Parshat Zachor, according to some authorities, is a
Torah based commandment, a
Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim 685:7). It is, of course, important to hear the
Torah at its regular times, and every Jewish community is obligated to provide a public
Torah reading for its members (
Ma’aseh Rav Section 175). What is it about
Parshat Zachor, however, that requires from us the heightened obligation that each and every individual Jew must hear this reading without interruption? What is unique about
Parshat Zachor? What are we supposed to remember?
Parshat Zachor tells the story of the Amalekites. According to
Dvarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 25:17-19 the Amalekites attacked Israel from behind as they traveled across the desert from Egypt to the land of Israel. Who was behind? Who was in the back? The weak, the sick and the physically challenged. For their cowardly attack on this group of highly vulnerable individuals, the Amalekites are considered to be the paradigm of evil and t