(יז) זָכ֕וֹר אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֲמָלֵ֑ק בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶ֥ם מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ (יח) אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָֽרְךָ֜ בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּ֤ב בְּךָ֙ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִ֣ים אַֽחַרֶ֔יךָ וְאַתָּ֖ה עָיֵ֣ף וְיָגֵ֑עַ וְלֹ֥א יָרֵ֖א אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (יט) וְהָיָ֡ה בְּהָנִ֣יחַ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֣יךָ ׀ לְ֠ךָ מִכָּל־אֹ֨יְבֶ֜יךָ מִסָּבִ֗יב בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְהוָֽה־אֱ֠לֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֤ נַחֲלָה֙ לְרִשְׁתָּ֔הּ תִּמְחֶה֙ אֶת־זֵ֣כֶר עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח׃ (פ)
(17) Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt— (18) 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. (19) 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!
What can we learn from this?
What's the difference between "remember" (verse 17) and "do not forget" (verse 19)?
"... זכור (zachor) implies that it is up to the indivdual who read (or hears) the words of כי תצא (Ki Teitzei) to personally take to heart the tale of the Amalekites and ensure that the enemies of the Jewish people do not prevail in his or her generation. Yet we have also been taught in our Haggadah, שלא אחד בלבד עמד עלינו לכלותינו (Shelo echad bilvad amad Aleinu l'chaloteinu, 'for more than one enemy has risen against us to destroy us'). Because our people has faced adversaries in every generation, we are called upon to ensure that the lessons of our ancestors' encounter with Amalek are not lost. This is the message of לא תשכח (lo tishkach): that we must teach our children about this episode." -- Rabbi Alan Cook, 2006
What does this mean for me today?
"In gematria, I discovered, Amalek and safeik (doubt) carry the same numerical value.... Since these words are numerically equivalent, can't we substitute one for the other? The message: in the wilderness our people repeatedly questioned the Holy One, challenged God's resolve in delivering them from the Egyptians. 'Remember what [doubt] did to you on the way...out of Egypt...how [doubt] fell upon you...and cut off all the weak ones at your rear' (Deut. 25:17-18 R. E. Friedman). Torah (through gematria) admonishes: Doubt is our Amalek within! It destroyed an entire generation!" -- Rabbi Kenneth J. Weiss, 2003
In this month of Elul, we are told to take account of everything this past year. We are to remember and not forget -- take time to hear ourselves and those around us. To remember and not forget -- those who come after us and the lessons we can share with them. To remember and not forget -- to not let doubt take over us and make us weak. Let us remember (and not forget) this during this holy, introspective time.
