5783/2023
Parashat Tetzaveh, which is read during the weeks leading up to
Purim, is primarily focused on the instructions for the construction
and service of the Mishkan. However, there is a brief interruption in
the middle of the Parashah with a commandment to remember
Amalek and their attack on the Jewish people after they left Egypt:
"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left
Egypt - 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. 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!" (Devarim
25:17-19).
The inherent connection between Parshat Tetzaveh and Purim is
through this commandment to remember Amalek. According to the
Gemara, Haman was a descendant of Amalek (Megillah 7a). Therefore,
the obligation to remember Amalek takes on special significance
during the holiday of Purim.
The Mefarshim offer different interpretations of the mitzvah to
remember Amalek and its connection to Purim. Rashi explains that the
commandment to remember Amalek is fulfilled by reading Parashat
Zachor (the part of the Torah that describes the attack of Amalek) on
the Shabbat before Purim. Rashi explains that the reason for reading
this part of the Torah is to remember Amalek's attack on the Jewish
people during their journey in the desert and commands the Jewish
people to remember this event and to wipe out the memory of Amalek
from the world (ibid.). The Sefat Emet offers a different
interpretation. He explains that the root of Amalek's evil is their denial
of Hashem's providence in the world. Amalek attacked the Jewish
people because they saw Hashem's miracles during Yetziat Mitzrayim
and refused to accept that Hashem was in control. Similarly, Haman's
plot to destroy the Jewish people was based on his belief that they
were a nation that lived by their own laws and were therefore a threat
to his own power. The Sefat Emet teaches that the mitzvah to
remember Amalek is to be constantly aware of Hashem's presence in
the world and to see the miracles that happen in our daily lives. By
doing so, we can counteract the Amaleks view on the world and bring
more kedushah and light into the world. We can use this to grow in
our own Avodat Hashem by focusing on the Sefat Emet's
interpretation of the mitzvah to remember Amalek. By constantly
being aware of Hashem's presence in the world and seeing the
miracles that happen in our daily lives, we can counteract Amaleks
view on the world by taking a few moments out of our daily busy lives
just to think about all incredible miracles that hashem does for us on a
daily basis from the open miracles like waking up everyday to the
closed one that we don’t even realize what would have happened to us
had hashem not stepped in while still remaining hidden. By creating a
mindset of gratitude, we can train ourselves to see the goodness in the
world and recognize Hashem's hand in our lives. We should all be
zocheh to realize everything Hashem does for us and by doing this it
will be able to bring us closer to Hashem.