"Remember, Don’t Forget and Wage War Against Evil"
The negative forces of terror and evil have been with us since the beginning of time.
According to our tradition the primordial force that drives them
is personified in the form of Amalek.
The Torah teaches that,
” God is at war with Amalek (evil) for all generations.” (Exodus 17:16)
In every generation say our sages,
“Amalek arises to destroy us and each time he clothes himself in a different nation” (Me’am Loez, Devarim)
Amalek first attacked the fledgling Jewish nation as they emerged from the Reed Sea.
Since that time there have been many others who have sought
to kill, maim, terrorize and attack us.
Yet our mission and commandment remain the same,
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the road,
On your way out of Egypt.
That he encountered you on the way and cut off those lagging to your rear,
When you were tired and exhausted:
He (Amalek) did not fear God.
Therefore…you must obliterate the memory of Amalek
From under the heavens.
Do not forget.” (Deuternomy 25:17-19)
The Torah gives us three commandments with regards to Amalek.
We must wage war and
do everything in our power to destroy evil.
We must never slacken in our efforts to do everything in our power to fight this battle.
We must never forget the suffering that we have and
continue to endure because of Amalek.
We are commanded to remember.
To actively focus our minds on the source of our power to defeat Amalek.
To remember that we have survived, continued and flourished.
To remember that Amalek has not prevailed, has not succeeded.
To remember the faith we have that God is good and loving and present.
Today, as Amalek, raises his ugly head,
we can take strength in all the kindness, love and unity that is
pouring out in response to the war and terror.
Today our hearts are cracked open as we hear about and watch the suffering.
The grief is palpable.
It is a God given injunction to rid the world of Amalek,
of the evil that exists that seeks to destroy us.
Fearing Amalek will not help.
Running away will not help.
Evil in all its forms is our enemy.
We must face it and destroy it.
With God’s help may we be able to
eradicate and destroy all the evil in the world.
May our goodness, our prayers, our donations, our money,
our kind deeds, our unity, our faith and our love
bring the perfected world which we are promised.
Shabbat shalom
Elissa.
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