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Today I would like to discuss the memory of Amalek and his connection to Purim. I will also relate to Parashat Zachor as one of the "four parshiot." Not only does Parashat Zachor precede Mordecai, Esther, Megillat Esther and the blotting out of Amalek, it is also linked to the sequence of four parashiot, beginning with Parashat Shekalim, which deals with the Mishkan, and ending with Parashat Hachodesh of Rosh Hodesh Nisan, when the Mishkan was erected. The month of Adar is all about the Tabernacle. On Rosh Hodesh Adar we hear about the shekalim which will be used to buy the public sacrifices for the coming year, beginning with Rosh Hodesh Nisan. All the activities of the month of Adar revolve around the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, and the sacrifices which will be offered in the month of Nisan.

I will attempt to approach this topic from the aspect of the blotting out of Amalek, and I'll also examine the connection between Parashat Zachor and the entirety of the four parshiot. Let's begin with some verses from Parashat Zachor, and then we'll look at some parts of Megillat Esther. "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you went out of Egypt." (Deuteronomy 25:17). We encounter Amalek three times in the scriptures – on the way out of Egypt; with Agag and Saul, and a third time, as we will see presently. Before ever entering the land of Israel we are told that it is incumbent upon us to remember what Amalek did to us. This mitzva is fundamentally connected to the events preceding the entry into Israel and the entry itself. Firstly, it seems important to point out that Amalek's deed was committed on the way as we departed from Egypt. It must be remembered that, were it not for the sin of the spies, the way out of Egypt would have led directly into Jerusalem! Eleven days! Amalek appeared on the way out of Egypt. Apparently the appearance of Amalek was somehow linked to the departure from Egypt.

"How he met you on the way, and smote the hindmost of you, all those who were feeble at the rear, when you were faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God gives you rest from your enemies, in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it." (Ibid. 18-19). We are always commanded to remember and not forget Amalek – this commandment is incumbent upon all Israel. It is linked to our entrance into the land, when "God gives you rest from your enemies". Remember always to blot out the name of Amalek. Don't forget! According to halacha, he who does not hear "Zachor" but only hears "And Amalek came and fought Israel at Refidim" at the end of Parashat Beshalach, has fulfilled the mitzva. Why? Because it deals with the story of Amalek, even though it does not include the injunction to blot out Amalek's name. He has heard the essence of the story of Amalek – his desire to destroy us on the way – all that is missing is that the order to blot out his name pertains to the land.

Nowhere in the parasha of "Vayavo Amalek" are commanded to blot out Amalek's name. There, God says that He will eradicate his name. We are told that Joshua weakened Amalek and his people by the sword. Moses sat on the hill, his arms were heavy… that's the story of Amalek. One who hears only this section has fulfilled the mitzva – it is important to remember this.

Now I want to relate to the story of eradicating Amalek as it appears in Megillat Esther. The battle doesn't, at first, appear to have any connection to Amalek. Israel is not on the way out of Egypt. They are in the Diaspora, and it seems to be very pleasant there. Dinner with King Ahasueros, wining, dining, rejoicing. This was an extremely complicated and complex historical period. Megillat Esther is read as a kind of bubble, complete in itself. We tend to forget the entire period when it took place. On the one hand, Cyrus had recently issued his decree, as a result of which Jerusalem was experiencing an upsurge in building and construction. On the other hand, we have a people who were thoroughly enjoying their exile, mingling with the other guests at the huge feast held by the king, with its description of the magnificent vessels displayed at the party. This section of the Megilla is chanted to the tune of 'Eicha' (Lamentations), to remind us that the vessels on display were from the sacking of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ahasueros was closely connected with the ruling house of Persia, which had just recently granted autonomy to the Jews in Israel. So we have two interesting historical motifs here – the Diaspora in all its glory on the one hand, and on the other, national revival, perhaps for the first time in history. Cyrus had issued an international declaration, and the world recognized Israel's right to erect a Tabernacle around Jerusalem. These two events constitute the background to Megillat Esther. I will return to this later.

However, I have always been disturbed by something in the Megilla: Haman is dead, we're not making any more noise, we've almost finished reading the Megilla. And then we see something odd. The three verses of chapter 10 pertain to economy and taxes. There are always a few clowns who start up again, making a noise at the mention of the taxes – apparently they suffer from some personal trauma related to the subject… But why do these verses belong in the Megilla? Chapter 9 ends with Esther sending the book, Mordechai sends edicts, everyone undertakes to observe the fast days and the days of Purim, and the chapter ends: "…and the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book" (Esther 9:32). This is the perfect ending for the Book of Esther.

The following verses appear to have no relevance here – they do not belong. "And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea. And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordechai, where he was advanced by the king, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordechai the Jew was next to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the multitude of his brethren, seeking good for his people and speaking peace to all his seed" (Ibid. 10:1-3). Is this relevant? Earlier in the story I didn't understand the episode with Vashti and the story of the feast, but like all good stories I soon understood how everything followed a logical course, and it all linked up. But here? The tale has ended, and we suddenly get the important announcement that the king has imposed a tax on all his subjects and properties. The following verse is equally irrelevant – why must we be told here that the king's deeds are recorded in the book of chronicles?

Our sages have a comment to make (Megila 7): "R' Shmuel bar Yehuda said, Esther asked the sages, 'set me down for the generations'." In the second year following the instituting of Purim, Esther made this request. Rashi explains it as follows (Rashi, Ibid.): "Set me down - For a holiday, and to commemorate my name." The gemara continues: "They responded: 'you are stirring up jealousy between us and the nations'" – why do you want us to do this? It's provocation! In fact, the entire chag is provocative. We don't want to do what you asked. Rashi explains: "You are stirring up jealousy – The nations will say that we rejoice at the memory of our enemies' downfall". But Esther pointed out that it makes no difference – the history is already recorded in their book of chronicles. The message of this midrash is that our sages agreed to include the book of Esther in the Tanach by virtue of the fact that the tale already appeared in the Persian book of chronicles, as evidenced by Chapter 10 verse 2.

Megillat Esther is referred to by our sages as the end of the miracles – it is the final record of miracles to be found in the Tanach, and shares many similarities with the beginning of the miracles (as they are referred to by our sages) in the Exodus from Egypt. Joseph's rise to power in Egypt is comparable with Mordechai's rise to power in Persia. Joseph's ascent was due to the butler and baker who had incurred Pharaoh's wrath, while Mordechai's ascent followed the episode with Bigtan and Teresh (Esther 2:21-22): "In those days, while Mordechai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigtan and Teresh, of those who kept the door, were angry and sought to lay their hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordechai, who told it to Esther the queen, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai." It is said that 'he who quotes another and attributes the source of his quote, brings redemption to the world.' Esther takes a chance when she tells the king that Mordechai told her of the plot against the monarch, because until now both she and Mordechai had been careful not to reveal the connection between them.

Our sages have this to say (Esther 2:6): "Said R' Hiye bar Abba, said R' Yochanan, The Almighty caused a master to be angry with his servants, in order to do the will of a righteous man, and they appointed Joseph, as it is said, 'a Hebrew lad has been placed with us, servant to the baker'" – Pharaoh was angry with his servants. "And the Almighty caused the servants to be angry with their master to bring about a miracle for a righteous man, and they appointed Mordechai." The Megilla is replete with motifs that recall, time and again, the story of Joseph and the Exodus. One example is Joseph's episode with Potiphar's wife. She appeals to him daily, continuously, to lie with her. This sounds very similar to the situation where the king's servants daily, continuously, asked Mordechai why he refuses to bow down to Haman. Both Joseph and Mordechai are repeatedly asked to subjugate themselves to the will of another. In the tale of Joseph, the miracle occurs when the king dreams and requires an interpretation of his dream. Haman, too, arrives late at night, happily anticipating the opportunity to solve the problems of his sleepless king.

Once Joseph has been elevated to a position of great influence he finds the country to be economically in bad shape, about to be afflicted by severe drought. He plans to institute a good administrative system, based on stringent taxation. Only in Goshen do the Jews live in peace and prosperity. Mordechai, too, after his nomination to a position of great responsibility, faces the task of collecting taxes. He institutes a new economic system for the greatest power in the world. The Megilla opens with descriptions of corruption, carousing, feasting… but it ends with order and organization.

The tax imposed by Joseph will play a significant role in the structural reorganization of Egypt. It is instrumental in improving the position of the Jewish minority. In contrast to the Book of Esther, the Book of Bereshit (Genesis) has a continuation – Shmot (Exodus), which chronicles the anti-Semitism resulting from the improved lot of the Jews of Goshen. A similar situation is apparent at the end of Megillat Esther. In each we are presented with two realities: the first is the situation that existed in the land – corruption – and the second is the new reality, after the situation has been rectified and improved by Joseph and Mordechai respectively. There is a midrash which says: "Why were there three days of darkness? So the Egyptians would not see the Jews burying their dead. And why did they die during these three days? Because they did not want to leave Egypt, because they were attached to their Egyptian patrons". The same thing happens here (Esther 2:6): "Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezar the king of Babylon had carried away." This is essential if we are to understand what exactly Amalek and Haman did to us.

Our sages in Esther Rabba compare Mordechai and Joseph: Joseph was solicited repeatedly by Potiphar's wife, but withstood her pleadings. Mordechai was repeatedly requested to bow down before Haman, but he refused. It is written of Esther that she did not reveal her origins and her race, but the same is not written of Mordechai. He told everyone that he was a Jew. And the outcome was the same for both: "And Pharaoh removed his ring from his finger and gave it to Joseph, and clothed him in fine raiment; and the king removed the ring which he had given to Haman, and gave it to Mordechai."

I would like to return to the real battle with Amalek, which finds expression at the climax of Megillat Esther. I intend to approach it, however, through a lesser-known midrash which serves to illustrate the purpose of Haman and Amalek, and our duty to remember and never forget. Of no other enemy is it written that we must remember what they did to us on the way out of Egypt, despite the fact that other enemies did worse things, in some cases. We are not commanded to remember Edom, Moab or Bilam.

Harbona also plays a role in the Megilla. He is "remembered for good". He first appears in the beginning of the tale, listed among the seven chamberlains of the king, and he reappears at the crucial climactic scene when the queen and Haman dine with the king on the second night, after the royal sleepless night. Two things happen that night, two occurrences played out in two separate arenas. The first scene takes place in the royal palace. The king is unable to sleep, and the books of chronicles are called for. The king reads about Bigtan and Teresh, and he remembers Mordechai. The second scene is set in Haman's house, where preparations are underway for the hanging tree. Haman arrives at top speed to obtain the king's permission to hang Mordechai. We all remember the story. The following day the second feast takes place, after Haman has paraded with Mordechai on the horse. At the second feast the king asks Esther what she desires, and her reply refers to "the adversary and enemy, this wicked Haman… He seeks to destroy and kill all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, on one day. If we had been sold into slavery I would have held my tongue, but now I have no choice and I cannot keep silent."

The king storms out to his garden. He is furious. The king returns to find Haman fallen onto the queen's couch, and demands (Esther 7:8) "Will you also force the queen with me in the house?" At this dramatic moment Harbona appears with a brilliant suggestion (Ibid. 7:9): "… Behold also the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordechai, who had spoken good for the king…" Harbona spells it all out: "Haman built the gallows this morning. This is the same man who is now attending his second feast with you, and you don't quite understand why Esther has brought him in here. I'm just stating facts here. Haman has built the gallows for Mordechai, who has spoken good for the king – but I'm not saying a word…." This is diplomacy at the very highest level! All he has said is that the gallows exist – imparting information, as it were. "Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordechai. Then the wrath of the king was pacified" (Ibid.). Why does Harbona merit such great recognition? He is really no more than a manipulator who knew how to be at the right place at the right time. It's quite plain that Harbona's detailed knowledge of the gallows comes from his being on the spot when it was erected. There's no other explanation for it - he had to have been there! And he was there because the political winds were blowing in Haman's favor the night before the feast. Harbona the opportunist always chooses the winning side! That night, when Harbona saw Haman hastening to the royal palace, he immediately perceived where this was leading. He also made quite sure that he was positioned in the royal chambers during the feast – once again, at the right place at the right time! At precisely the right moment he threw out the loaded remark "Behold also the gallows…"

Harbona's role here is far deeper and more significant than merely telling the king that he has an opportunity to economize on a tree. He is actually saying, "Your Majesty, it is true that I am a manipulator, but that is irrelevant here. Yesterday I was present at Haman's home, today I am here, because I always know how to manage. But I see things that are not always apparent to others. It would appear that for decades Haman has been preparing his own gallows. If we take a long view of history we will see that the Almighty is conducting the whole affair, and you and I, Your Majesty, are merely statistics. Recent events bear me out: a tree is already prepared, fifty cubits high, and that very same night the king was unable to sleep, and now, see what has transpired." Harbona is in effect breaking into the dry reporting of facts. He says: "Wait a minute – look what's actually happening here!"

Harbona appears twice in the Megilla. The first time, his name is spelled with an aleph, in the Persian fashion, but the second time it is spelled with a 'heh', and this simple name is transformed into something very meaningful indeed. It incorporates the Hebrew words for both destruction and rebuilding – hurban and b'niyah. Our sages tell us that Harbona is revealed in the image of Elijah the Prophet, that same prophet who stands on high and sees everything.
Our sages describe an argument between Haman and Mordechai, between Amalek and Israel, referring to the "zachor" (remember) that we are dealing with here (Targum Sheni, Patshegen Haktav). "Harbona was one of the chamberlains of the king. Harbona's memory is a curse, but his memory is a blessing because he was taken into Haman's confidence on the matter of erecting the gallows. But when he saw that evil was coming to Haman and his household, he went to the king and said, 'Haman also intends to kill you, O King, and to take your kingdom from you. If you don't believe me, send someone to see the gallows Haman has built for Mordechai who spoke well of the king." With great cunning, Harbona insinuates that the reason Haman wishes to kill Mordechai is because the latter spoke well of the king. There is also simple political logic at work here! How could Haman prepare to hang one of the ministers of the king without bringing it to the king's knowledge? How is such a thing possible? Is Haman issuing edicts of his own? The king now says to himself, 'on the very day that I told Haman to take the horse and parade Mordechai through the streets, Harbona now reveals to me that Haman already implemented his own court of justice.' The midrash continues: "The king replied and spoke to the Jew Mordechai who had saved the king from death. 'Arise', he said, 'and take Haman, this evil enemy and persecutor of the Jews, judge him for his evil deeds and do to him what is right in your eyes.' Then Mordechai went out from before the king, he took Haman from the gate of the palace and said to him, 'Come with me, Haman the hater, my wicked enemy and persecutor of the Jews, and let us hang you from the gallows which you prepared for yourself.' Then the wicked Haman replied to the righteous Mordechai, 'Before hanging me from the gallows I would ask you, righteous Mordechai, as follows", - a final request from the condemned man. I accept the verdict, but I have one more request before the sentence is carried out – "do not hang me in the manner of rash people – those who were considered as nothing compared to me. Princes of states were enslaved before me, I enraged entire kingdoms with my utterances and terrified nations with my statements. I, Haman, was second to the king, I was called father of the king. I fear that you will not do to me what I planned to do to you." He is explicitly not asking Mordechai to refrain from killing him, he is requesting something entirely different. "Have mercy on my honor, do not kill and destroy me like my aged father Agag – who was hewn to pieces by Samuel the prophet – Deal kindly with me, Mordechai… do not visit upon me the hatred of Agag and the jealousy of Amalek. Do not consider me an enemy in your heart, and do not deal with me as my father Esau dealt…" Why???

He goes on: "Great miracles were wrought for you, as they were wrought for your fathers when they crossed the Red Sea. My eyes are dim from beholding your face. Nobody can speak against you, since I took counsel with my friends and my wife Zeresh. I beg you to have mercy on my soul, my lord Mordechai the righteous. Do not blot out my name like that of my father Amalek. Do not hang me on the gallows. Kill me in any manner you please, cut off my head with the royal sword which is used to execute important dignitaries.' And Haman began to cry and weep, but Mordechai did not incline his ear to his pleading – why not? What was Haman asking for, after all. He wants to be beheaded – why should that matter to you? He wants to be executed after the fashion of heads of state.

When Haman saw that his words fell on deaf ears, he cried and wailed louder, until his voice reached the palace garden – the midrash incorporates the phraseology and the atmosphere of the megilla. Now Haman approaches the trees in the garden: "When Haman saw that his words fell on deaf ears, he cried and wailed louder, until his voice reached the palace garden, and he said, 'hear me, trees of the garden, which were planted in the time of Bereshit – we are accustomed to the Haman whose name is obliterated by noisemakers, Haman who is hanged together with all ten of his sons. But now the sages have taken that same Haman and created a discussion between him and the trees of Bereshit. This is a very elevated status indeed. Adam spoke to the trees of Bereshit and King Solomon also spoke to them, but Haman?

" 'Hearken unto me, O trees which were planted in the time of Bereshit, for the son of Hamdatha wishes to go to Alexandria (Egypt)… Gather together and take counsel, that Haman will be hanged upon the tallest among you, fifty cubits high.' The vine said, I am short and I cannot hang him upon me, the wine for the libation is produced from me. The fig said, he cannot be hanged upon me because I produce the figs for the first fruit offerings, and Adam and Eve clothed themselves from me. The olive said, he cannot be hanged upon me because the oil for lighting the lamps is produced from me – all of these trees have something in common – the Holy Temple – Let another tree be chosen and we will hang him thereon. Then said the date – the date has no connection to the Holy Temple, but apparently it has historical significance. The date palm is a very interesting tree. Every year it grown higher than the previous year – 'Everyone knows that he is the evil Haman, son of the son of Agag, from the seed of Amalek. All the kings acknowledge that You are the Almighty and there is no other, and it is fitting for you to save the sons as you have saved the fathers – this is the constant motif here, fathers and sons, generations – Then the Almighty replied, praising the date for its words and taking counsel not to hang Haman upon this tree, which is connected with the Redemption. The Etrog said, he cannot be hanged upon me because all the nations come to take from my fruit… the myrtle also spoke…. And finally "they hanged Haman on the tree which he prepared for Mordechai, and the wrath of the King Who Dwells on High was appeased."

Haman goes to all the trees, because he has begged Mordechai not to hew him in pieces as was done to Agag. Haman has the power to talk to the trees of Bereshit, but they are able to extricate themselves from him because they have 'yichus' – noble connections. They provide wine, offerings and oil. They are linked to the redemption of the people. We should recall here, who exactly was Amalek. He appears against a background which was never objective, geographic, demographic or realistic. Amalek is the enemy by the way, a kind of conditioned reflex. As soon as Israel concludes Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, Amalek appears. "You shall bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which You have made to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established." And then "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever." Because "Your hands have established a sanctuary". In other words, You are not a philosophical, heavenly God, You dwell here, You have Your place here. Immediately following these words, Amalek fell upon the nation at Refidim. He has no geographical tie to this place, he simply comes to fight against Israel. He seeks to dampen their great enthusiasm. In another few short days they are destined to enter the Land. They will pass by Mt. Sinai,, eleven days, by way of Har Se'ir to Kadesh Barnea, and Amalek's task is to quench their ardor. The battle with their previous enemies is over, now there is an awakening, a realization that the people of Israel are a fact, a reality, capable of building their own national, spiritual home. Therefore, as soon as a king is appointed, his first duty is to destroy the seed of Amalek, and only afterwards can he build the Temple.

The next time we hear of Amalek is the episode with Agag. He appears when Israel has a monarch of their own. Saul's sin, the one which lost him his kingdom, was to do with Amalek. Had he not sinned, he would have built the Temple, because this was the task of the king. The moment that the kingdom came into being, and the Jewish nation became a fact, the Holy Temple was the most important national expression of nationhood and statehood. At this precise moment, like a conditioned reflex, Amalek appeared, and his purpose was simply to thwart this process. The method he chose was to undermine the national sense of security, to sow the seed of doubt. Our sages teach us that in Gimatriya, the numerical equivalent of Amalek is doubt. Amalek attacks on the way – he is the enemy of the way.

The third time Amalek appears is in the Book of Esther. This was the period of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The world recognized this fact – Cyrus granted it legitimacy. At the precise moment that all other nations accepted the fact and the Jewish people began to build Jerusalem – Amalek reappears. He has to arrive now, because he is the true test of whether we can create a nation. He has no strategic, economic, or national reason to attack, he attacks and fights us at the root – this is the story of the tree. He attacks the innermost foundation of the people. The duty of Israel is to demonstrate that the Almighty dwells among us, that the Shechina, the Divine Presence, is a reality. This is when Amalek appears.

In the last Parasha we read a verse which is rather strange but beautiful, nevertheless. "God spoke to Moses saying, on the day of the first month, on the first day of the month, you will raise the Mishkan, the Ohel Mo'ed." Why the repetition? 'The day of the month' is Rosh Hodesh. Why does it then state 'the first day of the month'? Rabbi Hirsch has a brilliant comment to make. Let us not forget that God is addressing Moses before the second year, before the Mishkan was erected. What happened on the last Rosh Hodesh Nisan? On Rosh Hodesh Nisan the Almighty revealed to Moses and Aaron the concept of Mo'ed (appointed time) – without the Mitzva of Rosh Hodesh there would not be a day wherein the Shechina could reside – there would be no time devoted to holiness, there would be no festivals and no holy days, because we alone would arbitrarily decide the dates and times. Mo'ed refers to a time which the Almighty has assigned to convene with us. We determine the Mo'ed (appointed time) together with the Almighty, because assignations must be decided together between two parties. It is impossible to arrange a meeting on your own. Shabbat can be determined alone – count seven days and you arrive at the Shabbat. Festivals and holidays are a Mo'ed, determined by two parties together.

Now, one year later, the Almighty makes an announcement – "On the day of the first month" – on that first day of the month that we spoke about last year, you will make another discovery: the Almighty does not only have an appointed time when He appears, but also an appointed place through which He reveals Himself. The Shechina exists not only as an idea, but in fact. Pharaoh understood this, which is why he said: "Who is this Lord that I should hearken unto His voice, I did not know the Lord." But he added: "And I will not send Israel." Rashi says this should be understood as: "Even if I knew the Lord, I would not send Israel."

When the children of Israel depart from Egypt, Amalek has an important task to fulfil – he must obscure their clear inclination to set up a place where the Almighty can reveal Himself to them. He must stop this, somehow he must interfere and put a halt to it. Haman appeals to all the trees from the time of Creation, after appealing in vain to Mordechai. In effect he is saying to Mordechai, don't cut me down like Amalek, treat me like a distinguished head of state. Why is this so important to him? When Agag is killed, Samuel says: "The eternity of Israel will not lie or repent". In effect he is saying, 'You are the eternal enemy of Israel. You do not always exist, I do not know what Amalek actually is. But the Torah teaches us that the root of Amalek endures and continues. This is the root that seeks to cast doubt on the rightness of our path, on the rightness of our place, on the validity of our national and spiritual aspirations.

When Haman realizes that Mordechai will not accede to his wishes, he turns to the trees, and they in turn say, "How can we be used to hang Haman? The vine, the olive and the fig are all related in some way to the Tabernacle." I refer back to the dialog between Esther and the sages. Esther requested, "Set me down - For a holiday, and to commemorate my name." They responded: 'you are stirring up jealousy between us and the nations.' She replied, "This is not jealousy between the nations, this is the story of Amalek. This is the only holiday that will remain throughout the generations, the only holiday that will never be annulled, this is the eternal, fixed battle between Amalek, whose purpose is to prevent the Shechina from dwelling in our midst." This process is ongoing and never ending. It continues to disturb and interfere on the way, to interrupt us on the way, in the midst of the process.

In this light we can understand the midrash which says that after Haman was told, "Take the raiment and the horse", and he goes to parade Mordechai through the streets, the same midrash continues: "He went to Mordechai for they told Mordechai that he is coming. He was sore afraid, and he was sitting with his students." Mordechai was sitting with his students when Haman suddenly appeared. He told his students to leave, since he didn't know what would become of him. They were standing at prayer when Haman entered and asked them what they were doing. They told him they were busy with the Mitzva of the Omer – for the lots were drawn during Pesach and the date was 16 Nisan. Let's examine this more closely. This nation was in exile, yet they were involved with the Omer and with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. They were well aware of what they were doing. Haman asked them whether this Omer was of silver or gold, because that's all that interested him. They replied, 'Neither silver, gold, or wheat, but barley, which was fodder for animals. He asked them how much this barley was worth. They told him that its value was ten grushim. He said to them: 'You have prevailed." In what way have they triumphed? Because they were engrossed in matters concerning the Temple. All he wanted was to prevent children and students from dealing with matters concerning the Temple, because then doubt would have prevailed, and he would succeed in diverting their attention to other matters. He would have persuaded them that only those things that are worth silver and gold have any value. But these youngsters were dealing with barley, which was more important in their eyes that silver and gold.

Now we are coming to the end. The war of Amalek is significant on two counts: it is significant because it is waged on the way. It is also significant for the following reason. After entering the Land and prevailing over Amalek, and paying a heavy price in the process, we are not finished with him. It is still incumbent upon us to eradicate Amalek from within us. He is at his most dangerous precisely "when God will give you respite from all your enemies round about" – precisely when all is peaceful and serene, when technically there are no more enemies, territorially, physically, or economically. Precisely then, we must ask ourselves whether Amalek has succeeded in penetrating – in other words, have we become oblivious? Have we become careless? Have we permitted doubt to enter? At that point, all our simple and most cherished values may be re-examined. Every value, no matter how simple, requires exploration, symposia, deliberations… The desire of the Jewish people to dwell in their own land, which only yesterday seemed to be the most elevated and noble value, suddenly becomes a matter for discussion. This "never forget" does not stem from the way, it is the outcome of the traumas and the erosion which Amalek embedded in you every since he attacked you on the way, and these things raise themselves once you are safe at home. And it is only when you are safely at home, at peace, that you are assailed by doubts and questions.

This is the story of Amalek. We are commanded to eradicate Amalek and the memory of Amalek on the way – this is what the external Amalek did to us at the onset of the process. The continuation, however, is the essence of Amalek that dwells within us, that raises doubts and questions, so that nothing is clear to us.

The Book of Esther creates two realities – the return to a strong awakening for the Land and a great desire to continue the great enterprise there. Alongside this is the gnawing doubt, as it appears in the writings of Ezra and Nehemia, the questions of identity that sometimes appear so simple and clear. Amalek and the injunction to remember are not only the preface to Purim, they are also the preface to the Mishkan and Parashat Hahodesh and the whole process of Adar, which begins with the parasha of the Shekalim and ends with Parashat Hahodesh, where we are instructed to establish the Mishkan Ohel Mo'ed.