This week Rabbi Woznica reflects on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Memory
Earlier this week, on Yom HaShoah, we paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. There are six commandments of remembrance in the Torah. We are commanded to “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8); to remember the Exodus from Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:3), the revelation at Sinai (Deut. 4:9-10); to remember what the arch enemy of Israel, “Amalek did to you on your journey after you left Egypt …” (Deut: 25:17-19); to remember the Golden Calf and rebelling in the desert (Deut 9:7); and to remember God’s punishment of Miriam for speaking badly of Moses (Deut. 24:9).
Why is memory so vital? Memory helps us to learn from history. Without memory, there is no wisdom, as we cannot learn from the past. Memory connects us to our ancestors and reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves, part of a people with a past. Memory ensures that those who do evil are not forgotten. And memory ensures that the deeds of the good are not lost.
The Jewish people are obsessed with memory. Religious Jews recite the Amidah daily, a prayer which invokes our ancestors. They lived around 1,800 B.C.E., some 3,800 years ago, and yet, we remember them in our daily prayers.
Memory is a gift. But like most gifts, it needs to be cultivated and regularly nurtured both individually and as a people.
Rabbi David Woznica
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