5786/2026
This Shabbat, we will be reading a special maftir of Parashat Zachor, quoting from the Torah’s commandment to remember what Amalek did to us after Yetziat Mitzrayim. However, the Torah frames this Mitzvah with an unusual intensity. There seems to be two parts: First, remember what Amalek did to us, but also a second command not to forget. This dual formulation invites a question: If the Torah already commands us to “remember” what Amalek did, why does it need to add “do not forget”? Isn’t remembering the opposite of forgetting? What is gained by repeating the idea?
One straightforward answer is that the two phrases address different dimensions.
“Zachor” refers to active verbal remembrance, fulfilled through the public reading. The Mitzvah is to articulate the memory as a communal act. “Lo Tishkach” is an internal state. Despite hearing Parshat Zachor each year, the Torah warns us not to allow the memory to fade emotionally or intellectually over time. In this approach, the Torah distinguishes between action and attitude. One is public and formal, while the other is private and ongoing.
A second answer is that the two phrases refer to different aspects of Amalek.
“Zachor” places the focus on the historical event, the fact that they attacked the vulnerable and straggling behind. “Lo Tishkach” moves us towards the underlying ideology. What is Amalek?
It is a worldview that denies moral accountability and divine purpose. It is not just an event, rather, it is the consequence of when moral corruption takes a physical form. The Torah tells us: Do not forget the physical attack, and do not forget the values that enabled it.
But a deeper layer remains. Amalek attacked us “Asher Kar’cha BaDerech”, often translated as “who met you on the way”, but could be literally understood as cooling you off. After the Nissim of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the world stood in awe of Bnei Yisrael. Amalek shattered that aura, introducing doubt and normalizing resistance to divine destiny. The Torah’s double language may reflect two different threats. “Zachor” is about memory of the past. “Lo Tishkach” is about vigilance in the present.
Amalek is not only a nation. It is a recurring force in history and within the human psyche. It appears wherever moral clarity is dulled, where evil is rationalized, where spiritual passion is cooled into indifference.
The Torah therefore commands us on two levels:
Remember the original attack.
Do not allow the phenomenon to reappear unchecked.
Forgetting Amalek is not merely losing a historical detail. It is allowing cynicism to replace conviction, allowing apathy to replace responsibility.
Parashat Zachor is read right before Purim for this reason. Haman is Ha’Aggagi, a descendant of Amalek. The physical enemy reemerges, but so does the deeper pattern. A world in which God’s Name is hidden can easily slide into moral confusion. In the original telling of the Milchemet Amalek in Beshalach, the Passuk states, “Ki Yad al Kes Kah Milchamah Ba’Amalek MiDor Dor”, “Hand upon the throne of Hashem! G-D will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages” (Shemot 17:16). However, in the Hebrew, Hashem’s name is cut in half. Rashi tells us that Hashem’s name will not be full until Amalek is blotted out.
The Mitzvah of Zachor is therefore not about cultivating hatred. It is about preserving moral memory. A society that forgets unprovoked evil will eventually excuse it. A person who forgets their spiritual mission will eventually dilute it. The Torah repeats itself because history repeats itself. Our task is to ensure that our memory does not fade into abstraction. We remember, we speak, and we remain alert. That is the ongoing battle against Amalek.