Paradoxically, the Torah requires Jews to remember Amalek's attack on them as they left slavery in Egypt even as they are required simultaneously to "blot out the memory of Amalek." This mitzvah is typically fulfilled by ensuring that one hears the special liturgical reading of the verses in Deuteronomy that contain this commandment on the Shabbat before the holiday of Purim, which celebrates the Jewish triumph over the wicked Amalekite Haman.
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Memory and ErasureTANAKH
Memory and Erasure
TANAKH
How can one simultaneously remember a thing and erase that memory? Recalling Amalek's attack on the Israelites as they left Egypt, God commands that Israel simultaneously remember Amalek's attack on the weak and blot it out.
Shabbat ZakhorMISHNAH
Shabbat Zakhor
MISHNAH
The Shabbat before Purim is known as Shabbat Zakhor, a special shabbat on which the relevant verses from the book of Deuteronomy are read liturgically because the villain of the book of Esther was a descendant of Amalek. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, in tractate Megillah details the special Torah readings of the month of Adar, the month in which the holiday of Purim is celebrated.
Remember... Do Not ForgetHALAKHAH
Remember... Do Not Forget
HALAKHAH
In the verses of the commandment to remember Amalek, the Torah says both "Remeber" and "don't forget," which seems redundant. Rambam, in his Sefer HaMitzvot, his enumeration of the commandments, explains why the Torah uses both phrases.
So as Not to Shame IsraelMIDRASH
So as Not to Shame Israel
MIDRASH
Jewish tradition teaches one not to shame his fellow. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, an eighth-century midrashic work, records a teaching of Rabbi Pinchas that Moses's call to remember Amalek was really an effort to subtly remind Israel of their doubt that God was in their midst upon leaving Egypt — without shaming them.
Oral Remembrance MIDRASH
Oral Remembrance
MIDRASH
The rabbis suggest that there is a practical difference between what the Torah requires when it says "Remember" as opposed to "Don't forget." The Sifra, an ancient midrash on the book of Leviticus from the land of Israel, examines a number of instances where the Torah says to "Remember" or not to forget.
Required Readings HALAKHAH
Required Readings
HALAKHAH
Special Shabbats — often in anticipation of holidays or other significant times in the Jewish calendar — are observed through special liturgical readings from Tanakh. The Shulchan Arukh, the authoritative 16th-century code of Jewish law by Rabbi Joseph Karo, notes the required readings for Shabbat Zakhor, the Shabbat before Purim.
The Haftarah of Remembrance TANAKH
The Haftarah of Remembrance
TANAKH
Shabbat Zakhor is the "Shabbat of Remembrance" of Amalek's attack on the Jewish people soon after they left Egypt. The special prophetic reading for this Shabbat is from I Samuel and tells the story of King Saul failing to wipe out Amalek as God had commanded him.
The Triumph WithinCHASIDUT
The Triumph Within
CHASIDUT
The defeat of Amalek is an example of the triumph of good over evil. Likkutei Halakhot, an early 19th-century Chasidic halakhic text, explains what the Torah means in the Amalek narrative when it says, "and he cut off among you," and that this is a meaningful text to read every morning.
"Write This Down as a Remembrance..." COMMENTARY
"Write This Down as a Remembrance..."
COMMENTARY
Remembering Amalek is not just about recalling a historical event but anticipating a future in which the denial of divine providence is eradicated. The Netziv, a 19th-century Jewish scholar, delves into the theological and eschatological significance of remembering Amalek, linking it to the ultimate recognition of God's sovereignty in the messianic era.
Joab's Fatal Error TALMUD
Joab's Fatal Error
TALMUD
The Hebrew words for remembrance "zekher" and male "zakhar" are quite easily confused. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Bava Batra recounts how Joab came to make exactly this mistake and the deadly result.
The Completion of God's Name Upon the Eradication of AmalekKABBALAH
The Completion of God's Name Upon the Eradication of Amalek
KABBALAH
Within Judaism, the nation of Amalek represents evil in the world. In his 16th-century kabbalistic work, Avodat HaKodesh, Meir Ibn Gabbai explains the negative effects of Amalek's continued existence and the beneficial result of their ultimate eradication.
Hatred in Our Hearts HALAKHAH
Hatred in Our Hearts
HALAKHAH
Why is the passage about remembering what Amalek did to the Jewish people read the Shabbat before Purim? The Sefer HaChinukh, the 13th-century enumeration and explanation of each biblical commandment, explains.
A Plea for Divine RemembranceLITURGY
A Plea for Divine Remembrance
LITURGY
In some Jewish communities, special prayers are recited when certain commandments are about to be performed. This piyyut (liturgical poem) by Eleazar Kallir, written perhaps as early as the late-sixth century, is read in some communities on Shabbat Zakhor, the Shabbat before Purim, and calls on God to remember us.
Erasing the Memory of AmalekMUSAR
Erasing the Memory of Amalek
MUSAR
The Torah commands Jews to "Erase the memory of Amalek," but how is one to do that? Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover recounts, in his 17th-century work Kav HaYashar, how his teacher Rabbi Heshel fulfilled this mitzvah.
Biblically Required HearingHALAKHAH
Biblically Required Hearing
HALAKHAH
Judaism distinguishes between commandments learned from the Torah and those required by the rabbis. Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfriend, in his mid-19th-century Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, discusses what is required to fulfill the biblical commandment to hear the reading of Zakhor.