Kabbalistic Meaning of Shabbat Zachor

Issue of Halacha

The Shabbat that includes the reading of Parasha Tetzaveh is the Shabbat prior to Purim in normal years. The Shabbat that is prior to Purim in leap years will have the Torah reading of Tzav. The Halacha tells us that it is a requirement (language that is almost never used in the Halacha) for any man and woman and child to hear the Maftir Torah Reading and to both Read and Hear the Haftara Reading for Shabbat Zachor.

Halacha is a Hebrew word that gets translated as law. The books of Halacha are telling us what to do to follow the laws of Torah and how to do these laws. Actually they are not laws and the word Halacha does not mean law. A better translation is path or roadway. With this in mind let us ask what is the essence of both the Maftir and the Haftara.

Maftir

The Maftir is the part of the Torah Reading that is considered the "sending away." This reading connects the Malchut or 7th Reading to the Hatara Reading. On Shabbat Zachor it is a Reading of three Verses from Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 25. The Verses are 17, 18, and 19. The Verses start with the word Zachor זכור which means "Remember." It also has the meaning of Male. The name of the Shabbat gets its Name from the first word in the Reading which is the Normal method of Naming things in the Torah Readings. Here are the three Verses in Hebrew and English:

Verse 17:זכור את אשר-עשה לך עמלק בדרך בצאתכם ממצרים

Verse 18:אשר קרך בדרך ויזנב בך כל-הנחשלים אחריך ואתה עיף ויגע ולא ירא אלהים

Verse 19:והיה בהניח יהוה אלהיך לך מכל-איביך מסביב בארץ אשר יהוה-אלהיך נתן לך נחלה לרשתה תמחה את-זכר עמלק מתחת השמים לא תשכח

Verse 17: Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt;

Verse 18: how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

Verse 19: Therefore it shall be, when HaShem thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which HaShem thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget.

Do you think that these verses have a meaning other than the simple meaning of the words? The answer is yes they do. They have a very significant meaning that deals with the spiritual growth of every human being. This is why the Halacha reads the way it does. When we realize that the Nation of Amalek has the same gematria as the Hebrew word Safek which means doubt, everything becomes clear. Doubt is the antithesis of HaShem. HaShem has a plan which we call the Plan of Creation. This plan has absolutely no room for doubt within it. The plan is certain and the essence of HaShem is certain. The Nation of Amalek is the aspect of doubt within each and every human being. The purpose of the reading is to remove the energy of doubt from within us. Yet that does not explain why is this reading on the Shabbat prior to Purim?

The Megillah Reading is about the story of chance, turnabout, and the concealment of HaShem. Nowhere is the Name of HaShem written in the scroll. Yet for people who want "to see" HaShem is there to see throughout the scroll and throughout the story. We need to remove doubts so that we can see the truth about HaShem revealed in the Megillah. If you want to see HaShem in the Megillah you will. If you do not want to see HaShem in the Megillah you won't. That is why we need to hear the Maftir and Haftara to throw the balance of the scales in the side of you being willing to see HaShem in the Megillah.

Haftara

The Haftara is read from Samuel Alef Chapter 15 Verses 1 to 34. i am not going to reproduce the Haftara here, i am going to provide a summary of the story and specific words and verses that will help you relate to the purpose and essence of the Reading.

Summary

The simple story is HaShem sends the Prophet Samuel to speak to the King Saul. Samuel tells Saul that it is time (as mentioned in the Maftir) to destroy Amalek. Samuel tells Saul that HaShem order Saul to go to make war on Amalek and DESTROY Every man and woman, children and infants, and also specifically the four species of animal wealth which are cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.

King Saul raises an army of 200,000 men and makes war on Amalek. HaShem grants him victory after victory until he captures alive King Agog the King of Amalek. King Saul kills all of the people except Agog and Saul also kills all of the animals except the best which he plans to sacrifice to HaShem at the location Gilgal.

HaShem then tells Samuel to go to Saul and tell him that HaShem is agrieved at Saul since he did not listen to HaShem and follow HaShem's instructions. When Samuel finally catches up to Saul who is celebrating over "his Victories," Saul welcomes Samuel and tells him, "I did what HaShem told me to do." From this and other statements Samuel realizes that Saul has lost the Kingship and tells him so.

People ask a simple question. How can Saul tell Samuel that he (Saul) did what he was told? When in fact he did not?

The midrash explains that Saul as King had a level of Prophecy and that he made his own calculation. He saw that in the future the situation would arise that would be recorded in the Scroll of Esther. In that situation he perceived that the plan of HaShem needed some survival of Agog's progeny in order to manifest. This was a calculation similar to what many people make. If they see or hear of a prophecy they think it must come true. ONLY POSITIVE PROPHECIES MUST MANIFEST. NEGATIVE PROPHECIES DO NOT NEED TO MANIFEST. THE JEWS WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO THE PURIM PARTIES OF ASHVEROSH IF AMALEK HAD BEEN DESTROYED. THEN THERE WOULD BE NO NEED TO SAVE THEM SINCE THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY NEGATIVE DECREE THAT WOULD CAUSE THE DEATH OF ALL THE JEWS IN THE WORLD.

There are other spiritual lessons in this Haftara. One of these is about a person's belongings. A belonging of a person takes on the attribute of that person. Amalek has the essence of doubt. Therefore the animals of Amalek have that same essence. Doubt is a cancer. It will spread. It must be wiped out completely from each and every human being. This means that each of us must wipe out our own doubts which is what creates the ultimate blockage to reaching the level of consciousness called Mind Over Matter. The combination of hearing/reading the Haftara on Shabbat Zachor and hearing/reading the Megillah Esther gives us the opportunity to remove every shred of doubt from our being. This can be done, providing we want to remove doubts. Most people do not want to remove doubt. Just like the people who told Saul no we will sacrifice the animals, we seem to never quite remove doubt. Let us do so this year.

How does doubt allow Death into your life?

As we have learned by an analysis of the 3 Pasukim that connect to the energy of the year 5775, we doubt and therefore we create limitation which is ultimately the energy of death in our lives. People do not have to die. Business does not have to come to an end. Things do not have to stop growing. All of these things are aspects of the Angel of Death. We can remove the Angel of death by saying the 3 Verses: Job Chapter 7 Verse 19; First Samuel Chapter 23 Verse 23; and Job Chapter 20 Verse 7.

Let us learn one thing today and realize its truth in our life. People do not die by what the doctor puts on their death certificate. People die by the energy force of doubt which allows the Angel of Death into their lives. That force gives a Midah Keneged Midah (Measure for Measure) example of their mistake and that is what the doctor puts on their death certificate. When it says heart attack the Measure for Measure is Anger. When it is cancer on the death certificate it is a Measure for Measure example of selfishness run rampant.

If you do not want to die then remove every trace of doubt in your consciousness. The 72 Name of HaShem Ayin Reish Yood ע ר י is a good first tool to utilize.

Pronounce it as Ah Rai Yo. Use it as a repetitive phrase. Know that the gematria is 280 which is the gematria of the 5 final letters. Know why this is the energy of certainty. Know why this is the energy of Mashiach. This will remove doubt - Amalek and replace it with Vadai - Certainty. Intertwine these three letters with your Hebrew Name letters.

If you do not know your Hebrew Name send me an email with your English Name spelled out and i will send you a 72 Name chart with that name intertwined with all of the letters. Donations are appreciated and this is a good time to make a donation for a Chatzi Shekel donation to the Temple which will also strengthen your connection to Mashiach and Certainty.