Zachor

Overview

Parshas Zachor is read on the Shabbos before Purim and fulfills a Torah-level mitzvah of remembrance. Its verses command us to remember what Amalek did to Israel on the way out of Egypt — attacking the weak and weary — and to blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. It is joined to Purim because Haman was a descendant of Amalek. The Sfas Emes reads the war on Amalek inwardly: erasing the force of doubt and happenstance, sanctifying deed and speech, and revealing Hashem's hidden Name through the power of Shabbos.

Themes

• Blotting out Amalek
• Remembrance versus happenstance
• Shabbos erases Amalek
• Hatred born of love for Hashem
• Revealing the hidden Name
• Sanctifying the deed

Must-read teachings

1. 1Remembrance versus Amalek's happenstanceIn the Midrash: "Bless Hashem, His angels..." (Tehillim 103:20) — for a Jew, too, is sent into this world to carry out the shlichus (mission) of Hashem like an angel (malach). The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash on "barchu Hashem malachav…תרל"ב
2. 2Blotting out Amalek through elevation and ShabbosIn the Midrash: "those who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word." The Midrash expounds the verse from Tehillim about the angels who "do His word" and then "hearken to the voice of His word," reading the order — doing, then heari…תרמ"ג
3. 3Blotting out Amalek through Shabbos unityIn the Midrash: "beautiful of fruit and fair of form," and so on. The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash that draws on this phrase (describing the menorah/olive) to explore the theme of light. The matter is that He has no need of light. Chaz…תר"מ
4. 4Amalek, Shabbos, and the refinement of descentIn the Midrash: "a fresh olive tree," etc. (Yirmiyahu 11:16). The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash that compares Bnei Yisrael to a flourishing olive tree, a metaphor he will unfold to explain their unique avodah of refinement. And in the M…תרמ"ה
5. 5Shabbos, bris, and blotting out AmalekNow, Shabbos is called "testimony" (sahadusa). The Sefas Emes opens with the teaching that Shabbos bears the name "testimony," for keeping Shabbos bears witness that Hashem created the world. And it is the aspect of Yosef, as it is written:…תרנ"ד
6. 6Conquering Amalek by sanctifying deedIn the Midrash: "Bless Hashem, His angels, mighty in strength…" (Tehillim 103:20). The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash on the verse praising the angels who are "mighty in strength" and who do Hashem's word. The lower beings, who cannot wi…תרל"ה
7. 7Inner point refines all through ShabbosIn the Midrash: "a fresh olive tree," etc. — just as an olive, etc., they surround it with stones and afterward extract its oil, etc. The Midrash compares Bnei Yisrael to an olive that yields its oil only after being beaten and crushed — re…תרל"ו
8. 8Completing the deed: erasing Amalek perfects Hashem's NameIn the Midrash: "Bless Hashem, His angels" (Tehillim 103:20) — and not all His angels, for the lower ones cannot withstand the duties (tafkidim) of the Holy One, blessed is He, etc.; "those who do His word" — for they placed naaseh (doing) …תרנ"ד