This week’s Torah portion, Tetzaveh, aligns with the special reading for Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance, which precedes the festival of Purim. This reading reminds us of the unrelenting enmity of Amalek and the divine command to wipe out its memory. It is a stark lesson in the dangers of forgetting history and the consequences of disobedience. As we reflect on these passages, we also see a deep connection to the ongoing struggles facing the people of Israel today.

So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, as a memorial before the LORD continually. And you shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
Exodus 28:29–30

The Scripture describes the garments of the High Priest in remarkable detail. And at the center of those garments is the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, which are twelve stones engraved with twelve names. When Aaron stands before God, he does not stand alone. He carries the nation into the Presence.

It is interesting that he is to carry their judgment over his heart - their cause, their accountability, their standing before God. It does not simply say that Aaron carries the names of Israel before the LORD. It tells us that they sit over his heart. Why?

In modern language, the heart is associated with emotion. But the Bible shows us that the heart is not primarily where feelings happen. It is where decisions are formed. The heart in Scripture is the control center. It is where loyalty is anchored. It is where direction is set. The engraved names press against the place from which choices emerge.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23.

In the special reading of Shabbat Zachor we read:

Remember what Amalek did to you… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek… you shall not forget.
Deuteronomy 25:17–19.

And then we see in the Haftarah in 1 Samuel 15, Saul is commanded to confront Amalek fully, completely and without revision. He does not. He leaves Agag alive. He preserves what should have been removed. And when confronted, he explains himself. But Samuel’s response is not emotional:

To obey is better than sacrifice.
1 Samuel 15:22.

This is not only about Amalek; it is also about the heart. We often associate the heart with compassion, softness, feeling. But, again, Scripture shows us that the heart is where decisions are formed.

Saul allowed something in his heart to override clear instruction. Perhaps it was fear of the people. Perhaps it was misplaced mercy. Perhaps it was the desire to appear reasonable. Whatever it was, emotion and calculation replaced obedience. When the heart is not guarded, feelings can easily override obedience. When the heart is not guarded, it justifies, edits, and reframes what God has spoken. And that leads to sin.

Shabbat Zachor reminds us that obedience cannot be selective. Amalek was not to be negotiated with. Saul’s failure did not begin on the battlefield. It began in the heart.

But Scripture does not leave us only with warning. It also gives us hope. The role of the High Priest was never only historical; it was also prophetic. The High Priest carrying the names of Israel over his heart before the LORD was a shadow of what would one day be fulfilled. Yeshua did not enter the Presence with stones engraved by human hands. He entered having chosen to carry the sin of Israel upon His own heart before the Father.

Where the human heart can justify and reinterpret, He chose obedience.

That is our hope.

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran