The Haftorah this week reminds us of how Haman became what he was. He was a descendant of Agog, who was able to have a child because Shaul was too merciful.
Parshat Zachor – Mercy, Morality, and Moral Clarity
The Haftarah of Parshat Zachor tells the story of King Saul and the war against Amalek.
God commands Saul:
Destroy Amalek completely — no survivors, no spoils, nothing kept.
But Saul does two things:
- He spares King Agag
- He keeps the best sheep and cattle, intending to offer them as sacrifices
Then the prophet Samuel confronts him:
“What is this sound of sheep in my ears?”
Saul answers:
“The people wanted them — we will bring offerings to God.”
Samuel’s response becomes one of the most powerful lines in Tanach:
Obedience to God is greater than sacrifice.
Saul misunderstood something fundamental:
You cannot serve morality by violating morality.
The Mistake of Saul
Saul thought he was being compassionate.
He thought he was elevating the situation — turning war booty into holiness.
But the Torah teaches a difficult truth:
Mercy outside a moral framework is not mercy.
There is a famous idea in Jewish thought:
One who is merciful to the cruel will ultimately be cruel to the merciful.
By sparing Agag, Saul allowed evil to survive.
Chazal teach that from Agag eventually came Haman — the story of Purim.
The lesson:
Failing to confront evil does not end evil — it postpones it.
Justice vs. Sentiment
The Haftarah is not teaching cruelty.
It is teaching moral clarity.
After World War II, the Nazis requested execution by firing squad — a military death.
The Allies hanged them instead, declaring:
They were not soldiers.
They were criminals.
Similarly, at the trial of Adolf Eichmann, he said:
“I killed six million of you, and you kill only one of me.”
The answer given:
You are not being killed for revenge.
You are being punished by law — because murder cannot be allowed to stand.
Justice is not hatred.
Justice is the protection of humanity.
The Message of Parshat Zachor
Parshat Zachor is not about remembering a nation long gone.
It is about recognizing a philosophy:
Amalek represents evil that attacks morality itself — evil that targets the weak and innocent.
The Torah demands:
- Do not confuse evil with disagreement
- Do not legitimize evil through misplaced compassion
- Do not allow moral confusion to replace moral responsibility
We are commanded to destroy Amalek —
not only historically, but spiritually:
Remove cruelty, moral relativism, and indifference from the world — and from ourselves.
Takeaway
Kindness is holy.
Compassion is holy.
But compassion detached from truth becomes destructive.
Judaism demands both a soft heart and a clear mind.
Remember Amalek —
because forgetting evil is the first step toward allowing it to return.
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