Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

The Shabbat preceding Purim is called Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of remembering. Specifically, we remember Amalek, the heinous nation which attacked the Israelites from behind after the Exodus from Egypt. Haman, the villain of the Purim story, is a descendant of the Amalek nation. He is called Haman the Aggagite. In the Prophetic literature, Agag was king of Amalek during the reign of King Saul. On Shabbat morning, we read the command to remember Amalek from a second Torah scroll, and we read the story of Agag in the Haftarah, from the book of Samuel.

Of course, in Jewish tradition, the Mitzvah of Zachor applies to many ideas. Many Jews recite a particular list called the Six Remembrances after the daily morning service. Among them, we remember Shabbat. We remember that we were slaves in Egypt, and we remember the gossip  initiated by Miriam against her brother Moses. To this day, celebrating Shabbat, ending all forms of enslavement, and preventing gossip by refusing to hear it or listen to it are imperatives of Judaism in the contemporary world.

In modern Canadian life, this past Monday, we celebrated Family Day. Ironically, February 15th is my younger brother Mitchell's birthday, which coincided this year with Family Day. While Covid has made it impossible to physically visit relatives near and far, I am grateful to have three wonderful siblings who live in the United States, and my two sons, one of whom lives in the United States and one who lives here in Toronto. I remember and celebrate my family always.

Remembering our family and our roots is a modern manifestation of the many calls to remember in Jewish tradition. When we Jews remember that we are part of a four thousand year history, our heritage will continue to breathe and blossom, always maintaining its beauty, relevance and significance.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison