Zachor in the Middle
Every year, we read from the maftir of this week's parsha on the Shabbos before Purim to fulfill the mitzvah of Zechiras Amaleik. Regarding this mitzva, the Chasam Sofer states, based on a gemara in Berachos, (58b) regarding aveilus, that the prerequisite timespan for forgetting is 12 months. He suggests, based on this, that perhaps in a leap year situation where there will be 13 months between the reading of Parshas Zachor to the next, that one should have specific kavana in Parshas Ki Seitzei to fulfill the mitzva of Zechiras Amalek. The Mahara"m Shi"k writes that the Chasam Sofer's custom was to do so. However, the Chasam Sofer himself ends up saying that one need not do so. Either way, it occurred to me that this may even apply to a year which is not a leap year. This year would be just such an example. This past year, Purim was on Tuesday so Parshas Zachor was read on the 11th of Adar. Next year, Purim is on Sunday so Parshas Zachor will be read on the 13th of Adar, more than twelve months after the last reading. If we were to require specific kavana in the leap year situation and it should apply here as well. Nevertheless, we need not do so, so it doesn't really matter. I later heard, though, that R' Mordechai Willig of YU and R' Eli Wolf had the same thought.
ברוך שכוונתי!
posted by Shtikler | 4:04 PM
1 Comments:
I told this to a rav today, and he suggested a basis to challenge the extension to the non-leap year case. He suggested that when Chazal refer to 12 months, it is often meant as an approximation. For example, there are some cases where we say that keilim that have absorbed taste of food will no longer emit that taste after 12 months. (I'm not an expert so I don't know exactly in what circumstances this halacha applies.) Many people who do not eat gebrokts on Pesach do eat it on the eighth day. They don't worry about getting gebrokts on their keilim, because it will be 12 months until the following Pesach. But in most years it's a week less than 12 months... and this doesn't seem to bother them.
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