Remembering Amalek, and also the captive hostages

The rabbinic debaters, in this new Ayin Tova Cartoon, keep their eyesight narrowly focused upon the intellectual and religiously specific question at hand: What is the correct pronunciation of a specific word in the Torah. Ironically enough, the very word under consideration recalls the necessity of “memory” (while our tradition indeed lost the memory of that pronunciation).

The oblivious rabbis are devoutly engrossed and distracted by their pious concerns and mission, yet appear in close proximity to (right above!) captive hostages suffering underground in war-torn Gaza. Profoundly, the word “zecher” relates to a biblical command to never forget the vicious Amalekites and their deceitful attacks on the vulnerable of our nation. Some parallels of this commandment to current events are striking, but are sadly lost upon these scholars of minutiae. I wish that they would be as preoccupied in militantly debating how better to assist in the national war efforts and in helping return our hostages home.

An intent of this cartoon is to hold up a virtual mirror to a part of our own Jewish community to face a glaring defect, which may perhaps trigger some shame with self-reflection, and activate awareness with a behavioral correction. That is my hope.