Fighting the Modern Hamans

Parshas Zachor

The Shabbos before Purim is known as Parshas Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance because during this Shabbos we read the selection of the Torah—in addition to the regular weekly parsha—that commands us to remember the evil nation Amalek.

This nation, from its very genesis, harbored genocidal ambitions directed against the Jewish nation. We are therefore commanded to never forget what this evil nation attempted to do to our ancestors.

The reason we read this selection this Shabbos in particular is because it is the Shabbos that precedes the Holiday of Purim. Purim is the day the genocidal plan of Haman, the Persian Prime Minister, was thwarted. And since Haman was a descendent of the nation Amalek, it is therefore appropriate to read about the ancestors and root of his evil—the nation Amalek.

Why Obsession with the Past?

The question can be asked, of what value is the realization that Haman was an Amalekite? And why is it important to remember what a wicked nation and wicked Prime Minister wanted to do to us thousands of years ago? Why are we so obsessed with the past?

The simple answer to this question is that the new “Hamans” and “Amaleks” do not let us forget. With their words, threats and actions they constantly refresh our collective memories of the tyrants and despots of the past.

In truth, this is not an adequate answer to the question as to why we are commanded to constantly remember the evil nation Amalek and their most famous representative Haman. If there are modern-day Hamans, shouldn’t we focus our attention on the modern day threats to our existence? Why harp on the past?

Do we Learn Lessons from History?

Simplistically, many have suggested that the reason we remember the past is to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

The truth is closer to another maxim that “the only lesson that we learn from history is that we don’t learn any lessons from history.”

For example, had the international community understood the nature of evil represented by Amalek and Haman, then they would have taken Hitler seriously before he had a chance to implement what he said he wanted to implement. Today’s international community is no more astute to the peril that comes from the modern day Persian tyrant. So, why do we focus so much on the past when in reality it does so little to protect us from the threats that we suffer from today?

Two Approaches to History

To answer this question we must preface that there are two ways to view history. The first is to look at each event in a vacuum, disregarding its connection to an earlier historical event. And the second approach is to view each historical event as part of a historical continuum.

In the context of the modern-day threats to our existence, we can view the twentieth century pogroms of Tsarist Russia, the Leninist-Stalinist attempts at destroying the Jewish people and Judaism in the former Soviet Union, the Holocaust, and Arab/Islamic genocidal attacks against Israel as disparate and disconnected events.

However, the Mitzvah to remember Amalek and Haman now, implies that all these attacks against share one common root that branches out into different directions of evil. And when we fight evil in one place it has an effect on weakening evil in other places.

And there are also two ways of fighting evil. We can engage in a physical battle with our enemies, such as the wars Israel has fought in the past. But, as important as it is for us as individuals and as a people to be able to defend ourselves militarily, it cannot be the only strategy and tactic in defeating evil. If all of the manifestations and incarnations of genocidal evil are connected, then a broader strategy is called for: a strategy that combines the physical as well as the spiritual approach.

Part of the spiritual approach is to remember the root source of evil and recognize that when we attack evil—external or internal—at any point it will weaken and ultimately eliminate evil at all points.

The Internal Amalek

But the spiritual approach goes beyond just remembering the events of the past. Our Sages taught us that the external evil of Amalek is related to the internal spiritual weaknesses of each and every one of us.

For example: Amalek attacked us soon after we left Egypt. Their objective was to cool off the ardor and fear the nations of the world had for the liberated Israelites when they heard of the Ten Plagues and the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds. By attacking us, Amalek removed some of the mystique that surrounded the Jewish nation and made it psychologically possible for other nations to attack us.

Translating this aspect of Amalek into our own lives, our Sages defined the internal Amalek as the “cooling off” mentality towards matters of Torah and its commandments. When we lack life, spirit and enthusiasm for Judaism, this is a sign that the evil Amalek introduced into the world has affected us, albeit in a subtle way.

Recreating the Events of the Past

When we overcome the doubts (in Hebrew the word for doubt “safek” has the numerical value of the word Amalek) that cool off our excitement for Jewish observance, that helps us generate the energies that brought about the defeat of Amalek and Haman in the past.

This is what our Sages had in mind when they said, that when we properly remember the events of the past, we help to recreate and regenerate the energies of the past that defeated the evil and saved us.

By reading and reflecting on the section in the Torah about Amalek, by reading the Megillah and reflecting on its message, we are provided with the energy to attack the internal Amalek. And when we attack the internal Amalek, the external one is also weakened.

Our Sages inform us that the defeat of Amalek is closely connected to the coming of Moshiach and the ultimate Redemption. Rashi, Talmudic and Midrashic sources, states that G-d’s very name and His throne are incomplete until the evil of Amalek is obliterated in the Messianic Age.

Our efforts at remembering and uprooting our internal Amalek will hasten the elimination of the arch evil forces of all the Amalekites and G-d’s name and throne will be made perfect.

This realization should motivate us to hear the reading of the Torah this week and hear the reading of the Megillah this Purim night and Purim day and internalize its message.

From the book Light from the Future: Purim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.