Thanks for the Potholes on Memory Lane

Tzav

Leviticus 6:1-8:36

Précis: The parasha begins with Adonai ordering Moses to command (“tzav”) Aaron and his sons concerning offerings. Requirements for the daily offerings, directions for the meal offerings, instructions for guilt-offerings and thanksgiving offerings are described. The parasha then describes the initial offerings of the Tabernacle made by Aaron and his sons following their consecration to service by Moses. 

This week, we observe Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of Memory. It takes its name from the special supplemental reading in the second scroll, from the final verses of parasha Ki Tetze (Deut. 25:17–19), in which we are commanded to remember Amalek, and not to forget. We read this just before we observe Purim, when we recall that a descendant of Amalek again threatened the survival of the Jewish People.

               It’s not hard to see figurative, if not literal, descendants of Amalek hard at work today. They are legion: Iranians who threaten Israel with their nuclear program; Hezbollah armies to the north, Hamas and other terror organizations in Gaza, as well as the Arab states which refuse to recognize Israel’s legitimacy.

               We can add to these actual enemies those who provide them with comfort and support, be they the United Nations (which never misses an opportunity to castigate Israel for its “oppression” of Palestinians while ignoring the genocides of Syria or Africa), European nations which seek trade bans and sanctions against Israel, or academic and student associations calling for the boycott, disinvestment, and sanctions against Israel.

               No, this is a week we need to remember that enemies were cruel, but have not faded into the dustbin of history where they belong. We are commanded to remember Amalek, and this is a duty we cannot shirk.

               But remembering is also hard work, and there are times in our interpersonal relationships when it is just as important to forget. When we have been offended by insult, when we have suffered wrongs from others: these are certainly times when forgetting is appropriate. As Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav has said, “Most people think of forgetting as a defect. But I consider it a great benefit.” More recently, the American popular music composer and singer Randy Newman has suggested, “Thank God for the potholes on memory lane.” If we walked around every day with the clear memory of all of the misfortunes we have experienced, we could not continue on. As memory fades, anger can fade, and peace is possible.

               The important thing, I believe, is to understand the difference between what we must remember, and what we can allow ourselves to forget.