Parshas Zachor

Why do we read Parshas Zachor and why specifically before Purim? We read Parshas Zachor because there is a mitzvah to remember to wipe out of Amalek. After krias Yam Suf, when all the nations recognized Hashem and were afraid, Amalek came to fight against Bnei Yisrael. They had such hatred against Yisrael that they left their homeland and traveled into the wilderness in order to destroy Bnei Yisrael. This was based around their disregarding the importance and significance of Hashem’s nissim and niflaos. Therefore, we have a mitzvah to completely wipe out Amalek, even more than the seven nations who only need to be destroyed when they were in Eretz Yisrael. (Rav Friedlander)

The Mishna Berura writes the reason why Chazal instituted for Parshas Zachor to be read before Purim is so that the zechira of Amalek should precede the asi’ah. Meaning, first we remember about the inyan of the mitzvah and then comes the doing; as we know from Megilas Esther that Haman who was from Amalek was killed.

We find a similar occurrence by Purim as by the story with Amalek in the Midbar. The Torah states that Amalek came and fought against Yisrael in Refidim. Chazal write this occurred because they were rafui, weak in Torah, therefore Amalek came to attack them. Rav Friendlander explains that this was midah k’neged midah. Just as Bnei Yisrael were missing in their chashivus haTorah, and were therefore weak, so too Amalek came to attack since they were missing the chashivus of Hashem and His nissim.

The Gemara writes that before Purim, Yisrael were not osek in Torah properly, and therefore Hashem was “poor” so to say, and was not able to save them from Haman harasha. Haman came and belittled Yisrael by telling Achashverosh that he won’t be missing anything if he destroys them. This hints that Haman was unique in saying lashon hara. Yisrael did teshuva and Hashem forgave them, then they re-accepted the Torah as a tikun for the missing of chashivus haTorah.

May Hashem help us be zoche to wipe away any influence of Amalek belittling important things, and may we continually grow in our chashivus haTorah!