Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, how he confronted you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.
Deuteronomy 25:17–18

Toward the end of this week’s Scripture portion, Moses gives the children of Israel a very specific command. They are to remember what Amalek did to them on their journey out of Egypt. This was not simply a call to preserve the historical details of an attack so that future generations would know that it happened. If God specifically commanded Israel to remember what Amalek did, then we should ask why remembering this particular event was so important.

Throughout Deuteronomy, remembering is closely connected to understanding Israel’s history in light of what God had done. The children of Israel were told to remember that they had been slaves in Egypt, to remember how the Lord led them through the wilderness, and to remember the God who delivered them. Moses warned that when they became comfortable in the Land, their hearts could become proud and they could “forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Deuteronomy 8:14).

The command to remember Amalek therefore required Israel to look back at more than the actions of an enemy. They needed to remember what happened, why it happened, and what it revealed about the enemy who attacked them. At the same time, they needed to remember where they had come from, what God had done for them, and the God who had delivered them. There was a danger in forgetting what the enemy had done, but there was an even greater danger in remembering the enemy while forgetting God.

The first attack of Amalek against Israel is recorded in Exodus 17:8–16. Amalek is understood to have been the first people to attack Israel after God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. They had witnessed God’s acts of wonder, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, and seen the Egyptian army destroyed. The news of what the God of Israel had done was already spreading among the peoples. Years later, Rahab confirmed that the people of the land had heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea before Israel (Joshua 2:10).

Deuteronomy 25:18 tells us exactly what Moses wanted Israel to remember about that attack:

Amalek “confronted you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.”

Whatever Amalek knew or believed about what God had done in Egypt, Scripture makes one thing clear: they did not fear the God of Israel. This helps us understand why God commanded Israel to remember. They needed to remember not only that Amalek attacked, but also the nature of the enemy they were facing. At the same time, Exodus 17 reminded them that when Amalek attacked, Israel fought, but their victory came from God.

Israel was commanded to remember the enemy without forgetting the God who had delivered them.

As I read these verses today, I cannot help but think about October 7, 2023. For years, Israel knew exactly who Hamas was. Hamas had never hidden its hatred of Israel or its desire to destroy the Jewish state. Israel faced suicide bombings, rockets, kidnappings, terror tunnels, and repeated rounds of fighting with Hamas. Yet over time, many in Israel came to believe that Hamas could be contained. We believed that economic incentives, deterrence, intelligence, technology, and a strong border could manage the threat.

October 7 shattered that belief. The attack was not directed only against soldiers or military positions. Hamas terrorists entered civilian communities and homes. They attacked families, elderly people, and children. They murdered people who were defenseless and abducted others into Gaza.

More than once since October 7, I have asked myself how we failed to understand what was right in front of us. Our enemy had told us what it believed and what it wanted to do. Yet somewhere along the way, we began to believe that what Hamas was saying was less important than what we believed Hamas could be persuaded to do.

This is why remembering October 7 cannot mean only remembering the horror of that day. We also need to remember what led to it. We need to remember what our enemies had been telling us, even when we preferred to believe that they had changed. There is a terrible price when we begin to see an enemy as we would like him to be rather than as he has repeatedly declared himself to be.

Moses then continues with words that are much more difficult for many people today:

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 is giving you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall wipe out the mention of the name Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.
Deuteronomy 25:19

Today, people will give this command all kinds of names and judge it according to our modern understanding of justice and morality. Before doing so, however, we should ask a more basic question: Who determines what is just - God or us?

God had seen what Amalek had done. He had seen them deliberately attack those who were tired, weak, and unable to keep up. The judgment against Amalek was not Israel deciding in anger what should happen to its enemy. The judgment came from God.

This may be uncomfortable for us because we are often comfortable speaking about a God who shows mercy while being much less comfortable speaking about a God who judges evil. Yet Scripture does not allow us to choose between the two. The same God who commands His people to care for the weak, the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan is also the God who judges those who deliberately prey upon the weak and who do not fear Him.

This does not give us permission today to identify anyone we choose as Amalek and claim divine authority for whatever we want to do. It does, however, confront us with the question of whether we truly believe that God has the authority to define justice, even when His judgment makes us uncomfortable.

This brings us to the words of Isaiah in this week’s Haftarah. Isaiah speaks to Israel after devastation and reminds the people that although they may have felt forgotten, the God of Israel had not forgotten them.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting favor I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
Isaiah 54:7–8

Then God makes an extraordinary promise:

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My favor will not be removed from you, nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,” says the LORD who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10

God has not forgotten His people. He cannot forget the covenant that He made and the promises that He gave. Israel may turn away from Him, generations may forget Him, and circumstances may cause us to wonder where He is, but none of these things change His faithfulness.

This brings us back to the command to remember. We must remember October 7. We must remember those who were murdered and those who sacrificed their lives defending others. We must remember the nature of the enemy that attacked us, and we must learn from the mistakes that allowed that attack to happen. Wanting peace cannot require us to forget what our enemies have said, what they believe, or what they have already shown themselves willing to do.

However, throughout Deuteronomy, Moses does not only tell Israel to remember its enemies. He repeatedly tells the people to remember the Lord. They were to remember who brought them out of Egypt, who sustained them in the wilderness, who gave them the Land, and who remained faithful to His covenant.

Perhaps this is the greater challenge for Israel today. We have returned to the Land that God promised to our fathers. We have built a strong nation, developed one of the most capable militaries in the world, advanced in technology and intelligence, and accomplished things that previous generations could hardly have imagined. Yet October 7 painfully reminded us that none of these things can take the place of God.

The God of Israel has not forgotten His people. The question is whether His people have forgotten Him.

It is time for us to return to Him. It is time to remember that our strength does not ultimately come from our military, our intelligence, our technology, or the nations we consider our allies. We should be thankful for all of these things, but our trust and our hope must be in the God of Israel and in Him alone.

Thousands of years ago, Moses warned Israel not to forget. Isaiah later reminded a wounded and devastated Israel that God had not forgotten His covenant. Those words are just as relevant for us today.

God has not forgotten Israel. He has not forgotten His covenant, and He has not forgotten His promises. It is time for Israel to remember Him, return to Him, and place our trust and hope in Him and Him alone.

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran