Unity and Faith as a Solution

A Dvar Torah for Shabbat Parshat Zachor

This Shabbat, we will read Parshat Zachor¹:

זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם: אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל־הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱלֹקִים: וְהָיָה בְּהָנִיחַ ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ לְךָ מִכָּל־אֹיְבֶיךָ מִסָּבִיב בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ תִּמְחֶה אֶת־זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח:

"Remember what Amalek did to you on your way out of Egypt: how he happened upon you on the way and attacked all those who were weak and weary at the rear, and you were tired and exhausted, and did not fear G-d. And it shall be, when Hashem, your G-d, grants you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance to possess, you will wipe out the memory (zecher) of Amalek from under the heavens—do not forget!"

Rashi explains that "and did not fear G-d" refers to Amalek’s lack of reverence for Hashem. Yet since it does not explicit state this falls on Amalek an alternate way to understand this is that Bnei Israel did not fear G-d. The Or haChaim comments that had they been fully righteous they wouldn't have feared Amalek or war. His comment implies that had Bnei Yisrael possessed complete faith, Amalek would not have been able to attack them in the first place. Their spiritual deficiency left them vulnerable, for perfect righteousness brings divine protection.

This idea resonates with a video I saw recently, where a woman suggested that in 100 years, our children will see Hamas only in museums, asking who they were, since just as past evil nations they also have disappeared. While I hear many messages about Jewish unity and resilience, I see fewer calls for strengthening our relationship with Hashem and His Torah. Is such content out there, and I am just missing it? Or is this the missing element in our path to true redemption?

I ask this not as criticism, but out of sincere curiosity.

While preparing for my eldest son’s Bar Mitzvah, I have been delving into Parshat Ki Tavo², which immediately follows Parshat Zachor. This parsha describes horrors eerily similar to what we witness today. These verses, often read quickly³ and with difficulty, contain profound lessons about cause and effect—about divine consequence.

There is a story in HaYom Yom⁴ about the Mitteler Rebbe:

The Alter Rebbe would personally read the Torah, but one year he was absent for Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo. The Mitteler Rebbe, then a young boy, heard the reading from another person and was so distressed by the Tochachah⁵ (rebuke) that his father worried he would be too weak to fast on Yom Kippur. When asked why it affected him so deeply, given that these verses are read every year, he replied: “When my father reads it, they do not sound like curses.”

This teaches us that the words of the Torah contain not only warnings but also the secret to our redemption. Unity alone is not enough. History shows that without unity nor recognition of Hashem led to the Flood, while unity without the recognition of Hashem led to the Tower of Babel, and finally recognition of Hashem without unity led to exile and the destruction of the 2nd Temple. The world does not merely need unity or recognition of Hashem alone—it needs unity with an awareness of Hashem.

So I ask you, dear reader: if you have content encouraging a return to Hashem and His Torah, please share it. Hopefully, it exists, and I have just not seen enough of it.

Finally, we must address the commandment: "You will wipe out the zecher (memory) of Amalek."

Some interpret this as a call for physical destruction. Indeed, in the case of Shaul and Agag⁶, this was necessary. However, the Torah is precise with its wording, and "zecher" can also mean the ideology of Amalek—the very essence of evil. Our mission is not just physical eradication but spiritual purification. The Torah’s preference is always for nonviolent means—education, transformation, and return to righteousness. Only in cases where evil is irredeemable does the Torah mandate destruction as a last resort.

May we all be zocheh to return to Hashem and help bring the world closer to Him.

Shabbat Shalom!

1. Deuteronomy 25:17-19

2. Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8

3. There even is a prevalent custom not to call up the reader for this aliyah and that the person walks up without being called.

4. Entry for 17 Elul

5. 6th aliyah corresponding to Deuteronomy 28:7-69, the preceding aliyah also contains a section with curses

6. I Samuel 15, the Haftarah for Parshat Zachor