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Ramban on Deuteronomy 25:17/רמב"ן על דברים כ״ה:י״ז

אזָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק, כְּבָר הִזְכַּרְתִּי (רמב"ן על דברים כ"ד:ט') הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ בּוֹ בְּסִפְרָא (בחקותי פרשה א ג), יָכוֹל בְּלִבְּךָ, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח הֲרֵי שִׁכְחַת הַלֵּב אֲמוּרָה, הָא מָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּם זָכוֹר, שֶׁתְּהֵא שׁוֹנֶה בְּפִיךָ. וְכֵן בְּסִפְרֵי (תצא קסו), זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק, בַּפֶּה; לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח, בַּלֵּב. וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מַה הִיא הַזְּכִירָה הַזּוֹ בַּפֶּה, אִם לֵאמֹר שֶׁנִּקְרָא פָּרָשַׁת עֲמָלֵק בְּצִבּוּר, וְנִמְצֵינוּ לְמֵדִין מִן הַתּוֹרָה בַּשְּׁנִיָּה זָכוֹר (מגילה כט), וְיִהְיֶה סֶמֶךְ לְמִקְרָא מְגִלָּה מִן הַתּוֹרָה. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי שֶׁהוּא לוֹמַר שֶׁלֹּא תִּשְׁכַּח מָה שֶׁעָשָׂה לָנוּ עֲמָלֵק עַד שֶׁנִּמְחֶה אֶת שְׁמוֹ מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם, וּנְסַפֵּר זֶה לְבָנֵינוּ וּלְדוֹרוֹתֵינוּ לוֹמַר לָהֶם כָּךְ עָשָׂה לָנוּ הָרָשָׁע וּלְכָךְ נִצְטַוִּינוּ לִמְחוֹת אֶת שְׁמוֹ. וְכֵן בְּמַעֲשֵׂה מִרְיָם נִצְטַוִּינוּ לְהוֹדִיעוֹ לְבָנֵינוּ וּלְסַפֵּר בּוֹ לְדוֹרוֹת, ואע"פ שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי גַּם לְהַסְתִּירוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לְדַבֵּר בִּגְנוּתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים, אֲבָל צִוָּה הַכָּתוּב לְהוֹדִיעוֹ וּלְגַלּוֹתוֹ כְּדֵי שֶׁתְּהֵא אַזְהָרַת לָשׁוֹן הָרַע שׂוּמָה בְּפִיהֶם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא חֵטְא גָּדוֹל וְגוֹרֵם רָעוֹת רַבּוֹת, וּבְנֵי אָדָם נִכְשָׁלִים בּוֹ תָּמִיד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (ב"ב קסה) וְהַכֹּל בַּאֲבַק לָשׁוֹן הָרָע:

1REMEMBER WHAT AMALEK DID UNTO THEE. I have already mentioned the Midrash which the Rabbis interpreted in the Sifra:³⁸⁰. “I might think that it means, ‘in your heart.’ But when Scripture states, thou shalt not forget,³⁵³ forgetfulness of heart is already stated. How then can I fulfill the injunction Remember? It must mean ‘by verbal utterance.’” It is also stated in the Sifre,³⁸¹ 296. “Remember what Amalek did unto thee means verbal [remembrance]. Thou shalt not forget³⁵³ means [remembrance] in the heart.”But I know not what is this remembrance through the spoken word. If it is to say that we are to read the section of Amalek in public, then we might deduce therefrom that the duty of reading on the second [Sabbath in the month of Adar the section] Remember what Amalek did unto thee is by law of the Torah!³⁸² 685:7, where this opinion is mentioned. So also we shall have in that case a Scriptural support for the reading of the Scroll [of Esther on Purim]!³⁸³ The correct interpretation appears to me that the verse states that you are not to forget what Amalek did to us until we blot out his remembrance from under the heavens, and that we are to relate it to our children and to our generations, saying to them, “Thus did the wicked one do to us and therefore we have been commanded to blot out his name.” Similarly, in the affair of Miriam, we were commanded³⁸⁴ to make it known to our children and relate it to the generations. And although it would have been appropriate to conceal it in order not to speak of the shortcomings of the righteous,³⁸⁵ yet Scripture commanded that it be made known and revealed so that the admonition against slander be put in their mouths³⁸⁶ because it is a great sin and causes many evils, and people are in the habit of stumbling therein, just as the Rabbis have said:³⁸⁷ “All people are [suspect] of a shade of slander.”Ki Thavo