Most Ashkenazi synagogues are making an unnecessary mistake this Shabbat.

On Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat before Purim, we read a special maftir section referencing the Amalekites’ attack on the Israelites in the wilderness. By reading this short passage, we connect the duty to ‘blot out the memory of Amalek’ with the victory over Haman, who is considered a direct descendant of Amalek.

The reading begins with the command: “Remember (zachor) what Amalek did to you.”

Because these three verses (Deut. 25:17-19) contain a biblical commandment to remember, we are understandably meticulous about every syllable. However, in recent generations, a strange and unwarranted “double-take” has entered Ashkenazi synagogues.

A Mistaken Repetition

When the reader reaches the final verse containing the words זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק (“the memory of Amalek”) they repeat the........

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