This week’s Torah potion concerns itself almost exclusively with the laws and directives that the people are to follow when they inhabit the Land. These statutes range from personal hygiene (23:11-15) to divorce (24:1-4), from parent-child relations (21:18-21) workplace ethics (24:14-15).
One thought in particular is of great interest to me; the command to “blot out the memory of Amalek (who attacked the Jews in the desert) from under heaven. Do not forget!” (Deut. 25:19) It seems paradoxical that one could remember to destroy a remembrance; what are we to make of this command?
In the modern day, this exact conundrum comes up every time that I teach about the Holocaust. I certainly don’t want the memory of this event to fade from my students. But, at the same time, I don’t want that memory to paralyze them, to scar them in ways that would make our enemies rejoice. I want both to forget the horrors of war but also to remember their place in history.
As an educator, I have found a balance: I remember the tragic events of our past but temper them by acknowledging the blessings that we have also received. After the horrors of war, the State of Israel was born and the Jewish people found security and prosperity in many lands. This does not mean that we trivialize or diminish the suffering of our ancestors in the least! Rather, we honor their memories and their strength as we allow the names of our oppressors to fall away from our hearts.
May your memories be a blessing to you and a treasure to those with whom you entrust them.
