A Taste of Shabbos – Parashat Ekev

Ekev is a rather curious name for a parasha. Its primary meaning is ‘heel.’ After a few recent falls, I began watching some You Tube tips about better balance for seniors. One of the most helpful was to step on my heels before I put my foot down. I’m not sure anatomically why that is true, but it seems to have been a lifesaver for me since it stops me from leaning too far forward. The opening phrase of the parasha would therefore translate, ‘It will be the heels you will listen.’ A very strange opening line indeed. As with many ambiguous Torah phrases, there are a slew of interpretations. One is similar to the way we say, ‘on the heels of,’ meaning following or as a result of. In other words, Moshe is telling the people in G-d’s name, ‘It will be as a result of your listening,’ good things will come about, as stated further in the text.  The Aramaic commentary translates Ekev as exchange: In exchange for Israel fulfilling the laws, G-d will fulfill his promise to the Patriarchs.

Rashi has a very different reading: There are some commandments that people tend to ‘step on with their heel’ because they don’t consider them so important. As King David puts it in Psalm 49, according to Rashi and Sefat Emet, ‘I’m not worried about not fulfilling the ‘heavy duty’ mitzvot, but the transgressions of my heels surround me.’ This is probably the most ‘feet on the ground’ interpretation.

Many Rabbinical ethical writings dwell on this theme. I’m sure we can all, myself included, recount many mitzvot that we should be more careful about, but to use another metaphor, that we may sweep ‘under the carpet.’ This includes commandments both between us and G-d, and us and others. However, if a person is dedicated to Torah and its values, they will attempt to observe the Mitzvot that seem insignificant with the same commitment as the more important ones. One thought that helps us fulfill this directive is the idea that even the seemingly trivial mitzvot have repercussions in both this world and higher levels of existence, to the extent that they open added channels of divine flow from the uppermost realms! Holding the door open for someone, greeting a visitor to one’s congregation- or the JCC- saying blessings or prayers with increased concentration- are all ‘small’ acts that have big bonuses.

There is another hidden dividend. In the Ten Commandments, the command to honor parents comes right after the command to remember/guard the Shabbat.. One reason I just came across is too beautiful not to share:  This is written in a book called, ‘Embrace Shabbos’ by Rabbi David Sutton: ‘On Shabbos one is given a special opportunity to benefit his deceased parent’s soul…The Zohar comments that a person receives an extra soul on Shabbos, and when that soul returns to the heavens and shares its new Torah insights, a crown is placed on the head of the father…The Arizal taught that this concept is alluded to by the proximity of the command to observe Shabbos with the one to honor parents. This parental gift is not just for scholars. The Chida writes that even if a person learns a new Torah thought or reviews something with greater clarity, this brings great joy and honor to a deceased parent in the higher world!   

If you, or someone you know, questions the value of small things or questions their personal ability to accomplish much, please recall Psalm 147 which tells us, ‘G-d heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds,’ and then follows with the verse, ‘He attributes numbers to the stars, to all of them He calls by name!’ What is the connection between these two verses? If you think you or someone else is too insignificant to have a positive impact, remember that those stars which seem so small from a distance, each have individual names and radiate tremendous light!

There is a similar idea near the end of Ekev that expresses the link between actions and consequences. It is the second paragraph of Shema, the one that begins, ‘It will be if you listen…blessings like ‘the rain will come in its time’ will follow. This is kind of like the opening line of the parasha itself. Some Jews have resisted including this paragraph in their prayers because it seems to guarantee positive results for good behavior; These folk feel that in our lifetimes we seldom see a direct link between good behavior and good outcomes, and therefore the point of this part of Shema cannot be validated. However, it has been restored in some groups because of more ecological sensitivities.

A related meaning of Ekev is reward; with this understanding the opening verse means, ‘If you listen, then the reward will come at the end.’ In MLK’s words, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Of course, faith is necessary to believe in this result. Perhaps this is why the word Tikvah means not only ‘hope’ but also a rope or thread that takes us to a not yet visible end game.

Speaking of ‘end games’ one more meaning of Ekev means ‘the end of times’, or the Messianic age that some may call Utopia. This relates to the model of seeing history as parallel to a scan of the human body from head to toe- or heel. Our generation is referred to as ‘Ikvita D’Mashicha, the heels of Mashiach.’ We are considered the last generation before the Messianic Era- on one hand the lowest, but on the other hand, the ‘clean up’ generation, the one to carry the ball of history to its final destination and also to receive the ultimate reward.

Still, if we are promised a reward for doing Mitzvot, how can we fulfill what the beginning of Chapter 6 in Pirkei Avot proclaims: Whoever studies Torah Lishmah- for its own sake, merits ‘much stuff’ (my translation). So how will this promise help a person to learn Lishmah? One well known answer comes from the RAMBAM who raises a related question: If the rabbis say that there can be no reward for Mitzvot in this world, how can all those promises be assured? He gives a straightforward answer, based on another Pirkei Avot adage: ‘One mitzvah ‘drags’ another along with it’- In other words, the chance to do another mitzvah is itself a reward! This point too seems part of the plain meaning of Ekev- heel! And for me I need to remind myself that stepping on my heel can make the difference between falling or  rising higher and higher. As Reb Meirl of Premislan stated: ‘If one is attached above, one does not fall below.’ Practically speaking, making careful choices before stepping- not just how to step, but where to step, as well as when to step, can set us on a totally divergent trajectory.  As Robert Frost wrote, ‘I took the one (road) less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.’ Since the time of Abraham, -where the word EKEV is first mentioned!-the Jewish people have not walked the easy roads, and that has made all the difference. May we choose as wisely as possible, and may the results manifest kindness and goodness in the world far beyond our wildest dreams!