The Seal of Memory
ויאמר ה’ אל משה כתוב זאת זכרון בספר ושים באזני יהושע כי מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים
And G-d said to Moshe, write this as a remembrance in the book, and place it in the ears of Yehoshua, that I [G-d] will surely erase the memory / patrilineage of Amalek from under the heavens.[i]
Question
When reading these verses publicly (particularly on פרשת זכור, which is customarily (based on the Mishna[ii]) read on the week before Purim), there is a well-known custom that developed[iii] concerning how to pronounce the word זכר. Either as:
- זֶכֶר – Zeh’Ĉer – males (patrilineage)
- זֵכֶר – Zay’Ĉer – memory
Why do we read both pronunciations? Shouldn’t we simply read the correct pronunciation? Is there a correct pronunciation?
Halaĉic Background
The Sefer Mitzvos Gedolos notes there are two (2) positive Mitzvos concerning the eradication of Amalek:
- The command to physically eradicate the nation[1] of Amalek as it says in the verse תמחה את זכר עמלק.
- The command to constantly remember what the nation of Amalek did, and eradicate their memory – זכר את אשר עשה לך עמלק. As Rashi notes, men and women, old and young, sheep and cattle – nothing should be left that could be identified as being related to Amalek.
It would thus seem to make sense that each of these methods of pronunciation refers to a specific positive Mitzva.
- The pronunciation of זֶכֶר – Zeh’Ĉer – males (patrilineage) refers to the command to physically eradicate the nation.
- The pronunciation of זֵכֶר – Zay’Ĉer – memory refers to the command to erase their memory.
However, the custom is not to assign one pronunciation to one of the verses (Shemos vs Devarim) and the other pronunciation to the other verse. Instead, each verse is read with both pronunciations. Why?
Furthermore, the idea that this is done due to a doubt as to the proper pronunciation seems to be a trite answer. If it were truly a doubt, then both times (Shemos and Devarim) the word would be read in the same way. A primary pronunciation would be determined, and the alternative method would be read “just in case”. However, this is not the custom. Instead, the custom is that each reading has its own particular order.
Expanding the Question
This distinction of the two methods of reading the word, and the associated difference in meaning, and the need to ensure that the pronunciation of the word is properly taught is based on the Gemara[iv] which recounts the story of Yoav son of Tzeruya, King Dovid’s general, who was mistaken as to the meaning of the verse, since his teacher had taught him only one of the methods of pronunciation.
Accordingly, when attacking the Amalekites he did not engage in a campaign of eradication. As we know from the verse[v] כי ששת ימים ישב שם יואב וכל ישראל עד הכרית כל זכר באדום – for six (6) days Yoav and all the Jews sat there only until they killed all the men of Edom. He only killed the males of Amalek (Amalek is a descendant of Edom) and did not attempt to eradicate all traces of them.
Later, when he returned to Dovid, he was asked why he had done this.
Yoav responded with the teaching of his teacher, the verse[vi] תמחה את זֶכֶר עמלק – wipe out the males [patrilineage] of Amalek.
He [Dovid] said to him [Yoav], “But we read this as זֵכֶר – memory.”
Yoav responded, “I was taught to read this as זֶכֶר – males (patrilineage).”
Yoav went to ask his teacher, and said, “How is this read?”
The teacher said to him, “זֶכֶר – males (patrilineage).”
Yoav drew his sword to kill his teacher.
His teacher asked, “Why?”
Yoav quoted the verse[vii], ארור עשה מלאכת ה’ רמיה – cursed is he who performs the Works of G-d in trickery.
His teacher said, “Leave that man to be cursed then.”
Yoav responded with the continuation of the verse, וארור מנע חרבו מדם – and cursed is the one who prevents his sword from blood.
Some say he killed him, and some say he didn’t kill him.
It thus seems that Dovid knew the word and its meaning was זֵכֶר – memory. And that Yoav’s failure in being taught the proper meaning resulted in a failure to completely eradicate the memory of Amalek. Instead, Yoav spent six (6) days only wiping out the males of Edom and leaving everything else untouched.
This seems to indicate that, notwithstanding[2] the number of positive Mitzvos derived from these verses and their distinctions, the proper pronunciation is זֵכֶר – memory. If that is the case, why is the alternative pronunciation of זֶכֶר – males (patrilineage) being preserved by the custom of reading both pronunciations, especially when Yoav quoted a curse for teaching the improper meaning of the verse – a curse for which he felt the death penalty was warranted.
Foundational Principles
What is Amalek
In Ĉassidic philosophy as well as in Kabbalistic thought, Amalek is defined as the source of all evil, the attempt to counter the Sefira of חכמה (Wisdom or Divine Inspiration). This is based on the prophecy of Bill’am who defined[viii] that nation as ראשית גוים עמלק – the first [source] of the nations. As the Sefira of חכמה is the first and source of all divine revelations to this world, Amalek exists in its evil to attempt to break or corrupt that life and light.
In practical terms, if the Wisdom of G-d, as contained in the Torah is the source of all goodness brought to the world, then Amalek exists to attack that wisdom. To attack the mind even at its moment of greatest and highest inspiration.
The function of the Nekudos
How does the flash of inspiration (חכמה) translate to a reality? There is a process by which it travels and transforms itself through the human psyche (which in turn teaches us how this function occurs within the structure of the Sefiros).
First, the flash of inspiration is passed on to בינה the Seat of Understanding. The point of inspiration is there stretched into a fully fledged idea incorporating all the nuances of how it applies to whatever is being considered. Then the flash of inspiration drops to חסד – it is transformed from an intellectual exercise to an emotional connection, causing the person to feel the need to act.
This entire chain of transformation process is represented symbolically with all the various נקודות in Hebrew. Including, specifically, the vowels of צירי (two dots side by side) and סגול (three dots forming a triangle).
As taught to me by my teacher[ix] these two vowels represent the following:
- The צירי – represented by two (2) dots side-by-side. This represents the two (2) Sefiros of חכמה and בינה side-by-side – indicating that we are talking about the light within Understanding which takes the initial point of inspiration and converts it into a fully-fledged idea from multiple points of view.[3]
- The סגול – represents by three (3) dots in-a-triangle. This represents the third (3rd) of the Sefiros[4], חסד – kindness, the ability to feel for others, the start of the emotional attributes. As we are talking about a lower level from the intellectual Sefiros, the third dot is placed lower than the other two. And, as חסד receives from both חכמה and בינה, the dot is placed in the middle of both.[5]
The Connection to Memory
A vowel on its own though is like an empty function. The function exists conceptually but hasn’t been applied to any particular item. Similar to a basic concept in math, like addition. Addition exists absent that which is being added (x + y = z), but without the application of that to a real world problem it remains theoretical. When, on the other hand, the vowels are applied to a word, suddenly meaning is generated. Similar to the concept of a cook – when dough is added to cheese and sauce, you get pizza.
Here, the custom is to apply both of these vowels to the letters זכר. When combined one way – זֵכֶר, the result is memory. And when combined the other way – זֶכֶר, the result is male.
Interestingly, Rabeinu Moshe Cordovero[x] notes a connection between both words, memory and male, to the Sefira of חכמה.
Answer
The Chill-ax Strategy
To understand the requirement for a dual pronunciation, we must first understand Amalek’s overarching strategy.
The Torah describes Amalek’s attack with the phrase אשר קרך בדרך – for he cooled you off on the way. Amalek’s primary spiritual weapon is not necessarily physical destruction, but the introduction of spiritual apathy. His goal is to “cool down” those who are inspired to goodness.
Rashi[xi] famously illustrates this “cooling” effect with the parable of a boiling bathhouse that no creature could enter. Along came one scoundrel who jumped in; although he was scalded, he broke the psychological barrier and with his own body, he cooled it off for everyone else. Amalek attacked the חכמה – the unassailable peak of Divine inspiration. Even though Amalek was crushed in that initial physical battle, their sheer audacity “cooled” the awe the world had for G-d, introducing the spiritual apathy that allows doubt to fester.
Because Amalek attempts to act as the counter to the Sefira of חכמה, his attack is aimed directly at the mind’s ability to process and act upon Divine inspiration. He is the ראשית (the first) of evil, specifically targeting the ראשית (the inception) of good. This “cooling down” happens on two (2) distinct fronts, which correspond to the two (2) vowels of our dual pronunciation:
The War on Intellects’ Propagation – זֵכֶר: memory.
The first prong of Amalek’s attack is aimed at the purely intellectual realm[6]. The attack is aimed at the transference between the initial flash of inspiration and the cognitive processing of that wisdom. He doesn’t and cannot deny that the flash occurred. Instead, he attempts to defile it. By distorting the memory of what happened and attempting to convince you that you can’t possibly have been inspired by divinity. Instead, you must have been mistaken. He casts doubt on the whole experience and tells you that since the foundation is in doubt, therefore, why bother examining this further. And if you cannot remember the source of inspiration, then it is no longer divinely rooted, and the powers of rationalization can even work against the initial divine inspiration, rationalizing evil as being good.
The War on Intellect’s Empathy – זֶכֶר: males (patrilineage).
True understanding of another’s plight, the ability to put oneself into another’s shoes must result in empathy if one is to be intellectually honest. This is what Amalek targets.
The second prong of the attack occurs when a person successfully defeats Amalek on the first front. What happens if a person does retain the inspiration and processes it into a clear, intellectual understanding of the Truth? What happens when a person retains a firm memory of the truth of G-d’s existence and his provision of inspiration to humanity, and refuses to call that into doubt?
Amalek then shifts his attack to the downward flow from חכמה. The flash of understanding also flows to the first of the emotional attributes – the ability to empathize with another person, and to create an emotional connection with the other person. In this phase, Amalek attempts to sever the link between חכמה and חסד. He wants to ensure that even if you understand the truth, it doesn’t travel down into your heart to create the desire for Good. This creates the tragic phenomenon of cognitive dissonance – a person who knows exactly what is right in their mind but feels entirely apathetic in their heart. They lack the warmth and passion to physically act upon their convictions.
Amalek tells you, “So what?” or “Who cares?” Let the intellect expand ad infinitum, those ideas have nothing to do with me. That inspiration won’t make a difference. So why bother.
Applying the correct Battle Plan
This two-pronged attack by Amalek, the intellectual battle and the physical battle, is taught to us in the two sections of the Torah discussing the eradication of Amalek. The Torah is charting the necessary progression of the Jewish people from the realm of the mind into the realm of action and warning us against allowing the attacks of Amalek to interrupt that.
The Battle of the Mind
Immediately following the Exodus from Egypt, the nation faced its initial battle spiritual test. As they said in the verse היש ה’ בקרבנו אם אין – is G-d really amongst us or not. They doubted G-d’s presence among them, notwithstanding the tremendous open miracles they had experienced. This doubt was immediately pounced on and seized by Amalek in their attack on the Jewish people.
This is the stage in which G-d says he is the one who will wage the war against Amalek. The ability to question is a fundamental aspect of intellectual honesty and removing that ability from the Jewish people completely would result in robotic-like servants. Therefore G-d is the one who fights this battle, as he says כי מחה אמחה. G-d will prevent the ability to ask questions from turning into doubts of faith. He will utterly erase even the memory of the doubt.
And when will this occur – when his throne and name are complete. With the complete revelation of G-dliness in this world, there will no longer be room for any doubts. Questions and efforts at seeking greater understanding will still exist, but the doubt that can turn an innocent question into a crisis of faith will be erased. Accordingly, this Mitzva – the command to erase the memory of Amalek – will only be complete in the times of Moshiaĉ. The connection between חכמה and בינה – Inspirational Wisdom, and the Understanding that accompanies it will be unassailable.
Therefore, the word is initially read as זֶכֶר – Zeh’Ĉer – males (patrilineage), because it is the physical nation of Amalek which started this war. But that word is fixed to זֵכֶר – Zay’Ĉer – memory, because the conclusion of the spiritual war, which G-d will fight – will be when the memory of Amalek is erased from the world.
The Battle of Empathic Action
Forty (40) years later, when the Jews were about to enter the Land of Israel, the paradigm shifts. Moshe is speaking to a nation about to graduate from purely spiritual pursuits, where kindness was a theoretical abstraction – for after all, what kindness was required, G-d provided all their physical needs to all in an open miraculous faction. He provided Mana for them to eat, the well of Miriam provided them with drink, the Clouds of Glory ensured their clothing did not wear out – and protected them and their wealth from any attackers. All of their needs (in addition to being fabulously wealthy) were fully provided for.
However, now the nation would enter into the Land of Israel, where, by the sweat of their brow and toil of their hands they would have to labor to support themselves. Inevitably there would be those who would be less fortunate and deserving of empathy and kindness. Now Amalek would seize its chance to attack again.
Therefore, the Mitzva is now focused on the command to eradicate the actual nation of Amalek. Kindness from bleeding hearts to those who are evil would only be turned against the people who provide that kindness.
Therefore, the pronunciation changes from זֵכֶר – Zay’Ĉer – erasing the memory of the evil of Amalek to זֶכֶר – Zeh’Ĉer – the actual physical destruction of the nation – the males (patrilineage). We cannot allow ourselves to forget what will happen if Amalek is allowed to latch on and attack us through the very kindness we show them. They and all traces of their evil must physically be removed from the world.
Why Antisemitism
While this explains the need for both pronunciations, and where to apply both battle plans in the fight against Amalek, and how to recognize an attack by Amalek, we are still left with a very poignant question: Why do the descendants of Amalek specifically target the Jewish people?
For us, these abstract concepts are not limited to the ether. The concept of spreading goodness and the empathy that results in inherent caring about others is something that is transmitted to the Jewish people through our spiritual and physical fundamental makeup. We are at our most basic level ביישנים רחמנים וגומלי חסדים – modest, empathetic to others, and doers of kindness.[7] [xii] It is a physical part of who we are, and in Judaism, such pedigree passes through the male line.[xiii]
To counter that, Amalek ensures that his own genealogy is a direct opposite[8] of those ideas.
- Anti-ביישנים – he has no shame in his actions, proudly announcing to the world what he is, does and intends to do. He announces, “So what?”
- Anti-רחמנים – he has no empathy for others, proudly reveling in another’s suffering. He demurs saying, “It’s none of my business.”
- Anti-גומלי חסדים – even with himself, he places no value on kindness, and in fact turns the kindness of others against them. Using the very resources obtained through their kindness to commit evil. He laughs and says, “Too bad.”
As we are the people that stand against apathy and evil, therefore, evil attacks us because that is their entire existence: opposition to goodness and kindness.
And because it is all that they are, when that opposition is erased by the revelation of G-d in this world, they themselves will be destroyed, as their prophecy continues:
ואחריתו עדי אבד – and in their end they will be utterly destroyed.
AND THEREFORE…
The Seal of Truth
The Mathematics of Memory
The numerical value of the word זכר is two hundred and twenty-seven (227). As we have established, fully defeating Amalek requires us to fight on two distinct fronts: the intellectual battle of the mind and the physical battle of action. When we combine both of these crucial aspects, both זֵכֶר the intellectual and empathic war to preserve the memory of inspiration and the eradication of זֶכֶר the physical embodiment of evil the total value of the two words is four hundred and fifty-four (454=227 x 2).
What is the significance of the Gematria? It is the exact Gematria of the word חותם – Seal.
The Signature of Creation
As our Sages teach[xiv], G-d’s ultimate Seal is אמת – Truth.[9] We see this Divine signature stamped at the very beginning and the very end of the Parsha of Creation:
- The final letters of the first three words of the Torah בראשית ברא אלקים spell the word אמת.
- The final letters of the last three words of the Parsha of Creation ברא אלקים לעשות also spell the word אמת.
Closing the Loop
This textual framing of the entirety of the Parsha of Creation teaches us a lesson about reality: G-d’s Truth, his Seal, is only fully revealed when the loop is closed. The inspiration of the beginning must be perfectly actualized in the physical end.
When Amalek is defeated on both fronts – when the memory of inspiration is successfully preserved in the mind, and the genealogy of evil is practically removed from the earth – then the G-d’s Seal, the Truth of his existence, will be completely revealed.
This is exactly why the destiny of Amalek is described by the verse as עדי אבד. Because it is only with his total, dual-front removal that the ultimate, unclouded Truth of G-d can finally be revealed in the world.
[1] Since non-Jewish lineage is traced to the patrilineal method, the death of all males means that the nation has been destroyed.
[2] We can say this because, the successful implementation in full of either Mitzva will eventually result in the successful implementation of the other. If the males are completely eliminated, eventually the people will be forgotten. If the people are forgotten, then eventually, through intermarriage and assimilation, the male lineage will end.
[3] Perhaps we can say this is why it is called a צירי from the following etymological roots:
- Birth-pangs as, for example, in the verse [Yeshayahu 21:3] כצירי לידה – like the pains of birth. בינה is often called the “mother” in Kabbalistic literature, and thus she has “birth-pangs” in taking purely intellectual ideas and converting them into emotional feelings.
- Messenger as, for example, in the verse [Ovadya 1:1] וציר בגוים שלח – and a messenger amongst the nations has been sent. Like a messenger, בינה sends forth the fully developed idea to be used as the basis for empathic feelings and connections.
[4] Excluding דעת because when כתר is counted, דעת is not – which in the order of the Nekudos, we include the Kamatz, referring to Kesser. And excluding כתר as being an אור מקיף. Here, in the world of Nekudos, we do not generally count that which is encompassing. Each is its own specific point. It is only when combined later with letters to form a word that this specific point can encompass additional meaning.
[5] Also, etymologically, perhaps we can say that this is called a סגול from the term in the Torah [Shemos 19:5] והייתם לי סגלה. Also, as is commonly understood, a סגולה is a sign for ‘good luck’, which is another way of saying that one receives goodness completely out of proportion with the circumstances on the ground. This is quintessential kindness, the giving to others without being deserving.
[6] Amalek cannot target חכמה directly, because, [euphemistically] due to its level of ביטול there’s nothing to target. Instead, he focuses on the השפעה from חכמה to the other Sefiros.
[7] We can say that each of these represents one of the three (3) starting Sefiros:
- ביישנים – the aspect of humility is tied to the Sefira of חכמה
- רחמנים – the aspect of mercy is tied to the Sefira of בינה
- גומלי חסדים – the physical manifestation of the Sefira of חסד
[8] Rashi’s notes three (3) interpretations of the word קרך:
- Happenstance: he attributes what occurs to happenstance instead of divine intervention, or his own evil actions. Accordingly, why should he be embarrassed. It just happened.
- Humility is the aspect that counters this. Recognizing that nothing is by chance and everything one has achieved is all by Divine Providence results in profound humility. This is something inherently recognized by the Jewish people.
- Cooling down: he downplays any truth or goodness into doubts and converting empathy into apathy. Who cares?
- Mercy is the aspect that counters this. Mercy is the idea that one increases in empathy the greater the differentiation between the people. Who cares? I care – not because we are on the same level and therefore this affects me. Just the opposite. Because we are on a greater level, therefore we care about those less fortunate. Whether that is spiritual or physical distance doesn’t matter. We care.
- Seminal emission: he takes something which should result in a close relationship between husband and wife producing children and converts it into something evil and rancid. He corrupts that which is good for the purpose of corruption. Too bad it happened, now it is ruined.
- Physical manifestations of kindness is the aspect that counters this. Performing actions that are not just good in and of themselves but are גומלי – causing and perpetuating kindness. Even something broken can be fixed and not just that but it can be nurtured to in turn perpetuate kindness further.
[9] The Yerushalmi [Yer. Sanhedrin 1:1] asks why אמת is G-d’s seal. The answer given is because the very word demonstrates the nature of the Divine Signature – it does not change no matter what it goes through. Similarly, the word אמת is made up of the first middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. If any part of the letter is missing it ceases being truth.
- If the letter Aleph is missing, the word formed is מת – death. Without the Aleph, the אלופו של עולם – the chieftain of the world Truth is dead.
- If the letter Mem is missing, the word formed is את – a grammatical function defining something as being specifically identifiable or dependent on something else. Without the Mem, Kabbalisticly connected to חכמה – the Torah, Truth is subjective.
- If the letter Tuff is missing, the word formed is אם – if. Without the Tuff, תיו which means identifying mark Truth is unverifiable.
[i] Shemos 17:14
[ii] Mishna Megillah 3:4
[iii] Magen Avraham – Oreĉ Ĉaim 685:1, also noted in Mishna Berura 685:18
[iv] Gem. Bava Basra 21a-b
[v] Melaĉim I 11:16
[vi] Devarim 25:19
[vii] Yirmiyahu 48:10
[viii] Bamidbar 24:20
[ix] Reb Volf Greenglass o.b.m. See also the Ramak’s discussions on this in Pardes Rimonim Gate 28
[x] Pardes 28 ערכי הכינוים
[xi] Devarim 25:18
[xii] See Midrash Tehillim 1:8. See also, Rashi on Shmuel II 21:2. See also Bartenura on Pirkey Avos 5:20
[xiii] See Shulĉan Aruĉ Even HaEzer
[xiv] Gem. Shabbos 55a. See also Yoma 69b and Sanhedrin 64a