportunity for both of these remembrances.
Shabbat shalom,
