We hope that you had a wonderful and meaningful Shavuot and that you were able to
enjoy a sense of standing at Sinai receiving Torah. It is so challenging to hang onto the depths of spiritual moments, yet our tradition teaches us that we are obligated to hold onto the memory of standing at Sinai all the days of our life. Not only are we supposed to remember receiving the Torah, our memory is to activate us to stay focused on what receiving the Torah is all about. "Only beware and guard yourself carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen and lest they stray from your heart all the days of your life. And you are to make them known to your children and to your children's children -- the day you stood before Hashem, your G-d, at
Sinai" (Deutoronomy 4:9-10).

The Six Rememberances

The rememberance of standing at Sinai is one of six rememberances that G-d commands us to remember always. The others are: Shabbat, the Exodus from Egypt, Amalek, the Golden Calf, and, as will be read this week in BeHa'alotcha-- the Tzara'at (skin disease) that Miriam is struck with for speaking Lashon haRa (gossip) about her brother Moshe. Together, these six rememberances are called the Sheish Zechirot. Kabbalah teaches us that we should recite the six sections from the Torah that contain these rememberances every day in order to keep them alive in our minds. They are included in the readings following the weekday Shacharit (morning) service.

Zayin and the Word Zecher--To Remember

The word Zechirot comes from the root Zecher (Zayin-Chaf-Reish), which means, remember. The letter Zayin, the letter that spiritually energizes this month of Sivan has the numerical value of 7. Last year we wrote about the mathematical relationship of 6 circles to a 7th circle. Six circles of equal size will exactly fit around the outside of a 7th circle of the same size -- touching, but not overlapping. We compared this relationship to the relationship of the 6 days of creation with the 7th inner-circle day of Shabbat. This metaphor of 6 surrounding the 7th appears to apply to the Sheish Zechirot as well. But, what is at the center? What is the 7th circle as it relates to the 6 circles of rememberance?

Before offering an answer to this question, we want to look at the word Zachar which is constructed from the same 3 letters as Zecher but refers to males (or masculinity). Now, this seems perplexing, for we have no reason to think that memory is a function of masculinity. In fact, it would seem to be the opposite-- that memory is related to a feminine quality of holding onto and connecting to the past. What does masculinity have to do with the need to remember? [We will take one approach and if you wish to offer some other approach please share it with us].

The Sense of Walking

The spiritual sense of the month of Sivan is the Sense of Walking and we have explained this to mean an ability to see G-d's purpose in all the paths we follow. The Tribe associated with this month is the Tribe of Zevulun (also starts with a Zayin) who were known as merchants who traveled far and wide. While the word for Walking is Helooch (in the text of Sefer Yetzirah) the more general term for motion or movement is the word Za (Zayin-Ayin). Perhaps what we are given here is a clue about the importance of carrying our memories with us in all our travels. And, since travel is a masculine trait (masculine, not exclusively male) the words for remember and masculine share the same letters. Incidentally, men, who until recent times were the ones to be out in the larger society are accompanied by many symbols that are designed to be rememberances of who they are--Milah, Tzitzit, Kippah. The ways we move in the world and the choices we make are dependent on the rememberances that accompany us throughout each day.

An additional teaching to be derived from the command
to actively remember (the six Zechirot) is that memory is not seen as a passive
recollection of our experiences. Rather, we actively choose to remember. And,
perhaps the greatest and unspoken command of rememberance (the 7th Zechira) is
to remember who we are! This idea is beautifully illustrated in a reminisence
and commentary of Rabbi Abraham Twerski in his book, "Generation to Generation"
" I would like to share with you a childhood recollection. One of the few
memories I have of being disciplined by my father for something of which he
disapproved, was his telling me in a quiet, firm, and no-nonesense tone, 'Es
past nisht' (this does not become you)... It was not until maany years later
that I apprecited the full content of Father's rebuke. He ahd told me that I was
not to do something because that behavior was beneath me. 'Es past nisht' meant
that I was too good for that. This is the diametric opposite of a put-down. I
was told I was a person of excellence."

A Final Lesson

This week's Torah portion of Beha'alotcha finds the Jewish people remembering the Exodus from Egypt ....but with regret! The rabble that was among them cultivated a craving, and the Children of Israel also wept once more, and said, "Who will feed us meat? Zacharnu, We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge; and the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now, our life is parched, there is nothing; we have nothing to anticipate but the manna!" (Numbers 11:4-6) This is what they remember?! How is this possible? What a far cry from the lofty spiritual heights of the entire people standing at Sinai and proclaiming "Everything that Hashem has spoken, we shall do" (Exodus 19:8).

Truly, the Children of Israel's memory of Egypt was distorted. That their enslavement could be transformed into a mouth-watering, compelling memory is amazing. Yet, this is the power of passive memory. In a vaccum that is devoid of active memory we are succeptible to what we think we remember. Without choosing what our "memories" will be we can succumb to passive memories. If. on the other hand, we choose to remember and use these rememberances to structure who we are in the world, then we will also fulfill on who we are capable of being.

The Zayin for this month of Sivan, during which we commemorate the giving of Torah, reminds us to make the receiving of Torah one of the Sheish Zechirot guiding the way we move in our lives. The Zayin (as the lead letter of Zecher) reminds us to choose to remember. May we merit to surround ourselves and be guided by the Sheish Zechirot that G-d has commanded us.

Addendum: The rememberance of Miriam's Tzara'at that is the final chapter in this week's Torah portion is generally understood to be a rememberance for speaking Lashon haRa, saying negative things about others. Specifically, though, Miriam was speaking against Moshe who was the leader of the Jewish people. How critical is it for us to guard ourselves against talking negatively about our leaders? Is there a leader you know that people don't complain about? Perhaps the greatness of Moshe and other leaders is their ability to continue leading despite their awareness of the negativity that people harbor against them. May we merit to include in the rememberance of Miriam's admonition a desire to help our leaders through constructive criticism and avoid the negative and destructive talk that is merely a complaint.