On enemies and Purim
Last Shabbat we read a special maftir, out of a second Torah. (Maftir is a short paragraph read at the end of the Torah reading service on Shabbat, and is usually a repeat of the last bit of the week's portion.) It was Amalek. "Remember what the Amalek did to you*," It starts out, and then goes on about how they attacked the Israelites on their way
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(And I have no idea.)
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One I learned from someone else (some rabbi who I forget):
Zachor here really means "a monument" - so you should smash the monument that you build to Amalek in your behaviors and your actions. That is - stamp out evil actions that pick on the little guy.
My understanding is this:
The story of Amalek is that they picked off the weak folks at the edges/back of the camp. Why did we let the weak be at the edges? We need to make sure to build a society that incorporates and protects the weakest members and doesn't marginalize them. Stamping out the remembering of Amalek means to stamp out the behaviors that let the weak be marginalized. Yes, we should watch out for evil around us, but more imporantly, don't let another Amalek attack the weak - protect them instead. (This is particularly relevant to Purim where an orphaned Jewish woman - a minority in a minority in a minority - saved the day).
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I've been struggling with Purim this year. I like the storytime, the partytime, the hamentashen, but I've been feeling like I can't find meaning in the holiday. except that it provoked this dvar torah :)
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Shekalim - Everyone contributes equally and affirmatively create communal goods.
Zachor - Protect the vulnerable and eliminate evil.
Parah - Now that evil from without is gone, purify ourselves together and require members to actively step forward (if they aren't purified, they're cut off... this is kind of troubling).
HaChodesh - And now you're ready to begin your communal journey to salvation/etc.
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It's a super nice sentiment, and a totally reasonable drash. And in that sense i like it a lot.
But it doesn't address the violence, or why a people would have to be wiped out, stamped out, erased, in order for us to be good to each other. I mean, we already have commandments telling us to be good to each other. Why cloak that same directive as having to do with the Other? And it also doesn't address (though maybe it doesn't have to) the issue of Purim being a celebration of killing enemies.
I guess I like the drash, and it also doesn't entirely address my question. But it's an interesting new bit of info to play with in my mind. Thanks!
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