THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Vayikra

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you were leaving Egypt” Deuteronomy 25:17

The Amalekites attacked our ancient ancestors shortly after they left Egypt, for no apparent reason.

In response, the Torah commands us to “wipe out the memory of Amalek”, but the rabbis decided that this no longer applied to one particular people, since we can no longer be sure of who is ethnically Amalekite.

Having been disconnected from a specific group, the idea of Amalek becomes a codeword throughout our tradition for wanton, violent antisemitism.

During periods of our history when Jews felt relatively safe, this idea might have felt redundant and perhaps even embarrassing. But when, as now, many Jews are keenly aware of our vulnerability to irrational and potentially lethal hatred, it unfortunately recovers its relevance.

The verse above is recited communally on the Shabbat before Purim, known as Shabbat Zachor (“zachor” means “remember”) because Haman, the villain of the Purim story, was an Amalekite.

Haman sought to annihilate every Jewish man, woman and child and those who share his desire are often seen as spiritual allies or even heirs to the Amalekite legacy. This is not true for common or garden antisemites; only those with a thirst for fully fledged genocide need apply.

Our sages and mystics tell us many things about Amalek that resonate with our experience of those antisemites who proudly proclaim their genocidal intentions today, which we may find helpful.

We are told that Amalek is cruel, cynical, dishonest, devoid of hope or faith or love for life, and that he utilises rape as a weapon of war. Furthermore, he is identified with meticulously planning his murderous schemes, and finally with conceit or arrogance.

So how might we overcome such a foe? Our spiritual teachers suggest a few key remedies: to work on our own unhealthy pride or conceit; to give generously to those in need; to share the joy of Purim – and life – through the giving of mishloach manot (gift portions); and to invest in the depth of our relationship with Infinite Source. Prayer, which so many of us struggle to enter or to find meaningful, is perhaps our greatest weapon against despair, dishonesty, hopelessness and cynicism, and the most powerful means we have of awakening ourselves to contribute our utmost to the world around us.