"Remember them." When we hear these words, we know they refer to the victims of the Holocaust. (In a broader sense, they urge us to also remember all the anti-Semites who tried to kill us throughout the ages.) These words are ingrained into our psyches.
"Remember It." These words refer to Shabbat.
There are seven “remembrances” that should be constant in our minds.
This week’s Torah portion, Emor, mentions one such remembrance. Seemingly however, it doesn’t fit with the rest. When it comes to remembering to blow the Shofar—the ram’s horn—on Rosh Hashanah, the same word, Zichron, is used: remember. Why do we have to “remember” to blow the Shofar? Couldn’t the Torah have simply given us the commandment to blow the Shofar and we would do so just like we do every other mitzvah?
The technical answer is that G-d wants us to associate the blowing of the Shofar with the verses of remembrance, so that the experience of hearing the Shofar is not just that of an instrument we hear on Rosh Hashanah, but a sound that penetrates the soul. Reciting the verses while we hear the sound of the Shofar puts us in the mind frame of recognizing that G-d is the creator of this world, and we are coronating Him as our king on this very day.
However, there is even more to it. It is not just we who should be remembering. We are asking G-d to remember as well. We blow a ram's horn to show G-d that we remember—and so should He—way back when, at the binding of Isaac, Abraham sacrificed a ram in Isaac’s stead.
Why is it so important to us for G-d to remember this? Abraham’s unconditional devotion and actions showed that he was ready to put everything on the line for G-d. We, as Abraham’s descendants, have followed Abraham’s path. We thank G-d for not testing us daily, nevertheless, we want G-d, on the holy day of Rosh Hashanah, to remember this about Abraham and Isaac, and about us as well.
True, we don’t have to sound the Shofar daily, but when we do, we want it to carry the full meaning of its sound. We are here for you!
In our own personal lives, we have memorable experiences that often pass us by, and we don’t give them much thought. In truth, though, many have really shaped us in very meaningful ways. Today might not be Rosh Hashanah, but every day should be a meaningful day. So take a minute and think of a memorable moment that has been especially meaningful to you—and if there is someone associated with it who deserves recognition, let that person (or G-d) know.