Adar D'var Torah

By Rabbi Paul Drazen
Director of Congregational Services
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Remember those Purim celebrations when you were growing up? Services were loud, lots of laughter, costumes and good food. How about the Purim Carnival? Permission to make a mess in the social hall; nothing else like it. I remember, too, many years ago, especially the authentic traffic signal on the bimah prompting us when to make a lot of noise, when to use the groggers and when, more important from the rabbi's point of view at least, I'd guess, to stop.

These musings are in place with Purim coming. But even moreso because of the special Shabbat which precedes Purim, Shabbat Zakhor. The name comes from the opening word of the special maftir reading "Zakhor." Deuteronomy 25:17-19:
Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt-how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Therefore, when the Lord your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

The section does not read smoothly. The opening states that we must "remember" what happened to the people Israel during their trip through the desert. The closing tells us "do not forget." Why does the Torah use both "remember" and "do not forget?" Is not remembering the same as not forgetting? To complicate matters a bit, in addition to remembering and not forgetting, we are also told to "blot out the memory."

Through the years, various commentators have also puzzled over these verses. Anything that would bring Amalek to mind should be blotted out. Rashi, the great medieval French commentator, said even Amalekite animals must be destroyed, lest someone say "that animal came from Amalekite lineage." Of course, the irony of the verse comes as we recognize that even reading the verse violates the literal directive. To blot out the memory, we should not even mention Amalek, even to remember what they did. Folk tradition grew up around this phrase, the source of the custom of noisemaking to "blot out" the name of Haman, considered by tradition to have been descended from the Torah's Amalek.

But what of the two directives given in the paragraph? We are told to remember what Amalek did to the Israelites as they went on their journey. Why should we remember their coarse behavior? Because Amalek is the consummate example of inappropriate behavior. What is the wrong way to act? Acting like Amalek. Remember it; don't do it.

The final words instruct us "don't forget," understood as a parting and reinforcing shot before the topic in the Torah changes. There is no real difference between the request made at the beginning of the section and that made at the end. Style would seem to be the main reason for the phrasing. The Torah is serious about it, so it says it twice, in two different ways: we don't act this way...ever.

As I reviewed this section, I wondered, is "remember" the same as "don't forget?" Do we use them interchangeably? Is there a difference, at finals time, between remembering the material for the final and not forgetting that material? Is last minute review (a.k.a. cramming) an effective tool for either remembering or not forgetting? Does one term apply to long-term memory while the other is for short-term? If we want to assure ourselves that another person keeps something in mind, which directive would we choose?

I think I found what I consider the difference between "remembering" and "not forgetting." One is more active than the other. Not forgetting is a patch – to avoid the inevitable of information disappearing from our minds. Forgetting is useful; it allows us to rid our head of the clutter which runs through it all the time. Forgetting is appropriate for so much of the mental clutter we encounter in life: what the weather was a couple of weeks ago, what we had for lunch a week ago Wednesday, a certain professor's spin on the experimental data from sociology class. For so many things, there's not an impact if we forget.

Remembering, on the other hand, is more active. It is an involving action, which requires planning and methodical execution. Even the word itself gives a hint towards that. "Re-membering" calls to mind the mental image of putting something back together (Young Frankenstein is my mental image) done with care and consideration. When there is something we need to remember, we must work towards that goal, by repetition or, these days, by making a note on a Palm or a cell phone.

So when the Torah says both "remember" and "don't forget" Amalek's actions, it is covering both grounds. We must not forget the inhumanity of their actions, of attacking the weakest flank; we must remember their exploits as behavior to avoid at all times. We must remember not only what happened, but the reason for remembering: to guide our actions in the future. Our souls must grow from what we remember: helping those who need help; never taking unfair advantage of the weak or the unlettered; recognizing that revenge is never an effective repair of the troubles which we confront.

Shabbat Zakhor serves two purposes. It reminds us that Purim is coming, and, it reminds us never to forget the standards of behavior which Judaism expects of us.

[Posted 02/18/07]