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Why is remembering history so important? The philosopher
George Santayana gave a now classic reply: "Those
who cannot learn from the past are condemned to repeat
it." Judaism agrees that wisdom can spring from
memory.
Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust and a man who
has dedicated his life to remembering and bearing
witness, remarked to President Ronald Reagan:
When I write, I feel my invisible teachers standing
over my shoulders, reading my words, and judging their
veracity. And while I feel responsible for the living, I
feel equally responsible to the dead. Their memory dwells
in my memory.
There is another important way that Judaism fulfills the
mitzvah of Zikaron. Before the end of every service we
pause to say a prayer called the Kaddish. Kaddish is
recited in memory of our loved ones. It is customary
before the Kaddish to read aloud the names of those in
the congregation who have recently passed on, or those
for whom this date is the anniversary of their death
(called the yahrzeit). By reading aloud these
names year after year, we help ensure that those
individuals will never be forgotten. As an author once
wrote, "How can a people that remembers its past
generations ever disappear?"
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LIVING THE MITZVAH
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Learn about our people's history.
Read a book about Jewish history. Would you prefer
a biography or a historical novel? Would you like
to read about someone mentioned in this book? Ask
your librarian, teacher, or rabbi for a few
suggestions.
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Ask your parents or grandparents for whom they
say Kaddish.
In many Jewish families it is also customary to help
keep alive the memory of a loved one by naming a child
after that person. Find out if you are named after
a relative. What about your brothers, sisters, and
parents?
Another example of the importance of remembrance in
Judaism is Shabbat. The special day itself is
considered to be a double reminder. When we raise the
wine cup for the Shabbat evening Kiddush, we call
Shabbat a zikaron 1'maaseh v'reishit
("remembrance of creation "), and at the
same time a zecher liy'tziyat mitzrayim
("reminder of the Exodus "). Observing
Shabbat encourages us to remember our role in
great design of God's universe, and to remember
the freedom we enjoy is a great gift that we once
were denied.
The Jewish responsibility of remembrance is fulfilled
in many ways: by retelling our history (in such
varied ways as chanting the Torah, writing a book, or
making a movie), by observing Shabbat and the
holidays, by saying Kaddish, or by naming our
children. Through remembering we help ensure that
Judaism will be passed dor l'dor, from
generation to generation. Through remembrance we
ensure that we, and the world, will learn from
history.
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