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At the end of the daily Morning Prayer services, appears the supplemental section of “The Six Remembrances”. Our sages taught that it is desirable to recount six specific events in our nation’s history (on a daily basis) in order to bear in mind the important themes that are included in them. “The Six Remembrances” are: (1) The Exodus from Egypt, (2) Receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, (3) Amalek’s Attack, (4) The Sin of the Golden Calf, (5) Miriam’s Sin, and (6) The Sabbath.

“The Exodus” and “Sinai” are definitely important to remember for they signify the birth of our nation. “Sabbath” is likewise significant for it attests to God’s creation of the universe. “The Golden Calf” was an event that changed our relationship with God forever, and our sages relate that we are still being punished for it until this very day. “Amalek’s Attack” is also crucial to remember for in its recitation we are commanded to “erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens”. Amalek is not only a nation, but an ideology, that completely goes against every aspect of Jewish faith. All these events seem to have been extremely momentous in our nation’s history. The remaining event, “Miriam’s sin”, however doesn’t really seem to stand out as much. Miriam’s sin entailed speaking slander against her brother, Moshe, and God punished her with leprosy. What is so special about this event that it merits to be included in “The Six Remembrances”!?

The command to remember “Miriam’s Sin” and “Amalek’s Attack” both appear in this week’s Torah portion; this seems to hint that they may be related to one another. If one were to examine their respective verses, this connection is highlighted even more:

“Remember what Hashem, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you were leaving Egypt” (Deuteronomy: 24: 9)

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you were leaving Egypt” (Deuteronomy: 25: 17)

The words describing these remembrances are practically identical! So, what is the connection between these two events?

In order to answer our above questions, we shall first examine the event of Amalek’s Attack on its own. The verses continue “…when Hashem, your God, gives you rest from your enemies all around, in the Land that Hashem, your God, gives you as an inheritance to possess it, you shall erase the memory of Amalek…” These verses imply that only once we have completely conquered and settled the land of Israel can we go after Amalek. But why? If Amalek, our nemesis, represents the exact opposite of everything we stand for and believe in, why don’t we wage war with them immediately!? Why must we delay our war with them until we settle in the land of Israel first!? (*See footnote*)

To delve into this idea further we must return to the verse quoted above:

“Remember what Amalek did to you (singular) on the way, when you (plural) were leaving Egypt” (Deuteronomy: 25: 17)

As shown, the verse jumps from the singular to the plural. The meaning of this switch can be explained as follows: When the Jewish people left Egypt they were indeed experiencing the nation’s birth. But, just as when a baby is born it requires a long growth process to reach full maturity, the Jewish nation required a growth process as well. Although we were free, our unity was in shambles. The verse uses the plural when describing our state upon leaving Egypt, because we were not in the state of “oneness” that is expected of a nation. On the other hand, the first half of the verse is directed towards the Jewish people at the very time that the verse was spoken. At this point in history we were just moments away from beginning our conquest of the land of Israel. The nation had already undergone a 40-year growth process in the desert since their immature state upon leaving Egypt. The final stage of this growth process was to finally settle in the land of Israel. Israel is the place on earth where the highest degree of unity between Heaven and Earth exists. Only once we settled in such a unity-driven land, could we ultimately reach complete unity as a nation. Because this verse was spoken right as we were about to enter Israel we were therefore addressed in the singular.

Amalek was able to attack us only when we existed in an immature and disjointed state. Consequently, the only way to ensure that we successfully annihilate Amalek is to exist in a completely cohesive unit. Therefore, only once we have fully conquered and settled the land of Israel, and reach absolute unity, are we commanded to go after Amalek.

What degree of unity is expected of us? Is it enough to be kind to one another, to share, and to greet everyone with a smile? Will it suffice to simply behave in a loving manner amongst each other? If you want the answer, remember the event of Miriam’s Sin. Miriam, who was on an extremely lofty spiritual level, had a deeply-rooted love for each and every Jew, even the more so for her own brother! Furthermore, the actual words she spoke about Moshe could barely even be titled as “slander”! Yet she was still punished! Her punishment was meant to serve as an example for the entire nation to understand just what level of unification was demanded of them in order to be classified as a unified nation. (**See 2^nd footnote**)

It is not enough for us to practice love for our fellow Jew on an outward and superficial level. Attending rallies for Jewish unity, giving charity to Jewish organizations, and treating every Jew kindly mean nothing if you speak about a Jew behind his back. Even if you think your words are trivial and meaningless or even complementary to that person, Remember what Hashem, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you were leaving Egypt and you may learn to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Good Shabbos,

NZL

*You can also go back and examine the verses describing Amalek’s actual attack in the book of Exodus and you will find that Amalek’s destruction can only come after settling in Israel. There the Torah writes: “God said to Moses ‘…recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I shall surely erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens’ ” (Exodus: 17: 14) Why was this specifically needed to be told to Joshua of all people? Rashi, in his commentary, explains that because it is Joshua, not Moshe, who will lead the nation into Israel. Only after conquering the land, it is Joshua who must ensure that the nation hears this command.

**Let’s go back to the verse containing the remembrance of Miriam’s Sin: “Remember what Hashem, your God, did to Miriam on the way, when you were leaving Egypt”. One may ask: why in the world did the verse need to say “on the way, when you were leaving Egypt”!? Regarding the remembrance of Amalek’s Attack, it was necessary to use these words because the very basis of their attack was that they “…cut down the weaklings trailing behind you, while you were faint and exhausted…” Therefore it makes sense to describe that the Jews were “on the way, when you were leaving Egypt”. But what has it got to do with Miriam’s sin!? The answer lies in the fact that, again, the verse contains the singular-plural switch: “Remember what Hashem, your (singular) God, did to Miriam on the way, when you (plural) were leaving Egypt”. It is meant to show that Miriam’s sin, which showed a lack of unity, happened while the Jews were in their “plural” and disjointed state.