Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

We previously discussed the Six Remembrances and the Six Constant Mitzvos. It should not surprise us that that these two sets of six items each correspond to one another, as follows:

I. To Remember the Exodus from Egypt = To Know That There is a God The verse that tells us to believe in Hashem specifically says, "I am Hashem your God who brought you out of Egypt."

II. To Remember the Making of the Golden Calf = Not to Believe in Any Other "Gods" The Jews in the desert grievously erred in this and we must remember so that we do not follow their example.

III. To Remember Receiving the Torah at Sinai = To Know That God is One The Torah, which Hashem gave us, is a testament to His Unity.

IV. To Remember Shabbos = To Love God Shabbos was given to us by Hashem as a sign of His love. In the Shabbos davening (prayers) we say, “You, Hashem, have given us Shabbos in Your love…”

V. To Remember Amalek’s Evil Attack = To Be in Awe of God How did Amalek have the audacity to attack the Jews so soon after seeing what Hashem did for them in Egypt? The Torah tells us (Deuteronomy 25:18) that “they did not fear God." Lack of reverence for Hashem leads to such reprehensible actions.

VI. To Remember Miriam’s Punishment = Not to Be Led Astray by Our Desires We are warned not to follow our hearts or eyes in order to go astray. Psalms 34:15 asks, “Who is the person who desires life, who loves years to see good things? Guard your tongue from speaking evil…” The act of slandering others (for which Miriam was punished) leads us away from the path of life and goodness.