Parshas Zachor

[A] (halacha 220)

Parshas Zachor

Question: Why do we read Parshas Zachor on the Shabbos before Purim? What is the source of this enactment, its reason, and its obligation?

Answer: The reading of Parshas Zachor on the Shabbos before Purim is an enactment of the Men of the Great Assembly¹ as part of the four parshiyos that are read in the month of Adar. So the Gemara states in Maseches Megillah² in the Mishnah: 'On the second [Shabbos], Zachor.' And the Gemara³ explains: 'Which is the second Shabbos? Any [Shabbos] within which Purim falls, even on Erev Shabbos.'

And Rashi wrote there: 'Parshas Zachor is read on the Shabbos adjacent to Purim, in order to juxtapose the blotting out of Amalek with the blotting out of Haman.'

And so wrote the Rambam⁴: 'On the second [Shabbos] they read Zachor and conclude with the Haftarah "I have remembered that which Amalek did." Which is the second Shabbos? Any [Shabbos] within which Purim falls, even on Erev Shabbos.'

And so ruled the Mechaber⁵: 'On the second Shabbos they take out two Sifrei Torah; from one he reads the weekly parsha, and from the second he reads: "Remember what Amalek did to you," and the Maftir: "I have remembered that which Amalek did."'

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And the Rosh wrote⁶: 'In a quorum of ten, for matters that are of Torah origin, such as reading Parshas Zachor, which is from the Torah.' That is, by reading Parshas Zachor that the Men of the Great Assembly enacted, we fulfill the positive mitzvah from the Torah of remembering the deed of Amalek in a quorum of ten⁷.

And so wrote the Mechaber⁸: 'There are those who say that Parshas Zachor and Parshas Parah Adumah are obligatory to read from the Torah; therefore, residents of settlements who do not have a minyan must come to a place where there is a minyan on these Shabbosos in order to hear these parshiyos, which are of Torah origin.' And the Rema wrote in his gloss: 'And if it is impossible for them to come, they should nonetheless be careful to read them with their melody and trop.'

And in the Shulchan Aruch of Admur HaZaken⁹ he wrote: 'A minor who knows to Whom one recites brochos may be called up for Maftir... And for the four parshiyos he may be called up if he knows to Whom one recites brochos. And even though Parshas Zachor is an obligation from the Torah that every person of Israel must hear it, and the minor, who is not obligated in the matter, cannot discharge the obligation of others, nonetheless nowadays the chazzan reads aloud and makes it heard by the congregation and discharges their obligation.'

If so, hearing Parshas Zachor is an obligation from the Torah according to most poskim¹⁰, and so ruled Admur HaZaken. *¹¹

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Question: Are women also obligated to hear Parshas Zachor?

Answer: The Toras Chesed wrote¹²: 'Our custom for women is that they never hear the reading of Parshas Zachor at all... The implication of the words of the Rambam, the Semag, and the other enumerators of the mitzvos who mentioned this positive mitzvah of remembering the deed of Amalek is that they did not mention at all that one must read this from a Sefer Torah and in public. And it appears that this is not part of the essence of the mitzvah from the Torah. And in the Sefer HaChinuch he too wrote that from the essence of the mitzvah it is only to remember the matter. He only wrote that the custom of Israel is to read it from a Sefer Torah once a year, and through this they fulfill this mitzvah. Such that from the essence of the obligation from the Torah, one need not read this parsha specifically from a Sefer Torah, and one fulfills it through mere verbal remembrance. And it is from a rabbinic enactment to read this parsha from a Sefer Torah in public once a year, and through this they establish themselves to fulfill this mitzvah. And accordingly it is obvious that the Sages enacted this only for men but not for women, who are not subject to the reading from a Sefer Torah. The women can only fulfill the obligation through verbal remembrance and through mere recounting, and they too are not obligated in this every year, as above. And all the more so, since according to the opinion of the Chinuch women are entirely exempt from this positive mitzvah of remembering Amalek and need not remember at all, as above. Therefore, at the very least the women fulfill the obligation through remembrance and recounting not from a Sefer Torah... And we have never seen nor heard of anyone who required women to hear the reading of Parshas Zachor from a Sefer Torah in public.

However, the Rebbe expressed in the sicha of Parshas Parah 5736¹³: 'Regarding Parshas Zachor, which is an obligation from the Torah, and all are obligated in this, even women, as is explained in the Acharonim.' And in the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Zachor 5743¹⁴: 'According to several poskim women too are obligated... and as the women and daughters of Israel have been accustomed to come to the synagogue in order to hear the reading of Parshas Zachor.'

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Question: What should one do who did not hear the reading of Parshas Zachor?

Answer: The Magen Avraham wrote¹⁵: 'One who hears on Purim the portion "And Amalek came" also remembers the deed of Amalek and fulfills the obligation'¹⁶. And there are those who wrote¹⁷ that one should have intent to fulfill the obligation when Parshas Ki Seitzei is read.

If so, one who did not hear Parshas Zachor fulfills his obligation through the reading of Parshas Beshalach on the day of Purim, and if he did not hear it on Purim he should be careful to hear it when Parshas Ki Seitzei is read.

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Notes:

¹ ראה שו"ע אדמו"ר הזקן סי' רפב סי"ג ↩

² כט, א ↩

³ ל, א ↩

⁴ הלכות תפלה ונשיאת כפים פי"ג ה"ם ↩

⁵ או"ח סי' תרפה ס"ב ↩

⁶ ברכות פ"ז ס"כ ↩

⁷ ראה הדעות בזה באנציקלופדיה תלמודית כרך יב ערך זכירת מעשה עמלק ↩

⁸ שם ס"ז ↩

⁹ סי' רפב סט"ז ↩

¹⁰ וראה בתו"מ תשמ"ט ח"ב עמ' 466 שצ"ע שהרי (לרוב הפוסקים הקריאה בעשרה ובס"ת אינה אלא מדרבנן) מקיימים מצווה זו בקריאת או אמירת פרשה זו באיזה יום שיהיה וכן אומרים זה בכל יום ב"שש זכירות" ↩

¹¹ שו"ת או"ח סי' לז ↩

¹² שיחות קודש ע' 661 בלתי מוגה ↩

¹³ תו"מ ח"ב ע' 1042 בלתי מוגה. וראה גם תו"מ תשמ"ט ח"ב ע' 443 ↩

¹⁴ סימן תרפה בהקדמה. ראה לקו"ש חכ"א פ' זכור הערה 8 ↩

¹⁵ וראה במשנה ברורה שם סקט"ז שפקפק בדין זה כי לא נזכר בפרשת ויבא עמלק החיוב לא תשכח, ומה שכתב ליישב בנטעי גבריאל פורים חלק התשובות סי' ה ↩

¹⁶ ראה הנסמן בפסקי תשובות סי' תרפ"ה, אות ח ↩

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