Laws of the Four Parashiyos
5. Parshas Zachor (Devorim 25:17-19) is read on the Shabbos preceding Purim. It discusses how the nation of Amalek attacked the Jews when they left Egypt. Haman, the Jews' arch-enemy in the Purim story, was a descendant of Amalek.
The Haftarah for Parshas Zachor is from Shmuel 1:15, and begins with the words, "I remember that which Amalek did".
It's a mitzvah from the Torah to hear Parshas Zachar. Both the reader and the congregation must intend to fulfill this mitzvah when Parshas Zachar is read in the shul.
According to some halachic authorities, women are obligated to listen to Parshas Zachar.
( Sefer Shaarei Halachah)
A One Minute a Day Torah Thought !
"Why does the Torah speak about the mitzvahs between man and his fellow man, immediately after relating the actual giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai? Chazal teach us: 'Good manners are a prerequisite to Torah'. The same way that one learns about the contents of a book by reading the preface, so we can tell how much Torah a person has within him by observing how he behaves towards his fellow man.".
(The Kotzker Rebbe ZT'L - Sefer Torah Tavlin)
50 Suggestions for Concentrating during Prayer!
(33) The Magen Avraham says, when one's concentration is disturbed, he should lift his eyes up to the sky to arouse himself to refocus his mind on the prayer. (Therefore, one should pray in a house with windows.)
(Pathway to Prayer, Rabbi Mayer Birnbaum) |
