Remember Amalek and connect with Ner Tamid 5783
Our weekly Torah portion is Tetzaveh, which means “you shall instruct.” God commands Moses to instruct the Israelites to bring clear oil to light the Ner Tamid. This is a regularly kindled lamp in the Mishkan and the eternal light in modern sanctuaries. That instruction is followed by detailed rules for creating priestly garments.
This is also Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat of Remembrance. We are instructed to remember the Amalekites, the people who will be our enemies throughout time. There are four special Shabbats that precede Passover.
Two weeks ago was Shabbat Shekalim, the Shabbat when I was supposed to remind you that we each have a sacred obligation to provide money for the upkeep of our community. Acording to biblical law, each male citizen was required to pay a half-shekel towards the upkeep of the Temple before the month of Nisan began.
Nisan is the first month in the Hebrew calendar, while Adar is the last month. So that’s why this month is dedicated to reminding you of your sacred obligation to financially support your community. We are all obligated to provide the same amount of money because regardless of our income level, each of our souls is of equal importance to God and to this community.
So, the first special Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim: that reminder that we really do need your support to keep Temple Israel going.
This week is Shabbat Zachor, the reminder to remember what our enemies, the Amalekites, did to us. And our obligation to fight our enemies to the death. That might sound like an uncomfortable reminder generally. Or maybe it feels particularly difficult, given the recent horrific events in Israel and Palestine.
Last Sunday, a Palestinian terrorist killed two Israeli brothers, Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19. On Monday, Israeli terrorists settlers set fire to buildings and killed a 37-year-old Palestinian man, Sameh Hamdallah Mahmoud Aqtash in the West Bank town of Hawara. Then, an Israeli American, Elan Ganeles, 26, was killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack on vehicles on a highway near the city of Jericho. Last Wednesday was declared a “day of national disruption,” by peaceful Israeli protesters who took to the streets of Tel Aviv. The Israeli police used water cannons and stun guns on those peaceful protesters in Tel Aviv.
This past week’s events in Israel and Palestine have echoes of Amalek, the human embodiment of evil.
The special readings for Shabbat Zachor talk about two different battles with the Amalekites, first when the Israelites left Egypt and then, in the prophetic reading, in a battle with Saul’s army. God tells Saul to annihilate all of the Amalekites. Instead, Saul only kills “what was cheap and worthless,” leaving King Agag alive. Ultimately, the prophet Samuel has to kill Agag. Haman is described as an Agagite in the book of Esther, and now we have a connection of why Shabbat Zachor always precedes Purim. Haman was a descendent of these ultimate enemies of Israel.
Evil exists and one of its names is Amalek. That is what we are being recalled to remember today.
Because Judaism is nothing if not full of paradox, I need to remind you that today is the 11th of Adar and we are also commanded to increase our joy throughout the month of Adar.
Though serious issues surround us, we are not only expected to find joy in the month of Adar, we are also expected to rest and be refreshed on Shabbat. So let us pause from outward worries and sink into this Shabbat experience. The sound of children will contribute to our communal prayer this evening.
Let’s try to take time to reflect on what it means to enter a time of rest. How does stopping allow us to refresh ourselve
The above remarks were delivered at the beginning of the Temple Israel Kabbalat Shabbat service, 11 Adar 5783. My remarks continued after the Amidah.
Shabbat shalom. As I mentioned when we began our service, we are celebrating Shabbat Zachor and Parashat Tetzaveh. We are remembering our eternal enemy and lighting the eternal lamp.
Here’s an example of how Jewish wisdom supports my journey through the world. Post-modernists would have you believe that all morality is relative and there is no definitive right or wrong. Whereas, a Jewish worldview proclaims that evil exists and we are called to fight evil and pursue justice. That evil is not just in the form of terrorists and dictators. It also lurks on the edge of the Shadow within each of us. Remembering Amalek is not primarily about challenging humans in physical combat. It is about remembering that every day we have the choice of whether to let our lives move forward aimlessly or with purpose.
By tending to the eternal light, the Ner Tamid, within ourselves, we sink into a life of meaning. Humans don’t run on electricity. You can’t flip a switch and forever remember the right path to walk. In each moment, we have the opportunity to choose who we want to be.
Here’s an example you might be able to relate to. After a stressful day at work, and eating dinner and putting the kids to bed, you decide to watch some television to relax. It’s been a really rough day, so you stay up later than usual because you deserve this relaxation. But the time you need to get up doesn’t change. So, on less than ideal sleep, you wake up the next day, with less patience for your kids, and perhaps less time to get them off to school since you snoozed the alarm. Short-tempered, you shout at the kids.
Clearly, your folks taught you children respond better to louder voices than normal volume. On edge, you barely get out the door in time for the last school bell and find yourself at work wondering why you’re so angry and so resentful when it isn’t even 9am.
I should admit - that was a pretty awful story to tell you. Number one advice in giving a sermon is to avoid the word “you.” That wasn’t actually a story about your morning. It was a story about my morning.
I’ve been losing my battle with Amalek. Every day, I declare today will be different. Every night, I give in to the siren call of spacing out, watching television or YouTube or scrolling social media. At some point, I finally allow myself to go to sleep and the cycle continues.
That’s the thing about Amalek. He goes after the stragglers. That part of us that is tired of being On all the time. The part that wants to mindlessly eat and binge watch television. The part that enjoys the endorphin rush of doom-scrolling.
Breaking free of Amalek requires careful attention.
Rabbi Shefa Gold writes in Torah Journeys about “the daily practicing of tending the ner tamid, the light of consciousness.” She says:
“This is the steady practice of awareness that underlies all other practice. Slowly I begin to identify not with the self that is continually changing, but with the one who is paying attention to all these changes. When the flame of awareness is burning steadily within me, it illuminates the act of perception, rather than just the object being perceived. At this point, I can begin to discern the lenses through which my perception becomes distorted; I can realize when a passing mind-state has colored my reality.” [Torah Journeys, 88]
How can we bring the ner tamid, the light of consciousness, the Higher Self, into our daily existence? For me, I need to keep track of my time. I’ve also learned that my environment has a tremendous impact on me. Sitting in my office here at Temple Israel is far more conducive to productivity than sitting at my desk at home. Similarly, keeping a journal helps me remember what is important to me rather than relying on the mental lists that surround me. Like everything, this is a work in progress.
I indulge my Yetzer Hara, my inclination towards destructiveness, as a way to deal with stress. Shabbat Zachor has come to remind me that the Yetzer HaRa is connected to Amalek. I can choose to allow the darkness to consume me. Or I can engage my Shadow skillfully, remembering that it is possible to play with the darkness without allowing it to overpower me. I don’t need to go cold turkey from screens. Rather, I need to decide on guardrails that ensure I get a decent amount of sleep each night.
What battle are you waging with Amalek? Do your words run away from you when speaking to those closest to you? Are you able to remember the light of consciousness in public, but in private find it difficult to maintain vigilance? Or do you speak kindly to everyone around you, but have unrealistic expectations of yourself?
In remembering Amalek, we must remember that we are human. Though we strive towards eternal connection with our Higher Selves, our egos and our Shadows take over at times. That's okay. Each day is an opportunity for teshuvah, for returning to the path of goodness and compassion. We remember Amalek in order to remember to approach life with chein v’chesed, with grace and obligated love. Chesed is not merely love or lovingkindness. Chesed is the love the Divine shows us because we choose to be in relationship with the Divine. Chesed is the dutiful love we show ourselves because we know our souls are worthy of love. Chesed is the love we show our community because we know we are social animals who need one another to survive. Chesed is the Flow we can achieve as we connect with the Soul of the Universe through self-reflection / prayer, through tzedakah, the money we are obligated to provide for the communal good, and from g’milut chasadim, acts of loving kindness.
Let us return to the Ner Tamid within our souls. Let us find ways towards consciously communicating, consciously acting, and consciously thinking. Let us allow ourselves to play with our Shadows and move together towards goodness and justice. Shabbat Shalom.