This week’s Torah portion concludes with the commandment to remember Amalek. Amalek, the archenemy of the Jewish people, who so despised the Jews, that their raison d’etre became to wipe out the Jewish people.. 

The Jewish people have been commanded to remember what Amalek did to us, to our people, how they attacked us on our journey through the desert. They broadcast a message to the world that has not faded since, ‘it is okay to mess with the Jewish people, we did it first’. Before Amalek’s attack, everyone was in awe of this nation that was taken out of Egypt with the grace of G-d, afterwards, they were fair game, just like everyone else. 

Therefore, we remember. We repeat Amalek’s evil-doing daily, we teach it to our children. For a nation that remembers is a nation that is prepared. Prepared for what? One might ask. The answer is that we are a nation prepared to eradicate Amalek’s name from this world. And how do we do this? We must look into our history, we must refresh our collective memory, for there lie the answers. 

When Amalek attacked the Jewish people in the desert, the response of the Jews was two- fold, to pray to G-d, strengthening their faith, and to go to battle. When Haman decreed genocide upon the Jews, their response was two-fold once again, to fast and pray, and to battle their enemies. This pattern repeats itself throughout Jewish history, and therefore must teach us how to respond to the Amalek of our times.

First, we must strengthen our faith, like the Maccabees who had the odds stacked against them, we must never allow what appears to be a bleak reality to cloud our faith. We remember that G-d is with us and fighting for us. And then we go to battle, for G-d wants us to do what is needed to overcome our enemies..

This week we remember the dark morning of September 11, 2001, the day when Amalek raised its ugly head and threatened what felt like impermeable safety. We remember that day and many days since then that echo that pain.

Therefore, we follow this commandment, we remember and never forget. We constantly strengthen our faith and our conviction. For G-d will erase evil, Amalek will be eradicated, and light and goodness will always prevail.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zushe Cunin