This Shabbat we study the Parshah Eikev, meaning “because” (Deuteronomy 7:12). Here, Moses continues his closing address to the children of Israel, promising them that if they will fulfill the commandments of the Torah, they will prosper in the Land they are about to conquer and settle in keeping with G-d’s promise to their forefathers. He also rebukes them for their failings in their first generation as a people, but he also speaks of G-d’s forgiveness of their sins, and the Second Tablets which G-d inscribed and gave to them following their repentance. A key passage in our Parshah is the second chapter of the Shema, which repeats the fundamental mitzvot enumerated in the Shema’s first chapter, and describes the rewards of fulfilling G-d’s commandments and the adverse results (famine and exile) of their neglect. It is also the source of the precept of prayer, and includes a reference to the resurrection of the dead in the messianic age.

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Chabad.org

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In our parshah, Moses reminds his people never to forget that it was G-d who took them out of Egypt and who led them through the wilderness into the Promised Land. The wilderness before we reach the Promised Land represents the state of exile. And the problem with this wilderness is that we are impressed with it. And once we start attaching greatness to this wilderness, our sense of self-worth is eroded and we begin considering this wilderness not only "great" but also "awesome," even terrifying.

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But why? What is so great and awesome about this outside world, about this wilderness? Why do we get so upset, so disturbed by what the world media says about us? The new Israel was supposed to be different. No more weakness, no more cowardice, gone with the old world syndromes. So why do we still care what they say? We will do what we need to do.

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Why should I respect a world that has so lost its moral bearings that genocide in Darfur goes unnoticed and the most "immoral" country on the globe is an Israel that defends its civilian population from rocket attacks? Why should we be intimidated by a world that smiles upon state-sponsored terrorism while heaping abuse upon us? 

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The answer is because the big, wide world is the wilderness we live in. And as long as a corrupt, hypocritical, morally bankrupt world impresses us we will continue to be demoralized by its negative opinion of us. So know, Jew, that there is nothing whatsoever to be impressed with — that this world is nothing but a wilderness, and a moral wilderness at that. Remember that the first step in leaving the exile is to stop being impressed by it. In order to redeem our land and our people, we must first redeem our own souls and our own self-respect. When we remember who took us out of Egypt and led us through the wilderness, and who is truly the great and awesome Being of Beings, then we will be able to truly walk tall and stand proud forever.

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From an article by Rabbi Yossy Goldman 

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G-d's speech is not an artifact of vocal chords or a mouth. His words are packets of divine energy, articulations of His essence and being. G-d speaks and an entire universe comes into being. How can you be like G-d in your speech?

You can speak from your heart. Because, as our sages taught, words that come from your heart enter the hearts of others.

And once there, they have their effect, so that the heart they have entered cannot help but be moved.

Speak from your heart and your words will become a reality. A whole new universe might come to be.

From an article by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

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Eikev, the name of the parshah, is also the term that describes ikveta de’Meshicha, the period right before the coming of Moshiach. Our sages foretold that in this period, “each day’s curse will be worse than that of the preceding day.”

Why would they tell us so somber a prophecy? What good could come from it?

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If we had not been foretold about this situation, the Jewish people might have become dispirited and lost hope. The Torah thus informed us that the final stage of the galut will be terribly perplexing and frustrating, in order that we take heart, keep faith, and strengthen our service of G-d with greater effort in the full knowledge and conviction that the redemption is about to happen!

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From an article by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet 

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I recently bought the perfect pair of black pumps. The heels were just the right height to be classy and elegant while at the same time comfortable to walk in for hours. The only problem with my shoes was that I liked wearing them so much that the heels soon became so worn out that they urgently needed the shoemaker’s deft craftsmanship.

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You wouldn’t think that something so small and so low down would actually have such an impact. But think again.

The heels on our feet, too, have important functions, including:

• helping move and flex the toes
• helping the calf’s muscles
• evenly distributing and stabilizing any force exerted on it
• bearing the brunt of the body’s load during walking
• and the heels are one of the most highly vascularized regions of the body surface

The foot’s heel is covered by connective tissue that is up to two centimeters thick to absorb the forces exerted on it, especially when it makes contact with the ground.

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Eikev, means “if,” and begins with the verse “If you will listen to these commandments . . .”

The word eikev also alludes to ikveta di-meshicha, the generation of “the heels of Moshiach.” This is a reference to the last generation of exile, because, like the heel, it is spiritually the lowest generation, in which the darkness of exile is most intense. This generation is most removed from spirituality and holiness. But it is in this generation that the footsteps—heels—of Moshiach can already be heard. And we are that generation!

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In past generations, we had the minds of our nation—a nation provided with a spiritual wisdom to understand the will of G-d. At other times, we were a nation of hearts—our belief was infused with sensitivity and passion. In still other eras, we had penetrating eyes, seeing a perceptive, far-reaching vision. But our generation represents the heel.

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This simple Jew today may not be as spiritually accomplished as in the past, but his faith and commitment are even greater. For in the end, the heel of the foot is what supports the entire body, carrying it to its final destination.

The Talmud relates that when Rabbi Banaah caught a glimpse of Adam’s heels, he said, “They shone like two suns.”

Despite all that we’ve been through as a people, after suffering centuries of the harshest exiles, pogroms, and persecutions, we may represent Adam’s lowly heels. But like Adam’s heels, look how this nation is shining.

As bright and luminous, as radiant and brilliant as the sun.

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Chana Weisberg

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