vital information: Fwd: Torat Imecha Haftorah

Thursday, March 6, 2025

Fwd: Torat Imecha Haftorah - Zachor

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: The OU Women's Initiative <ouwomen@ounetwork.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 6, 2025, 7:10 AM
Subject: Torat Imecha Haftorah - Zachor
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Torat Imecha Haftorah for Sefer Shemot is dedicated by the family of Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin z"l, ישרא–ל בן רפא–ל זאב ז׳׳ל, as an aliyah for his neshama.

Haftorah Parshat Zachor

Mrs. Sara Malka Winter

Listen Now

Mrs. Sara Malka Winter holds a Master of Science degree in education and is a sought-after speaker in her community of Silver Spring, Maryland. As a teenager, Mrs. Winter founded Ashreinu, a Canadian kiruv organization dedicated to Jewish outreach to the Russian immigrant community, which has influenced hundreds of girls. Mrs. Winter lived in Israel for eight years with her family, where she taught and lectured across Jerusalem in seminaries, outreach centers, and high schools. In 2008, Mrs. Winter moved to Maryland to help found the Greater Washington Community Kollel, together with her husband, Rabbi Menachem Winter. She continues to lecture throughout the Washington, DC area as a Senior Lecturer for the Kollel on diverse topics, including Tefillah, Chumash, Nach, Tehillim, Chagim, and Mitzvos. Mrs. Winter is also a beloved teacher at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington Girls Division. At the OU Women's Initiative, Sara Malka taught Sefer Tehillim 53-62 and 120-134 to over 5,000 women worldwide as part of the Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program.

Dvar Haftorah

OU Women's Initiative

Founding Director

Rebbetzin Dr.

Adina Shmidman

Never Forgotten

Parshat Tetzaveh - Zachor

Shmuel I 15:2-34

The Haftorah of Parshat Zachor (Shmuel I 15) recounts Shmuel HaNavi's command to Shaul HaMelech to destroy Amalek, a nation defined by its cruelty and unprovoked attack on Bnei Yisrael as they emerged from Egypt. Amalek's evil is eternal, and we are mandated never to forget their treachery. Yet within this Haftorah, a contrasting group emerges—the children of Keini, descendants of Yitro, who are remembered for their kindness.

This contrast is no coincidence. The Torah itself places Yitro and Amalek side by side: at the end of Parshat Beshalach, Amalek attacks, rejecting Hashem's presence in the world. Immediately afterward, in Parshat Yitro, Yitro arrives, declaring, "Now I know that Hashem is greater than all gods" (Shemot 18:11). Amalek denies; Yitro affirms. Amalek embodies cruelty and chaos, while Yitro embodies recognition and alignment with Hashem.

And yet, both are eternally linked to memory. We are commanded "Zachor"—to never forget Amalek's evil. But we also see that kindness, too, is remembered. Before waging war, Shaul HaMelech warns the Keinites to leave, telling them: "You did kindness with all Bnei Yisrael" (Shmuel I 15:6). What was this kindness that extended to all of Bnei Yisrael?

According to Midrash Tanchuma (Yitro 6), Yitro's recognition of Hashem's greatness was an act of validation. When he declared "Blessed is Hashem, Who has saved you" (Shemot 18:10), he was not merely expressing personal belief—he was affirming the truth of what Bnei Yisrael had experienced. His words reinforced that their faith was not misplaced, that the wonders they had witnessed were indeed transformative. This validation was a kindness to the entire nation.

This act of kindness was not forgotten—it ultimately saved the Keini family generations later. Just as Amalek's evil is never forgotten, neither is the goodness of Yitro and his descendants. Both leave an eternal imprint, but while Amalek's memory is one of destruction, Yitro's is one of devotion and commitment.

We are charged to remember Amalek's evil, but Yitro's legacy teaches that kindness, too, endures. As we fulfill the mitzvah of Zachor, we must not only guard against destruction but also amplify those who affirm Hashem's presence and uplift others.