BRESLEV.CO.IL BONUS Zachor: When in Doubt By: Rabbi Pinchas Winston

This week is Parashas Zachor, which means in place of the usual maftir, we will skip ahead to Parashas Ki Seitzei and read about how Amalek attacked the Jewish people shortly after they left Egypt. Many hold that the hearing of this maftir is a Torah mitzvah that is incumbent on women too (Rav Noson Adler, zt"l, was very stringent in making sure that all the women in his house made it to shul to hear Parashas Zachor), which is why women make it a point to be in shul for this week's erev Purim special maftir. The truth is, the remembering of what Amalek did to the Jewish people is not a once-in-a-year mitzvah; there is an obligation to remember every day what happened. It's just that the Talmud says that the average memory lasts about 12 months, and therefore, we need an official reminder once every 12 months. What about during a leap year which is 13 months long, you may be asking? For this reason, the Vilna Gaon had in mind in such a year to fulfill this mitzvah when actually reading the maftir in its proper time, that is, during the reading of Parashas Ki Seitzei. This way, 12 months would not pass without reading about Amalek.