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Remember Amalek

Shabbat Tetzaveh:
Exodus 27:20-30:10;
Deuteronomy 25:17-19;
!Samuel 15:2-34

Amalek's sinister behavior
bout 2,500
and never forget how that
years ago, the
nation tried to destroy us so
Jewish commu-
many years ago.
nity found itself cen-
I wonder: how did we
tered around Shushan,
allow the stragglers to lag
the capital of Persia. For
behind? Why were there
reasons that are not dif-
weak people for Amalek to
ficult to relate to in
prey upon?
today's day and age,
Amalek attacked us only
Reuven Spolter
Haman, the vice-king of
because we forced the weakest
Special to the
the world, could not rest
Jews to fend for themselves
Jewish News
until he could first anni-
and left them at the back of
hilate his arch-enemy
the
nation.
For this reason, the salva-
Mordechai along with the rest of the
tion
of
Purim
– another victory over a
JeWish people.
descendant
of
Amalek, comes through
He didn't realize that his boss' new
the
unity
of
the
Jewish community.
wife happened to be Jewish. Through
This
is
also
why
many of the
her efforts, she and Mordechai were
mitzvot surrounding Purim focus on
able to not only save the Jewish peo-
uniting and celebrating the Jewish
ple, but destroy Haman in the process.
community. On Purim, we send
The rabbis in the Talmud teach us
mishloach manot — packages of food
that what really saved the Jewish peo-
— to our friends and neighbors. We
ple was its ability to come together as
give gifts to the poor to allow those
a community.
without the means to properly cele-
Admittedly, before her confronta-
brate the holiday. And we enjoy a fes-
tion with Haman, Esther was quite
tive Purim meal with friends and fam-
nervous. She told Mordechai that she
ily, to celebrate God's protection over
would fast for three consecutive days.
But, her personal fast would not suf- His people.
So this Tuesday, enjoy a Purim meal
fice. Rather, she told him, "Go and
with friends and neighbors. Send a
gather all the Jews, old and young, and
food package as mishloach manot to
they should also fast with me night
build a strong bond of friendship with
and day for three days." Their united
someone you know. And give to the
communal merit, our rabbis teach us,
guided Esther in her risky and danger- poor to ensure that every Jew has the
means to celebrate Purim properly.
ous bid to save herself and her people.
We must always remember that
In a way, only community unity
these
mitzvot provide the very best
within Israel could save us from
ammunition
to fight the descendants
Haman, because it was disunity and
of Amalek today 1-1
fragmentation that endangered us in
the first place.
Reuven Spolter is rabbi of Young Israel
After we read Parshat Tetzaveh in
of Oak Park.
shul, we will read an additional sec-
tion from the Torah called Parshat
Zachor – the "Parshah of
Remembrance." God commands us to
Conversations
remember what the nation of Amalek
Question for discussion: What
did to us on the way out of Egypt.
does Jewish unity mean in a
The people of Amalek, looking to
time
of fragmentation and
attack the newly born Jewish nation,
disunity?
Is there anything that
pounced on the weak, straggling
the
Jewish
community unites
behind the rest of the nation. While we
about
anymore?
fought back and repelled the attackers,
God commands us to remember

A

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iN • -

March 9 • 2006

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