D’var Torah - Purim – The book of Vayikra

This week we are starting a new book, Vayikra – and He called.
And He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,

Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When a man from [among] you brings a sacrifice to the Lord; from animals, from cattle or from the flock you shall bring your sacrifice.

The text appears different than the usual format of “and G-d told Moshe… now G-d calls on him”. Since this is a new book, it only deserves to have a new beginning, a new start.
What is different? What has changed that G-d needed to approach Moses differently? Our sages thought that Moses felt his job was done since he freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, delivered them the 10 commandments and helped build a holy place to store them. G-d summoned him to let him know that there is still more to be done, his job was not over.
Moses was our leader, and we still needed his guidance to maintain our relationship with G-d and to act in his holy ways. It is up to every generation to find new ways to keep G-d present in our life, in every new chapter. After G-d calls Moses, he instructs him to tell us to give sacrifice. And still till this very day, we continue to do it in new and improved ways, to sacrifice for a better future.
This Shabbat is also called Shabbt Zakhor: Shabbat of remembrance. We read it right before Megillat Esther to help us remember to blot Haman’s name, who according to our tradition, is descendent of Amalek.

You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the strugglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God. Therefore,] it will be, when the Lord your God grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the land which the Lord, your God, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!
תִּמְחֶה֙ אֶת־זֵ֣כֶר * (זֶ֣כֶר) עֲמָלֵ֔ק מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם לֹ֖א תִּשְׁכָּֽח

This text might sound confusing, we are first told to remember what the Amalek did to us and then we are told to erase its memory and lastly, we are commanded not to forget!
So, what is it? To remember or to forget? Or to remember not to forget!

We must know and remember History, the how and the why, so we can learn how to try preventing it from ever happening again. By us erasing the name is a way to eliminate our powerful enemy but after that, we can’t forget it, we can’t afford to go dormant while our enemy is eternally larking in the dark. Even if we blot the name, the name changes through the generations, like the Nazi regime 80 years ago or the Hamas and Hezbollah at this moment in time. The name changes but the agenda stays the same.

This Saturday at the conclusion of Shabbat we will read Megillat Esther. We will read a chapter in our history that is almost as accurate as reading the news today. The story starts just like in the book of Vayikra with a call to summon. King Achashverosh calls to summon his wife, Queen Vashti, to appear before his guest wearing only her crown during his long and lavishing feast. If it wasn’t for her refusal to obey her husband, the opportunity would have never come to be when the king would be looking for a new wife to wear the crown.
From the Talmud the Babylonian Rabbis claim that the only reason Vashti refused the king’s command to appear was because she was afflicted with a severe skin rash which was a judgment from G-d for the way she was mistreating her Jewish servants.
So many occurrences had to happen for the opportunity to arise for Esther to get her place of power to save her people. Esther was called to summon by her uncle Mordechai to be her people’s savior even if she needed to sacrifice her life for it.
Esther, although going against the law of the land and appearing uncalled, before the king, was saved since her actions were not directed just to benefit herself and her family but the whole Jewish nation.
It is therefore obvious that God strategically assigned both Vashti and Esther a specific time, place, and role in history. Even though G-d’s name doesn’t appear in the story of Esther He was there all along through darkness bringing the light and our victory!
Even though we are still at time of war, we should take every opportunity to remember and celebrate our victories to get a boost of faith in our triumphs. Hag Purim Samech!