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"Blessed shall you be above all the nations; there shall not
be a barren male or female among you." (7:14)
The Torah considers the Jewish soul the most precious commodity in the
world. The proliferation of the Jewish people, therefore, is the highest
blessing that can be bestowed upon them.
(Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch)
"And fed you with manna, that He might make you know that man
does not live by bread alone." (Deut. 8:3)
When the Jewish people ate the manna in the desert, the "bread
from heaven," they understood that it was a super-natural phenomenon,
i.e., that their sustenance came from the G-dly spark the manna contained.
Likewise, even when eating "bread from the earth," we should
be aware that it is not the physical components of the bread that sustain
us but the G-dliness therein.
(Keser Shem Tov)
In the same way that when the Jews in the desert ate the manna ("bread
from heaven") they recognized that they were being sustained in a
miraculous manner, so too must we be aware that it is not the physical
"bread from the earth" that nourishes us, but the G-dly spark
it contains.
(Keter Shem Tov) (from L'Chaim #681)
"As a man chastens his son, so does the L-rd your G-d chasten
you." (8:5)
A father's heart is heavy when he is forced to strike his son. Similarly,
G-d suffers with us when punishment is meted out.
(Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev)
"When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the L-rd
your G-d." (Deut. 8:10)
A Jew doesn't pray to G-d only in difficult circumstances, when he is
poor and hungry. Even in the best of times, when he has "eaten and
is full," he should remember that it is G-d Who has given him all
these blessings and that he should thank Him accordingly.
(Lev Simcha)
"Then your heart will be lifted up." (8:14)
Humility is not enumerated among the Torah's 613 commandments; if being
humble were considered a mitzva, many Jews would rush to observe it in
the most beautiful manner possible, with the end result being pride in
just how humble they are!
(The Baal Shem Tov) (from LChaim #1034)
Do not say to yourself, "It was my own strength and personal
power that brought me all this prosperity." You must remember that
it is G-d your L-rd who gives you the power to become prosperous.
(8:17-18)
The Talmud states: "The difficulty with which a person sustains himself
is like the Splitting of the Red Sea." Just as the Splitting of the
Sea was an unforeseen miracle, so does a person's sustenance come to him
from G-d in a hidden manner.
(The Seer of Lublin)
"They have quickly turned aside from the way... they have made
a molten image." (9:12)
Not every transgression causes a Jew to immediately abandon the
straight and narrow and completely forfeit his connection to the Jewish
people. The sin of idol worship, however, is so elemental and consequential
that the very first step in its direction tears the Jew away from everything
that is holy. As it states in the Talmud (Hulin): "An apostate who
commits idolatry thereby rejects the entire Torah."
(The Rebbe, Reb Heshel)
"And now Israel, what does the Lord your G-d require of you,
but to fear the Lord your G-d." (10:12)
When man prays to G-d to fulfill a request of his, he cannot be certain
that his prayer will be answered. The decision is entirely "in the
hands of G-d." G-d is free to choose whether or not to fulfill the
request. But such doubts do not obtain when a man prays to G-d to inspire
him with the fear of G-d. In that case he may be sure that his prayer
will be answered.
[Ohel Torah]
"Now, Israel, what does G-d want of you? Only that you be in
awe of G-d your L-rd, so that you will follow all His paths and love Him."
(10:12)
Awe without love is not complete. Love without awe is nothing.
(Rabbi Aharon of Karlin)
A person must fear the sin itself and not merely the punishment it incurs.
The situation is analogous to a father who warns his son not to walk around
barefoot. The father warns that if the child steps on a thorn, he will
have to be brought to a doctor to remove it and the operation will hurt
him a lot. The son, because of his youth and limited intelligence, is
not afraid of the thorn itself and the possibility that he might step
on one; he is merely afraid of its removal. The father, however, truly
wants him to avoid the thorn, and sees its removal as a positive remedy
if he should so require it. So it is with our avoidance of transgression.
Man wishes to avoid punishment, but G-d worries about the sin itself,
and sees the punishment as a necessary atonement and correction.
(The Maggid of Mezeritch)
“Now Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you except to
fear G-d.” (10:12)
People are strange. They beg and plead that G-d should give them 'fear
of heaven,' when this is something that is entirely in the individual's
control. Yet when it comes to livelihood, they imagine that they are in
charge.
(Rabbi Chanoch of Alexander)
From the way this verse is worded, one would think that this command is
easy. Yet the Talmud asks, "Is fearing G-d really such an easy thing
to do?" For Moses, the answer goes, it was easy. But how does this
help the average Jew? Every Jewish soul, without exception, contains an
aspect of Moses; with the help of this element, fear of G-d is attainable
by all Jews.
(Tanya)
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"And it will be, because you will heed..." (Deut. 7:1)
Ekev literally means "heel," and refers to ikvesa
diMeshicha, the time when Mashiach's approaching footsteps can be
heard.
All revelations of G-dliness are dependent on man's Divine service. This
also applies to the revelations of the Era of the Redemption. In that
era, it will be revealed that our world is G-d's dwelling. These revelations
will not, however, come about merely as an expression of Divine favor.
Instead, they will have been ushered in by "our deeds and our Divine
service during the era of exile." And more particularly, it is the
response to the challenges that arise during the era of Ikvesa diMeshicha,
which will precipitate Mashiach's coming.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)(Adapted from www.sichosinenglish.com)
"And it will be, because (ekev) you will heed these ordinances
and keep them and perform them…" (Deut. 7:12)
There are several interpretations for the word "ekev";
one of them is connected to the exile (galut) and the second one
to the redemption (geula). Ekev as in heel, like
the heel of the foot. The heel is called "the angel of death in men",
meaning the "dead" part in him. The end of the exile is also
called heel -- ikvete meshicha. The generation at that time will
be the lowest spiritually as well as morally. Spiritual darkness will
reign with all its power.
Ekev as in "End" and "Last". The time
close to the redemption is called "The End of Days." The steps
of Mashiach will already be heard, and his footsteps will start to reverberate
as our sages have said about this time period: "Await the feet of
Mashiach." This is when we will begin to sense the light of Mashiach
coming closer.
A third meaning of the word ekev includes both exile and redemption.
Ekev as in "because of." I.e. because of the keeping
of the commandments during exile we will merit in full the reward given
to man after the redemption, as it says: "Today to do them -- tomorrow
to reap their reward." Today is mainly a time of action, and the
reward (tomorrow) is mostly at the time of redemption.
(From Pninei HaGeulah by Rabbi Shneur Z. Herzl)
Hebrew word "eikev" means literally "heel," and refers
to the End of Days - the period right before the coming of Moshiach and
the Final Redemption. Our Sages counseled us to "Anticipate the footsteps
of Moshiach"; at present, we can hear their faint echo and begin
to appreciate Moshiach's light.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)[Reprinted with permission from
L'Chaim Magazine (www.lchaim.org).]
Every place on which your feet will tread will become yours. Your boundaries
will extend from the desert [to] Lebanon, from the river, the Euphrates
river, until the Final Sea. (Deut. 11:24) By referring to the Mediterranean
as "the Final Sea" (instead of "the Great Sea" as
in Deut. 34:6), the Torah alludes to the concept that, ultimately, in
the Messianic age, the Holy Land will expand throughout the entire world,
reaching, "the Final Sea."
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)(from L'Chaim #1082)
"Nachamu, Nachamu Ami" - "Comfort, I will comfort My
people" (Haftorah)
On the Shabbat after Tisha B'Av, the day on which we commemorated the
destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples, G-d promises us that
the rebuilding of the Third and eternal Holy Temple will also serve as
a complete and perfect comfort for all of the destruction that took place
throughout Jewish history.
(from L'Chaim #781)
"Then [at the time of the redemption, ed.]
your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land will be too
narrow for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far
away." (Isaiah 49:19)
your waste and your desolate places - about which you are concerned,
shall no longer worry you (Redak)
too narrow for the inhabitants - You shall be crowded by the multitude
of inhabitants that shall come into your midst. The place shall be too
narrow for them to build houses for themselves (Rashi)
and those who swallowed you up will be far away - Those who seek
to destroy you shall be at the end of the land and shall not enter your
borders (Redak).
(From 'Living Torah'- Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan; 'Isaiah', translation
and commentary by Rabbi A.J. Rosenberg. Published by The Judaica Press
Inc.)
There is an association between the Torah reading of Ekev and the month
of Elul. Elul is a month of self-examination, prior to Rosh Hashanah.
The name of the month is an acronym for the phrase, "I am for my
Beloved and my Beloved is for me." This indicates that the relationship
between the Jewish people and G-d has two parts: an arousal from below
- "I am for my Beloved" - elicits an arousal from Above - my
Beloved is for me." The name of the Torah portion has a double meaning;
Ekev means both "heel," indicating the lightest or lowest level
of mitzvos, and "for the sake of," indicating the end
result of Divine service. This, too, parallels the two methods of Divine
service. The term "Ekev" also has a double meaning in regard
to Redemption.
[From Mshiach Mwire -- //Shluchim.org.]
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