Oceanside Jewish Center
Weekly Parsha
By Jonathan Wolf



















Parshat EiKev
Moses continues to remind the people to follow all of G-d’s commandments. If they do, then the land will be blessed with abundant happiness. They will inherit the land of Israel, and they will become fruitful and multiply. They will be successful in all that they do. If, however, they fail to follow the commandments, or forget g-d after they become prosperous, then they will be punished by G-d. Moses reminds them that they began with nothing and it was G-d who saved them and cared for them in the desert. All of their hardships were a preparation for the time to come when they will rule over the land of Canaan.

When they do conquer the land, they must rid it of all traces of idolatry. Moses also reminds the people how he went up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, how they worshipped the Golden Calf, the punishment of the people as a result of that sin, how Moses broke the first set of tablet, how the Levites were charged with looking after the Mishkan, and how Aaron and his sons were appointed as kohanim. Moses reminds the people about Dasan and Aviram, who joined with Korach and his rebellion. In each case, G-d threatened to destroy the whole Nation, but Moses pleads on their behalf. Moses reminds the people of all of the times they complained about a lack of water and food. Through it all, the people still maintained their level of faith and trust in G-d.

In this parsha, G-d gives the Israelites what seems to be an offer they can’t refuse. Obey the commandments and live or reject the commandments and die. This is a simplistic view of the dichotomy between Divine and free will. Still, the Israelites have come this far with G-d’s help, all He is asking them to do is still believe after they conquer the land. Is that so hard?

The pillar of fire and the burning bush were visible manifestations of G-d’s presence. The manna that fell everyday, the well of water that followed the people around until Miriam’s death, were direct miracles by G-d. They all witnessed the parting of the Red Sea, and stood at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah from G-d. The Mishkan was set up a physical reminder of G-d’s presence. All of this was fine as long as G-d directly provided daily evidence of his guidance. Once they conquered the land, things would be different.

The people were warned not to grow complacent since they could become enslaved to their wealth and way of life. When the Torah says: Thou shalt not have nay other gods but Me, it could be referring to the worship of money and the pursuit of wealth at the expense of service to G-d. This might cause them to attribute their success to themselves and not G-d.

In the book of Mishlei, King Solomon writes: Seek it (the Torah) like treasure and search for it like gold.” If we would pursue our service to G-d, our understanding of the Torah, with the same vigor that one seeks out treasure and searches for gold, then the rewards would be endless. Each mitzvah, the sages say, adds to our account in the World to Come. Just as we set aside an account for our retirement in this world, so too, the performance of mitzvos adds to our account in the next.

What is the main point? In the parsha we read (Devarim 10:12): “And now Israel, what does the Lord your G-d require of you, but to fear the Lord your G-d, to walk in all of his ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your G-d with all of your heart and with all of your soul…” What does it mean to love and fear G-d? In the Shema, parts of which appear in this parsha, we are told: “vi’ahavta es hashem elohecha…” which means “And you shall love the Lord your G-d with all of your heart…” How does a person love G-d? Does a purely spiritual entity like g-d need our physical love?

In his book, “Mesillas Yesharim”, the Ramchal writes: “…Love of G-d means that a person has a passion and desire for closeness to Him, and pursues the divine Holiness just as one would pursue the object of his strongest desire, to the point that the mere mention of the divine Name and hearing his praises arouses an intense delight…”

The sages comment on this concept as follows. If one loves the Jewish people (Ahavas Yisroel), then one is showing love for G-d as well. True love originates not from what is received, but from what is given. If we study Torah, perform mitzvos, and seek honor for others instead of ourselves, then we will be emulating G-d and walking in his ways. Just as G-d is kind and merciful, so much more so should we be kind and merciful. The Ramchal states that true love for G-d is shown during the times of emotional and physical stress. As it says in the Torah: “You shall love the Lord your G-d with all of your heart and all of your soul…” The sages state that this means even if G-d takes your soul. We have already discussed the death of Rabbi Akiva and his utterance of the Shema before death. In that moment, he fully understood the awesome meaning of that declaration of faith. He was sanctifying the divine Name (kiddush Hashem) with his last breaths. The kaddish prayer, said by mourners, does mention the word death at all. It is prayer in which we acknowledge the greatness of G-d and recognize that His will may not make sense in our everyday lives.

In the book of Tehillim (Psalms 111:10) it is written: “The fear (yirat) of G-d is the beginning of wisdom”. In chapter six of Sefer Devarim we read: “Es Hashem elohecha tirah…” which means: “You shall fear the Lord your G-d…” What does the Torah mean by “fear” and how can the verse in Tehillim describe it as the beginning of wisdom?

The Hebrew word tirah and its anagram yirat, connote a fear based on respect and awe. Is this contradictory to the verse that says that we should “love G-d”? No it is not. The Talmud says that one’s fear of heaven should be just as great as the fear of one’s teacher. What the Talmud means is that when there is immediate physical stimuli, one can develop a sense of awe and respect. There exist tangible manifestations. We are told to have awe and respect fire and the oceans. We can se the visible and tragic effects of a failure to heed the warnings of lifeguards and experts. The problem is that divine punishment is not necessarily meted out on the same timetable as our daily lives. Being struck down by lightning happens in the movies. Thus, without the immediate consequence of our actions, we grow complacent and that respect and awe disappears.

We must learn to fear and respect G-d. This is the same respect and awe one might have for one’s parents. As we get further removed from the generation of the exodus, we begin to lose the immediacy of the moment. The Haggadah reminds us to picture ourselves as though we went forth from Egypt. This helps maintain the link in tradition; the Masorah as it is known.

The word tirah has a gematria of 611which is the same as the word Torah. This demonstrates a deeper lesson connecting the fear of G-d with the beginning of wisdom. If we recognize that all that we see, feel, and hear, are the handiworks of G-d, then we need not look very far to see miracles. G-d is all around us. He fills the entire world and Universe with His majesty. There is an expression, “dah lifney meh atah omaid”, “Know before whom you stand”. It usually appears in a sanctuary over the bima to remind the people that when they stand before the ark, containing the Torah, they are still in the presence of G-d. If we add the number 611 to the two commandments to recognize the existence of one G-d, and to love Him, then we arrive at the number 613. This is the number of mitzvos the sages say is contained in the Torah. Thus, with the fear of G-d, and the commandments of the Torah to acknowledge and love G-d, we encompass the 613 mitzvos, which are the beginning of all wisdom in Judaism! You can also compare this to the tzitzits which are another visible reminder of the 613 mitzvos.

The words of the Shema echo for us through all time. Not just the initial prayer itself, but the whole set of blessings before and after. The two blessings afterward show a marked distinction in difference. The first one, which begins “v’ahavta es Hashem elohecha…” is translated as “And you shall love the Lord your G-d…” The Hebrew word for “you” is in the singular. In the second blessing, the words v’haya im shemoah…” mean “And if you will hearken…” The word for “you” in this blessing, is plural.

Why is there this shift in emphasis? The answer lies in the fact that certain actions are individual while others are communal. For example, putting on tefillin or a tallis is a singular act. However, only in the presence of a minyan, can we recite the “Borchu” or “Kaddish” prayers! Thus, when it says “you shall love…”, it is referring to each and every one of us as individuals. Nobody can love G-d for us. However, the Torah is reminding us that there are consequences for our individual actions that effect the community as a whole. “If you will hearken”, in the plural, means that the consequences of following the commandments (or not) will impact the whole Jewish community.

A disciple once asked the Baal Shem Tov: “Why is it that one who clings to G-d and knows he is close to Him, sometimes experiences a sense of interruption and remoteness?” The Baal Shem Tov explained: “When a father sets out to teach his little son to walk, he stands in front of him and holds his two hands on either side of the child, so that he cannot fall, and the boy goes toward his father between his father’s hands. But he moment he is close to his father, he moves away a little, and holds his hands farther apart, and he does this over and over, so that the child will learn to walk on his own.”

Let us all try to find our way to G-d and to cling to Him, through His Torah, the spirituality of our service and singing, and with the rituals we perform everyday and on the Shabbos and Festivals.