Remember

The Shabbat before Purim is always called Shabbat Zachor. The Shabbat to remember. Its origin lies in the Torah, first of all in the Book of Shemot, when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they took a longer route out in order to avoid having to face the Amalekites. To avoid conflict. Emerging from slavery they weren’t yet in a fit state to face battle. The prospect might have caused them to turn tail and go back, as often they threatened to do when the going got tough. Having turned away from the shortest route to the land of Israel which went up through Gaza, they turned South before crossing the Reed Sea. Then their troubles began, first no water, then no food and then insurrection.  And at Refidim, the Amalekites attacked them. 

Moshe called on Yehoshua to gather fighting men to fend off the attack. Moshe sat on a hill overlooking the battlefield. When his arms were raised, the Israelites were winning, and when his arms were tired and drooped, they began to lose. Aaron and Chur then stood on either side of him and held his hands up until the battle was won. The Mishna ( Rosh Hashana 3:8) asks what difference it made whether Moshe’s hands were up or down. The Mishna answers that raising hands pointing towards heaven was a way of indicating that the army of Yehoshua was fighting a battle for God. That the emerging tribes of Israel were to stand for a cause. Of morality justice and ethics. Whereas Amalek symbolized the forces of evil, destruction and immorality.  The Torah then commands Israel to  record the events and remember them. And destroy the memory of Amalek. Which of course has happened. And today we are the only ones who still talk about Amalek.

A generation later (Devarim 25:17-19) the Torah repeats the narrative but adds important details as to why Amalek was worse than any of the other tribes. “They lay in wait for you on the way and attacked  you from the rear, all the weak and helpless, while you were tired and exhausted, they had no respect for God.” This is the version we read on Shabbat Zachor because whereas the Shemot text only mentions the word remember, the Devarim text adds “do not forget.” Amalek was different because the Canaanite tribes had a reason to fight with the Israelites. They were after all coming to invade their territory. Amalek on the other hand was not under any direct threat. Their hatred was without a cause. Which is why they cannot be identified with Jew hatred or what we call antisemitism nowadays.

During the period of Shmuel, the Amalekites again attacked the Israelites for no cause. They were defeated and their king Agag put to death. As the book of  Shmuel says, “ just as your sword bereaved so many mothers so your mother will be bereft of you” (1 Shmuel 15:33). We only hear once more of Amalek during the reign of King David. But the Mishna (Yadayim 4:4) says that when Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the lands of Israel and exiled the residents of the area, all the Canaanite tribes and Amalek were scattered and no longer identifiable. So that the Biblical law no longer applies.  To claim that the specific command to destroy Amalek is still active and justifies killing Palestinians makes no sense at all.

However, the Book of Esther we read on Purim is about  the attempt of Haman to murder the Jews of the Persian empire.  Haman is called Haman HaAgagi which was the name of the Biblical Amalekite king. Since Haman’s hatred of the Jews as a people was baseless, this identifies him as an Amalekite in spirit and ideology if not genetically. 

Today we are more aware of Jew hatred than we have been for over eighty years. We can indeed call Jew haters, those who want to see Jews destroyed, Amalekites metaphorically. Even if  we cannot say the Biblical law of the Amalekites applies to them. Statements coming from the Jewish far right that the Palestinians actually are the Amalekites has no basis in Jewish Law or history. But on the one hand the command to remember and not forget enemies  is as significant today as ever it was. Forewarned is for armed.

It is how we should react to threats that matters. And certainly, the obligation to defend ourselves is covered by other laws. But it only applies to self-defense against those who take up arms against us, not to a whole people regardless. We must however learn how to deal with and combat enemy dogma and hatred. I am not in favor of any policy, that does not remove the bestial evil of Hamas. But I would make concessions for peace.

The reaction to Purim and Amalek lite, was and is, that we emphasize charity, give money, caring, give presents, be positive and rejoicing in life. We must not  descend into bitterness or the destructive calls of a pseudo religious death wish.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim

Jeremy