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Article: In defense of tradition: haftarat Zachor in the light of Purim.
- Article from:
- Judaism
- Article date:
- January 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 American Jewish Congress. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the days preceding purim and on purim itself, we read three times of the struggle of the Jewish people against the forces of evil, personified as Amalek: first, in the special maftir from Deuteronomy 25 read on Shabbat Zachor (the Sabbath when we are admonished to remember Amalek); next, in the halfarah for Shabbat Zachor, from chapter 15 of I Samuel, which tells of the Jewish people's war with Amalek under the leadership of King Saul; and third, in Megillat Esther, where the Jews' enemies are identified as descendants of the Amalekite King Agag, who appears in chapter 15 of I Samuel. However, in glancing through the Plaut Chumash, I noticed that Rabbi Plaut, perhaps in ...