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Parshah Columnists - Zachor

Guest Columnists
The Power of Memory
Parshat Zachor
It isn't mere coincidence that every totalitarian regime in history, as the first step in cementing its hold on the people under its rule, has first exerted control over their memory...
Remember: The Answer to Terrorism
When we understand the root and essence of terrorism, we also understand how despite its awful power we can fight it, each and every one of us, until it is absolutely destroyed.
Wipe Out Amalek, Today?
If the Torah commands the Jewish people to wage an eternal war against the nation of Amalek, why aren’t you seeking out Amalekites to kill?
Amalek and the Irrational Antisemites of All Generations
An Essay on Parshat Zachor
Fundamental hatred does not derive from any reason whatsoever, nor does it end when the hater recognizes and is rationally aware of the other's virtues.
Weekly Sermonette
Remember but Rejoice
There is a danger that our children may grow up knowing more about the Holocaust than about Judaism.
Who Needs Anti-Semites?
There is nothing superfluous in G‑d’s world. So what is the purpose of an anti-Semite? Just that—to remind Jews that they are Jewish!
Reflections on the Parshah
A Time to Battle
As Jews, we are faced by two different types of enemies; one G-d battles, the other is our responsibility
Moses' Heavy Hands
Moses didn't become hoarse; his hands became heavy. Is it because speaking is always easy?
Life's Passages
A Lesson From Timna the Concubine
Vayishlach
Timna’s actions seem righteous and altruistic. Why would this result in a child who represents the very paradigm of evil?
Parshah Messages
Haman's Luck
Haman and Amalek both used the same failing strategy. What was this plan, and why did it fail?
Embrace Your Inner Ice
On Fighting Ice with Ice
How do we fight inner coldness? Well, the most obvious antidote to ice is heat. With enough heat you could melt a glacier. But there's another way...
Inner Stream
The Skeptic
The skeptic can destroy, in an instant, understandings and commitments that take years to establish. What makes it difficult to contend with is his imperviousness to argument or debate. This is the spirit of the Biblical Amalek...
Parshah Musings
Hatred
Can Judaism condone hatred? Or perhaps the question really is -- does a failure to hate evil constitute a tacit approval of its existence?
Comment
War
Love is the hallmark of Judaism; some of us even claim that we taught that word to the world. This Shabbat, however, we will stand in our synagogues and listen to a reading from the Torah that tells us to hate.
The Kabbalah of the Neck
The head is obviously a critical piece of machinery. Would it not have been more judicious to put it in a more protected place, perhaps somewhere deep within the body's bulk?
More Parshah Articles
Zachor Haftarah Companion
For an informed reading of I Samuel 15:2–34
The haftarah recounts the story of a time when Amalek was almost eliminated, but not quite entirely.
Covenant & Conversation
The Face of Evil
After 9/11, when the horror and trauma had subsided, Americans found themselves asking what had happened and why. Was it a disaster? A tragedy? A crime? An act of war? It did not seem to fit the pre-existing paradigms. And why had it happened?
Beyond Speech
On the Haftarah: Going Beyond
For the haftarah of Zachor, From the Teachings of the Rebbe
The haftarah begins with Samuel the prophet giving G‑d’s command to Shaul to utterly wipe out Amalek.
What the Rebbe Taught Me
How To Lose Your Memory
The way to overcome negativity is to circumvent it.
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