Rabbi Howard Morrison

One of the watchwords of Judaism is Zachor - Remember! We are commanded among other things to remember shabbat weekly. We do so by lighting candles, reciting Kiddush, hearing the weekly Torah reading and more.

We are commanded to remember the prohibition against gossip, as the Torah reminds us to remember that slander committed by Miriam against Moses after Moses took a Cushite wife.

We are commanded to treat the stranger with kindness, for we remember that we ourselves were strangers who were treated as slaves in ancient Egypt.

There are many other references to the Mitzvah of Zachor, to remember. Perhaps the most famous one is the special Maftir for this Shabbat. "Zachor - Remember what Amalek did to you when you came out of Egypt." The Maftir from the last book of the Torah paraphrases the original text which comes from the second book of the Torah, soon after the Israelites seemingly escaped danger by crossing the Red Sea. 

As the Etz Hayim Chumash commentary states: "The Amalekites made a surprise rear attack on the famished and exhausted Israelites not long after the escape from Egypt. They cut down the stragglers - the elderly, the weak, and the infirm. Israel was forced to fight its first war of survival."

Based on its heinous evil, Amalek was the one and only nation that Israel was commanded by God to wipe out entirely. In today's Haftarah, King Saul has his monarchy torn from him because he spared the Amalekite king and booty for his personal gain. 

Sadly, over the millennia, many non-Amalekite nations have behaved like Amalek towards the Jewish people. Over 80 years ago, the Nazis, yimach shmam, exemplified Amalek. Throughout its short modern history, Hamas and Hezbollah, amongst others, have exemplified Amalek. While we may not be technically obligated to wipe them out literally, we are certainly commanded to defend ourselves and to even take out the enemy when we see the enemy advancing toward us. Such enemies perpetuate the evil spirit of Amalek.

Just consider how Amalek attacked from the rear, targeting its initial attack against the weak, the elderly, the civilians, the women, and the children. Is this not the exact same way that Hamas attacked our people on October 7, 2023? Hamas did not start out against a young, agile, trained segment of the IDF. They went after civilians, young and old, at the Nova music festival, and the homes in Kibbutzim along the Southern Gaza border. They attacked the defenseless in graphic and brutal ways.

The brutality of sixteen months ago is even mirrored by the way hostages, alive and dead, have been returned to Israel - the public mockery and parading of the coffins, of staging living hostages and making them watch while not knowing what their fates will be, etc.

While the future of the ceasefire, the fate of the remaining hostages, and phase 2 are unclear at this time, the Mitzvah to remember Amalek is not merely a history lesson of the past, but speaks to every generation of Jewish history to this very day.

Ultimately, by remembering Amalek throughout the ages, Amalek in the days of Moses was defeated; Amalek in the days of King Saul was defeated; Amalek in the guise of Haman was defeated. Fast forward, today there is no more lineage connected to Amalek. We remembered Amalek and he is gone.

Likewise, we dare not ever drop our guard against Hamas and other terrorist groups whose sole aim is to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people. We must always actively remember. The day will come when Hamas, Hezbollah, and others like them will be no more, just as Amalek is no more.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison