“Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt, 18 how, undeterred by fear of Hashem, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. 19 Therefore, when Hashem your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that Hashem your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” Deuteronomy 25: 17-19
Immediately before the Jewish holiday of Purim is the special Sabbath known as Shabbat Zachor — the “Sabbath of Remembrance.” On that day, Jews read Deuteronomy 25: 17-19 recounting an unprovoked attack by the ancient nation of Amalek against the Israelites shortly after the Exodus from Egypt.
In Jewish tradition, the villain Haman from the Purim story is seen as a descendant of Amalek, and so Shabbat Zachor serves as a reminder of the historic enmity against the Jewish people and the duty to “remember” such aggression. This public reading is a poignant spiritual preparation for the Purim celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire and emphasizes vigilance and memory as part of Jewish identity.
Here is the Purim story in a nutshell, courtesy of chabad.org:
Thus, it is fitting that this year Shabbat Zachor — the “Sabbath of Remembrance,” fell on the day that Iran’s evil Jew-hating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike, and much of the rest of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s anti-Semitic and ant-American leadership was wiped out as Purim 2026 (sundown March 2) approaches.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, fueling proxy wars, arming terror groups, and spreading violence across the Middle East and beyond. For nearly four decades, its Supreme Leader positioned himself as the ideological heir to the annihilationist hatred the Jewish tradition names "Amalek." He openly and repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jewish people. And like Haman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not survive to see those ambitions realized.
As our friends at theisraelbible.com observed: These are the moments when the Bible truly comes to life.
The modern State of Israel sees miracles that are not hidden at all. Thousands of rockets intercepted mid-sky. A nation that should have been destroyed a dozen times over, still standing, still building, still fighting. Children walking to synagogue under an iron dome that did not exist a generation ago.
And then, on top of the visible miracles that take place, there is also the miracle of the timing. Last year’s twelve-day war that aligns with the 23rd of Sivan. A strike against a genocidal regime that lands on Shabbat Zachor, and on the eve of Purim. The symmetry is not decorative. It is structural. It is the same Author writing in the same language, through the same calendar, for those willing to read it.
As Sara Lamm of the theisraelbible.com put it, “We are not celebrating death. We are celebrating the collapse of a regime that built its throne on the promise of Jewish destruction.” We invite you to join us and our Jewish friends this evening at sundown, to celebrate Purim and our joint victory in the modern fulfilment of the Purim story and Deuteronomy 25: 17-19.
Immediately before the Jewish holiday of Purim is the special Sabbath known as Shabbat Zachor — the “Sabbath of Remembrance.” On that day, Jews read Deuteronomy 25: 17-19 recounting an unprovoked attack by the ancient nation of Amalek against the Israelites shortly after the Exodus from Egypt.
In Jewish tradition, the villain Haman from the Purim story is seen as a descendant of Amalek, and so Shabbat Zachor serves as a reminder of the historic enmity against the Jewish people and the duty to “remember” such aggression. This public reading is a poignant spiritual preparation for the Purim celebration of the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire and emphasizes vigilance and memory as part of Jewish identity.
Here is the Purim story in a nutshell, courtesy of chabad.org:
When King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he arranged a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen, though she refused to divulge her nationality.
Meanwhile, the Jew-hating Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was incensed, and he convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar, a date chosen by a lottery Haman made.
Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to G‑d. Meanwhile, Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At a subsequent feast, Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rested and celebrated. In the capital city of Shushan, they took one more day to finish the job.
Meanwhile, the Jew-hating Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was incensed, and he convinced the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the 13th of Adar, a date chosen by a lottery Haman made.
Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing them to repent, fast and pray to G‑d. Meanwhile, Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a feast. At a subsequent feast, Esther revealed to the king her Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a new decree was issued, granting the Jews the right to defend themselves against their enemies.
On the 13th of Adar, the Jews mobilized and killed many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar, they rested and celebrated. In the capital city of Shushan, they took one more day to finish the job.
Thus, it is fitting that this year Shabbat Zachor — the “Sabbath of Remembrance,” fell on the day that Iran’s evil Jew-hating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike, and much of the rest of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s anti-Semitic and ant-American leadership was wiped out as Purim 2026 (sundown March 2) approaches.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, fueling proxy wars, arming terror groups, and spreading violence across the Middle East and beyond. For nearly four decades, its Supreme Leader positioned himself as the ideological heir to the annihilationist hatred the Jewish tradition names "Amalek." He openly and repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and the death of the Jewish people. And like Haman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not survive to see those ambitions realized.
As our friends at theisraelbible.com observed: These are the moments when the Bible truly comes to life.
The modern State of Israel sees miracles that are not hidden at all. Thousands of rockets intercepted mid-sky. A nation that should have been destroyed a dozen times over, still standing, still building, still fighting. Children walking to synagogue under an iron dome that did not exist a generation ago.
And then, on top of the visible miracles that take place, there is also the miracle of the timing. Last year’s twelve-day war that aligns with the 23rd of Sivan. A strike against a genocidal regime that lands on Shabbat Zachor, and on the eve of Purim. The symmetry is not decorative. It is structural. It is the same Author writing in the same language, through the same calendar, for those willing to read it.
As Sara Lamm of the theisraelbible.com put it, “We are not celebrating death. We are celebrating the collapse of a regime that built its throne on the promise of Jewish destruction.” We invite you to join us and our Jewish friends this evening at sundown, to celebrate Purim and our joint victory in the modern fulfilment of the Purim story and Deuteronomy 25: 17-19.
