So much of Judaism centers on the root z-ch-r, the Hebrew root for memory. We proclaim, as we chant the words of the kiddush (blessing of sanctification) every shabbat that what we do (or don’t do) on this day is Zecher l’ma’asse v’reshit, in memory of God’s work to make Creation possible. The third paragraph of the Shmah (a twice-daily ritual recitation of passages in the Hebrew Bible) states: l’ma’an tizkeru, (you will wear the tzitzit, the ritual fringes) so that you remember and do all the mitzvot (the connections with God). Every day of the year remembering is the foundation of being Jewish.
There is a specific commandment to remember that is found in the Book of Deuteronomy (25:17-19), that we read twice a year, once as the Torah portion of the week, and once as a special section on the shabbat before the holiday of Purim. We read:
“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 Eternal your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” (JPS translation)
Twice the root z-ch-r appears in this paragraph. We are to remember what Amalek did and blot out its memory from the earth. Amalek “cut down the stragglers in your rear,” in other words, Amalek assaulted the weakest part of the Israelite camp, the place where women, children, the elderly and the sick would be as they left Egypt to return to the land of their ancestors. The passage ends with the directive to not forget what was done. Remember, do not forget—when unspeakable things are done to the people of Israel we are not permitted to forget it, we are not allowed to pretend nothing happened. For this reason, four weeks after the gruesome attacks to Israel on October 7, I will share with you a few of the things I am remembering right now, things I will not forget:
- Zichru (remember) that Hamas came into Israel with the sole purpose of murdering human beings who were in Israel, on the Shabbat of Sh’mini Atzeret, the ending of the fall holidays, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur war.
- Zichru (remember) that members of Hamas murdered one thousand four hundred of our brothers and sisters in Israel in one day.
- Zichru (remember) that members of Hamas captured two hundred and twenty of our brothers and sisters and are keeping most of them as hostages now.
- Zichru (remember) that many people around the world expressed their solidarity with Hamas, a terrorist group, claiming a causality that is nothing but an effort to explain away their anti-Judaism.
- Zichru (remember) that the UN did the same as above.
- Zichru (remember) the anti-Jewish violence in Universities across America that frightened young adults and their parents.
- Zichru (remember) that in Russia’s Dagestan Regional Airport a mob wanted to hurt passengers coming in a plane from Tel Aviv, and even demanded to see documents of the people waiting outside the airport to pick up passengers.
- Zichru (remember) how you felt when you saw your nightmares come to life.
- Zichru (remember) the way you worry about your friends and family who live in Israel.
- Zichru (remember) that many people reached out to offer comfort and prayers for you and your dear ones who are in Israel.
- Zichru (remember) the way the American government and the Biden administration supported Israel and condemned the violence that Hamas perpetrated.
- Zichru (remember) your humanity. Remember that you hurt for all the lives of regular people who are caught in this endless loop of violence. Remember that you believe in the dignity of life, in the value of God’s creation, and that you are praying for the end of all violence.
May we remember and never forget October 7, 2023, and pray for a resolution to this conflict, a long-lasting peace with safety for Israel and for Jews all over the world.