Suicide Mission
After the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt, the nations
of the world were too terrified to take up arms against them.
G-d had just inflicted ten plagues on Egypt, split the Red
Sea, and then drowned the Egyptian army. As the waters
returned to their natural state, who would dare to
contemplate war against Israel? Only one nation undertook
this kamikaze mission, sending "suicide bombers" to attack us
— Amolek.
Although Amolek suffered an overwhelming defeat for their
attack, there was an element of victory in it. They breached
the fear and trepidation that the nations felt towards the
Bnei Yisroel after all the miracles performed on their
behalf. As a result of Amolek's chutzpah, other nations were
able to muster the brazenness to follow suit (Midrash
Tanchuma as cited by Sefer Hachinuch 603).
Once a year we are obligated to remember this vicious attack.
There are many ways to commemorate past events, so why does
the Torah instruct us to recall the atrocities of Amolek by
reading Parshas Zochor, the Torah portion titled
"Remember"?
The Divine view of the history of mankind is recorded in the
Torah, and it establishes the correct perception of what
transpired. Revisiting this particular incident in the
framework of a public Torah reading teaches a powerful lesson
about the extent of Amolek's evil, and helps us relive the
historical drama even thousands of years later. Our Sages
understood that the most appropriate time for the remembrance
of Amolek was before Purim, the festival which commemorates
our triumph over Haman the Amolekite (Megilloh
30a).
Torah Obligation
Most authorities view the reading of Parshas Zochor as
a Torah obligation (Shulchan Oruch 685,7). Although we
are expected to perform even rabbinic mitzvos with conscious
intent to fulfill the will of Hashem, concerning a Torah
mitzvah this is an obligation. Practically speaking, this
means that the person who is reading the Torah, as well as
all the listeners, and the person making the brochoh
on the Torah reading should all concentrate fully while
performing this mitzvah (ibid. 146,3).
One of the most anxious moments of a Torah reading is when a
potential error is found in the Sefer Torah. An
argument often erupts as the congregants try to determine if
the suspected error invalidates the Torah reading. Sometimes
a child will be brought to provide an innocent opinion of how
a particular letter looks. Since the reading of Parshas
Zochor is a Torah obligation, if a mistake is found
there, another Torah scroll should be brought out and the
reader must start from the beginning (Mishbetzos Zohov
143,3).
Women at War
The consensus of the authorities is that women are not
required to hear the Torah readings of Shekalim,
Poroh, or Hachodesh. Women are, however,
obligated in the mitzvah of remembering Amolek. Parshas
Zochor is a Torah obligation and therefore some opinions
say that women must fulfill their obligation by hearing this
Torah reading (Responsa Binyan Tzion 2,8).
The Sefer Hachinuch has an interesting point of view
on this issue. He writes that since the mitzvah of making war
against Amolek only applies to men, females are exempt from
hearing the relevant Torah reading (Mitzva 603).
Others argue that women are also required to fight Amolek,
citing the words of our Sages: "Even a bride coming straight
from the chuppah must go to war to fight Amolek"
(Minchas Chinuch, ibid. citing Sotah 44b).
Even if women are not obligated to directly participate in
the frontline combat, they can nonetheless make a vital
contribution from the sidelines, as Esther did in the battle
against Amolek in the Purim story. According to some
authorities, because of Esther's "participation in the
miracles" women are obligated in all of the mitzvos of Purim
(Tosafos). For this reason, many communities have a custom to
hold a special reading of Parshas Zochor in the
afternoon for women who were unable to attend morning
services (Responsa Minchas Yitzchok 9,68).
Pronunciation Counts
There is one Parshas Zochor reading that I will
definitely never forget. It happened one year in yeshiva.
After the reading a friend of mine who came from a small
Sephardic community walked up to the Torah and began to chant
Parshas Zochor according to the unique enunciation and
tune of his native land. All of the Ashkenazim listened in
wonder to this beautiful way of reading the Torah.
Since Parshas Zochor is a Torah obligation, one must
be very exacting to read it according to all rules of
pronunciation. Since these rules differ slightly from place
to place, it is advisable that each community have their own
Torah reading. If one is unable to arrange this, it is
acceptable to hear any halachically correct reading (Rav
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach as cited in Halichos Shlomo
5,68).
Another fascinating aspect of Parshas Zochor is that
after completing the reading the reader goes back and repeats
the last verse. There is a very slight discrepancy among the
opinions concerning how to pronounce the word
"Zochor," and to cover all bases we read both
pronunciations. Rav Chaim of Volozhin testified that the
Vilna Gaon pronounced Parshas Zochor with five dots:
In his early years the Gaon said "zehcher" with a
segol (three dotted vowel marking), and in his latter
years he read "zeicher" with a tzeireh (two
dotted marking) (Minhagim of the Vilna Gaon, 134).
Which reading should be recited first? In general the second
reading is viewed as a correction of the first, and the later
reading holds the status of the primary one. Since most
opinions agree that the word should be read "zeicher,"
this pronunciation should be said last (Moadim Uzmanim
2,167). Practically speaking, however, there is no difference
in the simple meaning of the two (heard from Rav Dovid
Yitzchoki).
Second Chances
Shimon woke up with a 101.5 degree fever on Shabbos of
Parshas Zochor. He could barely get out of bed, and it
was impossible to arrange a Torah reading in his house. What
can Shimon do to avoid losing this mitzvah?
Some authorities suggest that since the Torah reading for
Purim day also discusses Amolek, anyone who missed Parshas
Zochor can "make it up" by listening to that reading
(Magen Avrohom 685,1). However, many argue that since
this parsha does not mention our obligation to
remember the evil deeds of the Amolekites, hearing it does
not fulfill the mitzvah (Mishnah Berurah 685,16).
Since our Sages specified that this mitzvah be fulfilled with
the reading of Parshas Zochor, Shimon should make
every effort to hear the reading in its proper time
(Levush 685,2).
Considering that the content of this parsha is so
crucial, what is the halacha concerning someone who
does not know Lashon Kodesh?
Although it is certainly preferable to understand what is
being read, the accepted opinion is that everyone fulfills
their obligation as long as they have a general idea of what
is being described (Mishna Berurah 193,5). Still, it
is certainly considered praiseworthy to learn the parsha's
meaning beforehand (Hilchos Chag BeChag 3,4).
Rising Up
The Torah obligates us not to forget how Amolek attacked us
as we were nearing the end of our miraculous redemption from
Egypt. Our nation's history has been extremely eventful, yet
we have an actual mitzvah to remember but a few "choice"
episodes. What is the significance of Amolek's attack, and
why must we remember it at this time of year?
The month of Adar marks the beginning of an eleven-week
period during which the Jewish people relive major stages of
our Redemption. We start with Purim, the day the Jewish
nation was spared from complete annihilation. We continue
with Pesach, when we were freed from the bondage of Egypt. We
conclude with our ultimate redemption on Shavuos, when G-d
revealed His will to us on Mount Sinai.
Before we enter this uplifting period, we are cautioned to
bear in mind that while the forces of good are strengthened
at a time of redemption, evil is equally fortified, ready to
pull us down at that same moment. It is precisely at this
point that we must be most vigilant.
In this age, when Amolek-like cruelty sometimes threatens to
overwhelm us, we must be sure to remember never to forget.
(Keep an eye out for Rabbi Travis' latest work: "Days
of Redemption — Experiencing the Redemptions of Purim,
Pesach and Shavuos," a Feldheim publication.)
