Zachor: Purim, Women's Day and Remembering

 

Zachor: Shabbat and command

i.                           Introduction

Shabbat shalom to each of you here in Perth and those of you watching and listening to this talk from somewhere else around the globe. 

Today is International Women’s day and that in itself is likely a highlight for half of you. We here at the Perth Messianic Assembly are part of a global Jewish movement and thus the national and dare I say international pandemic of antisemitism is also front and centre in our concerns. Antisemitism is racism. And it’s advancing in Australia and globally in unprecedented and almost unbridled strength since 7 October 2023. 

ii.                       Antisemitism abounds

The news media reports it. The government decries it and dances around avoiding taking a significant stand lest some of their constituents vote them out in the next election which here in WA is happening just now. Universities around the globe advance the notion of free speech and then get caught with tent cities of opposition to the very institution that grants them alleged freedoms. Heads roll as public outcry demands leadership do something or be stood down. Racism is a violent reality with no apparent end in sight.

On 9 October 18 months ago, the organization “Never Again is Now” was launched by my friend, Anglican minister and Jewish believer Mark Leach in Sydney. Some of you might have been involved in his new organization here in Perth rallies even a fortnight ago, as they are seeking to change all that. More associations are also speaking out. An institute in the US is dedicated to stamping out antisemitism. Zachor Legal Institute, is one such agency. It is a legal think tank and advocacy organization, taking the lead in the legal battle against antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel, including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS). It is based in Bozeman, Montana in the US. Their main staff are three: Marc Greendorfer, (Yeshiva Law 1996), Ron Machol, the head of all non-legal issues and a high-tech leader, and Vanessa Hites, (School of Law, University of Chile, NYU.) 

iii.                  Zachor now and in the Older Testament

Their organization is named Zachor. The Hebrew word, ‘zachor’ means ‘remember.’ This group caught my eye this week, since today in synagogues worldwide the ordinary readings in Torah are supplemented by an additional reading. This supplementing happens during all 6 weeks before Passover every year. How long is that? Think about this, 6 weeks x 7 days is 42 days, and whether the Jews had this in place, or more likely we borrowed this countdown from the Church in its 40+ days Lenten expression which begins annually with Ash Wednesday (in 2025 a few days ago), it’s unclear. What we have is the first bonus reading today. The parsha is renamed “Zachor” and begins with the citation from Deuteronomy chapter 25. There we read: “Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt” (.17)

זָכ֕וֹר אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֲמָלֵ֑ק

Then the text continues, 

¹⁸ how Amalek met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.” (Dt. 25:18-19)

The quick story is bracketed with these words, “remember” and “don’t forget.”   

זָכ֕וֹר and לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח

That sounds like the same thing, doesn’t it? If I forget I’m not remembering and if I remember, I’m not forgetting. But listen, each of us responds to commands differently. Some of you need to hear “Don’t covet” while others of you need to hear “Be content with what you have.” Some need to hear “Don’t commit adultery” and others require “Love your spouse.” Both are accurate; both teach us. Both are mandates, but depending on your personality, we often either choose to hear, or dare I say, only hear things in the positive or the negative. Either way, the result is the same. Make it happen. Don’t do the wrong. Make it happen.

OK, that sounds situational and a matter of compliance. And today’s command to remember and not forget has to do with this particular enemy of the Jewish people, Amalek. 

iv.          Amalek and Purim

Who was he? The leader of an ancient people who lived in the south of Canaan, in the Negev, a fierce and warlike Bedouin people, who made themselves foes of Israel during the Exodus. Then later they were marauders in Israeli territory who were defeated both by Saul (1 Sam. 15) and by David (1 Chr. 18). The head of the people of course was a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36.12) who apparently was later connected with Ephraim’s territory (Jg. 5.14)

OK, so today we remember Amalek and we don’t forget him. Oh, this coming week we celebrate Purim, the festival of lots, and eat certain foods, as almost always happens on a Jewish holiday. Do you remember that story, too? A quick retelling is warranted today on International Women’s Day.

You see, the Jewish people were in trouble in Shushan and all the 127 provinces of the Persian empire. The king’s prime minister was evil and had made the king to make declarations against the Jewish people. We had to bow to the king and his images or face the consequences. A young Jewish beauty named Hadassah (renamed to be Esther) stood up to the challenge and she helped save our people. That should make the Top Ten on International Women’s Day, don’t you reckon?

The prime minister was named Haman and you know what to do when you hear his name, right? Stomp it out, grogger over it, get his name out of the house. In Scripture he is called an Agagite (Esther 8.3). That’s his people’s identity. Who was Agag? He was once the king of the Amalekites (1 Sam 15). So Haman is from the people whom we are to remember and not forget today. No wonder next week’s story will feature this episode in Israel’s history.

V. Beyond the victim

But here’s a nuance that today I want to highlight, so that when we are long separated from one another, you will benefit greatly from this d’rash even more.

You see, simply remembering the enemies of our Jewish people often makes us ever the victims. Psychologically, a victim who perpetuates the wrongs done to him will remain a victim and live to reference the Star Wars classic ‘on the dark side.’

Now I don’t want to diminish the remembrance of Haman, Agag, Amalek and all the enemies of the Jewish people, lest we forget that we must be ever vigilant in response. Think of Pharaoh or Hitler. We remember Hamas in our day and we must be aware and decry. We must not forget. Don’t get me wrong. But where else is our vigilance?\

vi.          Zachor the Almighty and his deeds

Let me see if I can put this in perspective. 

We as Jews are also mandated to remember who God is, what he did for us in various times of our history. If we forget, we will be punished or go into exile or lose our way. Remembrance is key to any highlight reel of Jewish story.

Think back to Gideon (Judges 8) and let it sink in.

“Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.” (.33-35)

If we don’t remember, we lose. Captivity happens. Failure attends us. Life leaves us. We lose.

Zachor Haman. Zachor Amalek. AND Zachor GOD. Zachor what God did and Zachor WHO HE IS. Zachor Hashem! Zachor.

Listen to these words in Torah. 

“Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Dt. 4.9)

פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֨ח

Later in chapter 4, again, “Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you.”(4.23)

And again Moses said, “beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (6.12)

Get it? Remember, zachor God! One more from Moses, “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Dt. 8.2)

Isaiah even joins the chorus with “Remember the former things” (Isaiah 46:9)

Asaph, the music director under King David wrote, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” (Ps. 77.11)

David wrote, “I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.” (Ps. 143.5)

vii.               A counsellor speaks

Sarah Puebla is a biblical counsellor in the USA. She’s part of the Association of Biblical Counsellors (https://biblicalcounseling.com/) I found her article entitled, “The Power of God and The Power of Remembering” extremely helpful. (https://bit.ly/RememberingPuebla)

She cites a couple of biblical texts, especially Psalm 77 where the psalmist is despairing and then says, “When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate my spirit faints. 

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” (77.1-4)

That doesn’t sound like she wins, does it? In fact, Puebla says, “These four verses are the perfect description of the body, mind, and spirit of one who is suffering and is spiralling down into hopelessness. We feel no comfort. Sleep leaves us and refuses to ease our eyelids shut. We feel faint, dry-mouthed and lacking in any words. As troubling and difficult these verses may be to read, just seeing them written in God’s Word should bring about a small amount of hope that the Lord recognizes these are real and tangible. But we must not stop there. We must seek and remember.”

Then the psalm reads as follows:

“I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said ‘Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart. Then my spirit made a diligent search. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds.” (77.5-6, 11-12)

She asks, “how do we do this?” Her dual answer is: “First, we turn to the written Word of God. “

Then, “Secondly, an important discipline in remembering is to think back on our own lives. As I have engaged counselees in this discipline, I have encouraged them to not only start in their trial now but also think back to what God has done in the past and journal about it. It can be a list form or prayer form, or journal form. It can even be a wall set aside in one’s home to display front and centre what God has done in the days, months, and years past. This practice has been invaluable in my own life as I have encountered tremendously difficult trials.”

 

viii.     Zachor in the Newer Testament

I would be remiss if we only looked at the Tenach today. We must hear the words of Messiah himself. He taught so much and lived so much. He accomplished so much. What are we to remember from Yeshua?

For that, we look to the end of this forty-day “Jewish Lenten” expression of time. You see, Yeshua gathered again with his disciples, his apprentices in Jerusalem on Passover. He had likely done so for several years, but on this occasion, we in history title it “The Last Supper.” That seder gave us what many in churches take today as the eucharist, the communion, the bread and wine, and they even use some of the words from that sacred memorial evening. 

What is Passover? It’s a Zikaron. Yes, same root, zachor. A memorial. Exodus 12 says, “Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.” (12.14)

The Passover meal was to be zachored. It was to be a memorial of what God did. He saved us from Pharaoh. He took us out of Egypt. He marched with us through the Red Sea. Eventually he took us into our promised land. Zachor God!

So on this night, in Jerusalem, when Yeshua was celebrating the memorial of that deliverance and the Exodus itself, Yeshua instituted another memorial. Luke records it for us. “And when He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” (Luke 22.19-20)

Another memorial within the former memorial. A subroutine of memorials. A wheel within a wheel. Remember. Don’t forget. 

Paul the Apostle told us nearly a generation later, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11.26)

         Zachor Yeshua. His death and resurrection. His soon coming again. Zachor to proclaim him. Get your eyes off yourself, o victim. Get your eyes on the One who is our life. Yeshua our Messiah and ultimate Deliverer. 

ix.                   Conclusion: Remember and proclaim

Sarah Puebla’s entire article is worth a read. 

The entire Book of Psalms is worth a read.

The entire Bible is worth a read. 

God is worthy of our attention today. 

Please don’t only Zachor Amalek.  Please don’t live in a victim state. Please remember and don’t forget all the Lord has done for you. Remember Yeshua and his ultimate love for you and for all yours. 

Yes, there will be tough times and times when we are deep in sorrow. Yes, we will remember 7 October and 1 September 1939. Our people were evicted in1492 from Granada, Spain and in 1290 when we Jews were evicted out of England. We won’t forget Babi Yar. We will remember the evils done to us, even here in Australia in Melbourne and Sydney as we’ve seen on the television news recently. AND we will remember that were the Lord not on our side, we would have fallen again and again; we would be no more. We would have perished along with the Hivites and the Agagites and the Canaanites. 

But now, go beyond that. Remember God and his mercy. Remember his covenants, that he made with our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with David and the ultimate new covenant, not like the covenant he made with Moses when we left Egypt (Jeremiah 31.31), but the new covenant Yeshua instituted that Pesach night in Jerusalem.  Remember the death and resurrection of our Messiah and love him with all your heart and soul. Proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns. 

The days are dark and evil. 

I close with these words from the Brit Hadasha, Jude verses 17 and following:

“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Messiah Jesus to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 17-23)

Thank you Ross and Mei. Thank you to each of you who keeps making PMA such a light on a hill here in Perth. Thanks for standing with us as we make the name of Yeshua known near and far in these troubled and troubling times. Zachor Messiah. 

Thank you and Shabbat shalom.