Parashat Vayikra 5782

by Rabbi Margie Cella

This week’s parashah continues the description of the various types of sacrifices. Here we learn about the burnt, meal, sin, guilt, and peace offerings: what was sacrificed, the reasons for each, and who got to eat the sacrifice. Only Aaron and his male descendants were permitted to eat the priestly portion, only peace offerings were eaten by the person who brought them. Neither the blood nor the fat was to be consumed by anyone.

Next Moshe gathered all the people to the tabernacle to witness the ordination of Aaron and his sons. He washed them, dressed them in their priestly garments, offered a bull and two rams as sacrifices; taking the blood from the second ram, he smeared it on the right ear, thumb, and big toe of each man to indicate his subservience to God. Finally, he gave them strict instructions not to leave the Tent for seven days.

This week is Shabbat Zachor, the shabbat that immediately precedes Purim. The special maftir Torah reading tells the story of Amalek, who led his people to attack the nation of Israel as we were leaving Egypt, singling out the most vulnerable among us as the first victims. God commands us three things: to remember (זכור) what Amalek did to us, to blot out the name of Amalek, and not to forget what he did to us.

This theme continues into the haftarah, where the prophet Samuel delivered to King Saul God’s command to attack the Amalekites, killing them all and proscribing their property. Saul complied, but failed to kill the Amalekite King Agag, taking him prisoner instead, as well as retaining the choicest of the animals. Samuel came to deliver the news that God is angry with Saul and will take the kingship, and ultimately his life, from him. Samuel himself killed Agag, but not before, according to midrash, he was able to father a child while in captivity.

Generations later, Mordecai, descended from the same line as Saul, defeated Agag’s descendant Haman, who lost his life for his crimes, along with 10 sons. Mordecai accomplished what Saul was unable to.

Since then, the name Amalek has come to be associated with any enemy who has risen to destroy us—Rome, Hitler, others. On a spiritual level, it has come to represent those things that would sow seeds of doubt in us, particularly in difficult or trying times. Each of us has our own Amalek(s) that try to destroy our faith. We must work to eradicate their harmful influence.

Zachor – remember!