If You Zoned Out During Parashat Zachor, Did You Fulfill the Mitzvah?

I suffer from attention difficulties, and it is hard for me to stay focused even during short readings. I wanted to know: regarding the reading of Parashat Zachor or Parashat Parah, if I drifted off during the reading, did I fulfill my obligation or not?

First, it is important to understand that the mitzvah of hearing Parashat Zachor and Parashat Parah is fundamentally different from the regular weekly Torah reading, and also different from Parashat Shekalim and Parashat HaChodesh. There are two types of commandments: those that are an obligation on the individual, and those that are an obligation on the community.

The mitzvah to hear the weekly Torah reading, as well as Parashat Shekalim and Parashat HaChodesh, is primarily a communal obligation rather than a personal one. In contrast, Parashat Zachor and Parashat Parah are personal obligations upon each individual — similar to the reading of Megillat Esther, where it is not enough that the congregation reads; each person must hear the entire reading from beginning to end.

Must One Hear Every Word?

There is another difference concerning whether it is sufficient to hear the general idea or whether every word must be heard.

Regarding Parashat Zachor, there is a dispute among halachic authorities whether, after the fact, hearing the main theme — remembering Amalek and erasing his memory, is sufficient, or whether one must hear every single word. Many authorities rule strictly that even if one missed a single word, they have not fulfilled their obligation, since the primary mitzvah of Parashat Zachor is of biblical origin.

Similarly, Parashat Parah is also primarily biblical and an individual obligation, so one must hear every word. However, there is a distinction: not the entire synagogue reading is essential for fulfilling the obligation. Therefore, it depends which words were missed. If one did not hear the first half of the reading (up to the words “and for the stranger who dwells among them,” Numbers 19:10), which serves as a kind of introduction, they may still fulfill their obligation after the fact. But from that verse until the end, if even one word was not heard, one has not fulfilled the obligation and must hear the reading again with another minyan.

Lack of Attention vs. Lack of Hearing

For someone who was not focused during the reading, we must distinguish between “lack of attention” and “lack of hearing.”

Lack of attention means the person’s mind wandered, but if asked where the reader was holding, they could answer. In such a case, it is considered as though they heard the reading, even if they were not fully attentive to the words.

However, if their mind wandered so much that they would not know what the reader had just read, this is considered a lack of hearing. Therefore:

• Someone who experienced only lack of attention has fulfilled their obligation, even for Parashat Zachor and Parashat Parah.

• Someone who experienced lack of hearing must hear the reading again for Parashat Zachor and Parashat Parah. For Parashat Shekalim, Parashat HaChodesh, and the weekly Torah reading, they do not need to repeat it.

A helpful suggestion for someone who finds it difficult to concentrate is to follow the reading along with the cantor from a printed Chumash, while intending to fulfill the obligation through the cantor’s reading rather than their own.

In summary,

• If one experiences lack of attention, they fulfill their obligation in all readings, even Parashat Zachor.

• If one experienced lack of hearing, they must repeat Parashat Zachor and Parashat Parah, but not the other Torah readings (aside from Megillat Esther).

Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Dayan is the author of the book Keshev Rav – Attention Deficit Disorder in Halacha and Aggadah.