Eikev

Torah Fax

Friday, August 15, 2003 - 17 Menachem Av, 5763

The Soul of the Heel

The opening words of the Parshah, "VeHayah Eikev Tishma'un," can be translated as: "And it will be, because (Eikev) you will hearken to My commandments…" The verse goes on to say that, as a result of our keeping His Mitzvot, G‑d will fulfill His covenant with us. Though the word Eikev here means "because," it can also be translated as "heel." Rashi notes that there are many more common words that could have been used to express the idea that G‑d's covenant will be fulfilled as a direct result of keeping the commandments. He notes that the Torah here uses the word Eikev to convey a more subtle message as well. Since the word Eikev also means heel, the Torah wishes to tell us that we are most deserving of G‑d's blessings when we scrupulously keep even those “trivial” commandments that people tend to tread on with their heel.

But why does G‑d promise to keep His covenant with us specifically when we decide to keep the "heel commandments?"

Jewish thought teaches that there are two different - if not entirely opposing - approaches contained in every Mitzvah. One aspect of Mitzvot is a singular idea which encompasses all Mitzvot equally: it is G‑d's commandment; it is His desire that this specific deed be accomplished. The second aspect views the commandments from the perspective of the one doing the commandment. What message does this Mitzvah convey to me? How does this Mitzvah bring relevance in my day to day life? From this perspective, every Mitzvah is unique. Since every Mitzvah has a specialized effect on one's soul, each Mitzvah conveys an individual message, independent of every other Mitzvah.

Thus, while the first approach shows the Mitzvah from G‑d's vantage point, the Commander, the second approach shows the Mitzvah from the human viewpoint, the commanded. And, while both approaches are important and valued in Jewish thought, we sometimes forget the value of the first approach. From G‑d's perspective, all Mitzvot are equal and they are all deserving of our attention, though we know there are some Mitzvot which resound with us more than others.

To further understand this approach based on the fulfillment of G‑d's commands in a way that transcends our appreciation and understanding of the Mitzvah, we can use the metaphor of marriage. In marriage, we devote ourselves entirely to our spouse. Our spouse's well-being and happiness becomes a primary concern. Imagine for a moment a husband who, after discussing with his friends how best to show his love for his wife, buys her a box of chocolates. She, however, refuses them, saying they are not healthy and too fattening. Instead, she requests, she would like to spend some quality time with her husband - at a ball game!

One response a husband might give could be: "A ball game?! That's not romantic. My friends at the office - who, I might add, know a lot about romance - told me chocolate is romantic." Though this response might make the husband feel accomplished, receiving chocolate will not make his wife truly happy.

The wiser response would be: "Well, I don't understand how you can view a ball game as more romantic than chocolate, but since I want you to be happy - a ball game it is." If the husband's concern is his wife's happiness, if he loves her and wants to show that love with something she likes - his understanding of her interests is irrelevant. His concern has to be what she considers romantic - friends at the office notwithstanding.

Our sages have likened our relationship with G‑d to a marriage. Our concern should be the interests of our Partner, the One we are devoted to. If He tells us, for instance, that it is important to Him that we keep kosher, does it makes sense for us to say "Kosher? Why would G‑d care if I ate in this restaurant or that? Aren't there more pressing issues of global importance that G‑d should be concerned with?" If we care for G‑d and His desires, this question is out of place. He wants us to keep kosher, and if we are interested in the desires of the One we are devoted to, we should do what He wants, whether or not it makes sense to us.

Thus, the Parhsah tells us that if we really want to show we have a covenant, an eternal bond, with G‑d, we must take care to fulfill even the "heel" Mitzvot. If our relationship with G‑d is to reflect of our dedication to His will, then even those Mitzvot which don't seem to bring any meaning to our lives must be fulfilled.

There is a definite connection between the "heel" Mitzvot and the time of the Messiah. Our tradition has likened the Giving of the Torah at Sinai to the betrothal of the Jewish people with G‑d and the coming of Moshiach as the actual marriage. In order to indicate that we are ready for marriage, to show that we are prepared to put our Spouse's needs first, we must be scrupulous in fulfilling the "heel" Mitzvot, the Mitzvot which don't always seem to have the most value.   

Continued from last week...“And I will remove wild beasts from the land” (Lev. 26:6).Rabbi Judah says that G‑d will remove wild beasts from the world, while Rabbi Shimon maintains that G‑d will neutralize their aggressive instinct. In other words, Rabbi Shimon maintains that the word “remove” here (from the Hebrew root sh-v-t, “to put to rest”) means the “destruction” of the current form of the entity, whereas Rabbi Judah understands it to mean the literal destruction of the entity—in both form and substance.  (from www.askmoses.com)

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