“And it shall be, because you hear
these judgments, and keep and do them, even YHVH your Elohim will keep with you
the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers” (italics added)), is
the opening verse of Parashat Ekev. “Because” is “ekev,” from the
root a.k.v (ayin, kof, bet/vet) whose primary meaning is “heel.” In other
words, taking the right step (of hearing and obeying) will result in the
desired consequences. Our forefather, Ya’acov, was so named
because he was born holding his twin brother’s heel (Gen. 25:26). He literally came in the footsteps of his
brother, and thus his name, which means to “follow,” perfectly matched the
birth condition. His, however, was not the kind of following of the faithful
disciple, who walks in the footsteps of his master. The image of ‘heel-holding’
or ‘heel grabbing’ refers to hindering or trapping someone, such as we see in
the following examples: “Dan shall be a serpent... that bites the horse’s heels”
(Gen. 49:17 italics added); “The trap shall take him by the heel” (Job
18:9 italics added); “They mark my steps [heels]” (Ps. 56:6). In the following words of Psalm 41:9, we find
an allusion to Messiah’s destiny: “My own familiar friend... which did eat of
my bread has lifted his heel against me” (italics added). This type of follower will possibly steal
quietly behind the one whom he follows, with a crafty intent (as was the case
with Messiah’s “familiar friend”). Indeed, from the same root of “heel” and
“follow,”(a.k.v.) stem words like “crafty, cunning, and deceptive,” as we see,
for instance, in Yirmiyahu (Jeramiah) 9:4: “... surely every brother deals craftily
[akov ya’akov]” (italics added).
When Esav (Esau) was startled by his younger brother’s cunning, in
B’resheet (Genesis) 27:34, 36, “He cried out with an exceedingly great and
bitter cry: ...’Is not he rightly named, Ya’acov? For he has supplanted
(“akav”) me...?’” (italics added). The
prophet Hoshe’a (Hosea), many centuries later, traces the waywardness of the
nation of Yisrael (who in this prophecy is called “Ya’acov”) to their
progenitor: “In the womb he took his brother by the heel” (Hos. 12:3,
italics added). In the wake of this
‘birth mark,’ Ya’acov (the man and the nation) remained true to his (and their)
nature. “In the wake of” or “as a result
of” - in short “because” - is “ekev,” such as is cited here. Quite often
YHVH declares: “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because (ekev) you have obeyed my voice“(Gen. 22:18 italics added).
David answers the prophet Na’tan (Nathan), who told him a parable following his
sin with Bat-Sheva (Bathsheba), and says: “He must make restitution for the
lamb, because [ekev] he did this thing and had no compassion” (2nd
Sam.12:6 italics added). Thus, this little “ekev,” - “because” - becomes the
fulcrum on which the balance of justice depends, much like the heel in terms of
the physical body. And just as this section of the Parasha started with “And it shall be, because [EKEV] you hear these judgments,
and keep and do them…” it also ends with: “So you shall perish; because [EKEV]
you would not listen to the voice of YHVH your Elohim…” (8:20).
Parashat
Ekev features two major themes, which alternate throughout; the physical
conditions of the Land and the connectedness of these conditions to Yisrael’s
obedience to YHVH. The second topic is in the form of reflections on Yisrael’s
rebelliousness during their wilderness journey. The recounting of the latter is
for the purpose of illustrating sin and rebellion, and issuing warnings in face
of the new circumstances that Yisrael is about to face.
In
7:12-13, “keeping the judgments,” as we saw above, guarantees a promise of
love, blessing, and multiplication, a promise which is built into the two-sided
covenant (the other side being the curse incurred by disobedience to the
“judgments,” as we shall see next week). “Covenant” is “b’reet,” of the
root b.r.t (bet, resh, tav), leading to the verb “barot” whose primary meaning
is “separate out the parts” [1], thus rendering the covenant as a special
agreement with a special and set apart people. “Blessings” – “bracha”
is primarily “growth, or unhindered prosperity.” Its root, b.r.ch (bet, resh,
kaf) is also the root for “berech,” which is “knee.” This all-important word, to “bless, or
blessing," is surprisingly not attached to the imagery of the more regal
hand-stretching posture, or to the mouth which is an instrument of blessing, but rather to the
humble action of kneeling. Neither is
there a special word assigned to Elohim's blessings (so as to distinguish it
from blessings conferred by men).
The words uttered in 7:12, 13 are echoed in 8:13 in
a manner that confirms the above-definition of “blessing”: “And your herds and
your flocks will multiply, and your silver and your gold will have multiplied,
and all that you have is multiplied…” Moreover, the land YHVH promises to Yisrael is
a land “in which you shall eat bread without poverty – miskenot” (8:9).
“Misken” (of the same root, s.ch.n) is a “poor person, one to be pitied”
(e.g. Ecc. 9:16). In Shmot (Exodus) 1:11, we are told that the storage cities
that Yisrael built for Par’oh were “arey miskenot.” Ironically, the Hebrews themselves were very
“miskenim” (plural of “misken” - poor and to be pitied) when they built those
“miskenot cities.” Now, not only will
they be exempt from poverty and want, they will also not have to labor for
someone else. In fact, last week we read
in 6:10,11 about their future dwelling places: “…to give to you great and good
cities, which you have not built, and houses full of every good thing which you
have not filled…” There will be so much provision that they will not even need
to erect for themselves “arey miskenot,” cities of storage, as storing up for
the future will not be called for.
However, this plenty will require “watchfulness” lest they forget YHVH
(ref. 8:11), who “took you out of Egypt
Thus, the very blessing may turn into a
temptation leading to sin which will, in turn, lead to destruction (ref. 8:19, 20).
The wilderness, therefore, was to serve as a place of refinement,
humbling and trial (ref. 8:2,3,16) in order to obviate just this kind of
outcome. Some of the blessings (in 7:13)
will entail “the increase of your oxen and the wealth of your flock.” Here “increase” is “sh’gar”- “cast
or throw” in Aramaic, hence “that which comes forth from the womb.”
[2] “Oxen” in this context is “alafim,” which also means “thousands”
(“elef” singular). We already
encountered this term in Parashat Chayey Sarah (Gen. 24:59), where we found
that its root, a.l.f, is also shared with “aluf” which means “prince or chief”
and with “alef,” the name of the first letter of the alphabet. The prominence
of “alef” makes it, by implication, also of great numerical value – hence
“elef” - a “thousand.” Thus, the oxen mentioned
here allude to great wealth. The “wealth of the flock” is the rare “a’shtarot”
(used in this way only in Dvarim) of the root a.sh.r (ayin, shin, resh),
related to “osher” – “wealth” and to “eser,” which is the figure “ten” (and is
also connected to Ashtaroth, the goddess of fertility).
In Shmot (Exodus) 23:27, 28 (Parashat Mishpatim),
we read the following promise: “…and I will confound
all the people among whom you come. And I will give the neck of your enemies to
you. And I will send hornets before you which shall drive out the
Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you” (italics added). Here, in
7:20 we read again: “And YHVH your Elohim shall send the hornets among
them, until the ones who are left perish, even those who hide themselves from
your face” (italics added), and in verse 23: “And YHVH your Elohim shall….
confuse them into great confusion until they are destroyed” (literal
translation). Both “confound” in Shmot 23:28 and “confusion” here in
7:23 are of the root h.m.m (hey, mem, mem) meaning to “make noise, confuse or
discomfort” (and is an onomatopoeic word, just like the English “hum”). This,
then, in not only a promise for the future; but also, looking back, the Israelites
could recall that YHVH had “confused – “va’yaham” - the camp of the Egyptians”
(Ex. 14:24), during their exodus out of the “house of bondage.”
In spite of all the material wealth and the
increase promised, in the beginning of the Parasha and later (in 8:7-10),
sandwiched in between these two passages, in 8:3, is the following passage: “And He has humbled you, and caused you to hunger, and
caused you to eat the manna, which you had not known, and your fathers had not
known, in order to cause you to know that man shall not live by bread
alone, but man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH” (italics
added). All material goods, whether plentifully or scantily supplied, are the
outcome of a “word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH.” One way or another He ‘calls the shots’. Moreover, it is not these provisions, again
whether in great or small quantities, which determine life or the quality
thereof but “every word that proceeds from the mouth of YHVH.” When Yeshua cited this very scripture, in a
situation somewhat similar to that of Yisrael which was (according to 8:2,3,16)
“tried,” like Him, in the wilderness, He passed the test and overcame his
trial. The word “bread” - “lechem” - is many times translated
“food,” as indeed it is a generic term for man’s sustenance. The root of
“lechem” is l.ch.m (lamed, chet, mem), with the last two consonants - ch.m -
making up the word “cha-m,” meaning “hot” or “warm.” Only by baking the dough in a hot oven will it
turn into the desired edible substance. Hence,
heat, energy and effort are all part of the bread-making process. Another noun
that shares the root l.ch.m is “milchama,” which is “war,” as does the verb to
“fight, or struggle for one’s existence or survival” – “lachom.” The closeness of these two terms is well
illustrated by two verses in Mishley (Proverbs) 23. Verse 1 says: “When you sit
down to eat with a ruler, look carefully at what is before you.” The Hebrew for “eat” reads here “lilchom,”
which literally means “to fight,” but because of l.ch.m’s dual meaning it is
possible to read the verb as “eat” or more literally “to partake of bread.” Verse 6 of the same chapter, says: “Do not eat
the bread of one who has an evil eye, and do not desire his delicacies.”
Here “eat” is “tilcham,” which again could be read as “fight.” Thus, we may infer that man cannot live solely
by the bread of his own fighting and striving neither “by might, nor by power,
but by My Spirit, says YHVH of Hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
The circumstances awaiting the Israelites
in the land will differ vastly from those that prevailed in the desert, yet
just as until now every detail pertaining to their lives and needs was
determined by “every word proceeding out of the mouth of YHVH,” so will it continue
to be the case in their new home. But for this principle to stay afloat, the
people must keep and guard His every word and live in accordingly. The section
of 8:7-10 is regarded “as the classic description of the fertility and other
wonderful qualities of the holy land. But we must not ignore its other
implication. The Torah sings the praises of the land to emphasize too the moral
dangers and pitfalls that such gifts might bring with them. Although the life
of the Israelites in the Promised Land would no longer be dependent on water
being extracted from the rock or on manna dropping from heaven, nevertheless
even the normal rainfall and all the natural gifts of the land were similarly
derived from the Creator and not in virtue of their own power and might of
their hand.”[3]
Chapter 9 continues to
center on YHVH’s promises of “consuming the enemies” in the land, and also recounts
Yisrael’s golden calf rebellion and the need that arose then to inscribe anew the
two tablets of the Torah. It opens with
the famous words: “Hear oh Yisrael…” implying that Yisrael is to hear and obey,
as “hearing the voice…” is a Hebrew idiom for obeying, which is
evident from the previous verse (the last one in chapter 8): “…You shall perish; because [EKEV] you did not listen to
the voice of YHVH your Elohim” (8:20, emphasis added). In 9:6,13 reference
is made to Yisrael’s “stiff neck,” or literally “hard nape.”
Having a “stiff neck” implies a literal inflexibility, which does not allow one
to turn one’s face (panim - “face” - from the root p.n.h which is also the root
for the verb “turn,” while “pina” is “corner”). Thus, the proverbial stiffness of the neck
speaks of a head that is facing in one direction only, and of a person who is
headstrong and unable to turn (from his old ways). We have already noted in the past that
“panim” - “face” - stemming from the verb “to turn,” exposes the essential
nature of YHVH’s approach toward us, and that is His relational nature to which
we are to respond. Yisrael’s “stiffness” and “hardness” of neck and uncircumcised
heart are addressed in the following: “And you shall circumcise the foreskin of
your heart, and you shall not harden your neck any more” (10:16). “Such an exhortation is made to bring men to a
sense of their need of it [that is, of the exhortation], and of the importance
of it, and to show how agreeable it is to the Lord, and so to stir them up to
seek unto him for it”. [4] In chapter
30:6 there is a promise that YHVH will circumcise their heart, so that they may
love Him, thus laying the foundations for the new covenant of the heart, in the
course of which the latter becomes the ‘parchment’ on which the Torah is
inscribed (ref. Jer. 31:33).
The Parasha ends with another look at
the land; “a land which YHVH your Elohim cares for; the eyes of YHVH your Elohim
are constantly on it, from the beginning of the year to its end” [5] (11:12).
“Care for” is “doresh,” whose literal meaning is to “seek.” YHVH
is very intent in His constant surveillance of the land, “from the beginning of
the year to the end…” meaning that He is involved in every part of the natural
cycle to which this land is subject. And
as pointed above, Yisrael’s conduct toward Him will also have its ramifications
on the land (e.g. 11:13 – 17). These
words of YHVH were to be inscribed on the hearts and are also to be for a sign
on frontlets – “totafot” – between the eyes and on the hand (ref. 11:18).
One of the explanations for “totafot” is
that it is a derivative of the Egyptian word for a hair ornament called “tataf.”
[6]
Above we noted
that multiplication (of the root “rav”) of both people and livestock is
mentioned several times in our Parasha. In
summation of the Parasha we read: “And you
shall teach them [YHVH’s commands] to your sons by speaking of them as you sit
in your house, and as you go in the way, and as you lie down, and as you rise
up. And you shall write them on the side posts of your house, and on your
gates, that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied [“yirbu”,
again of the root “rav”], and the days of your sons in the land which YHVH has
sworn to your fathers, to give to them, as the days of the heavens over the
earth” (11:19-21). These “heaven and earth,” according to last week’s Parashat
Va’etchanan (4:26), are YHVH’s witnesses to His dealings with the people of His
choice, both here and also when He proclaims a new covenant in Yimiyahu
(Jeremiah, 31:32).
1 Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, Rabbi Matityahu Clark,
Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem New York
2
The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon, Francis Brown Hendrickson.
Publishers, Peabody , Mass.
3
New Studies in Devarim, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library,
Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn , N.Y.
4 Online Bible, Gill Commentary.
5 The spelling of the word used here for “beginning,” “reshit”, is irregular.
This spelling of “reshit” possibly hints at “ree’sh,” which is
poverty (ref. Parashot Matot/ Masa’ey), since the beginning of the year in the
month of Aviv occurs at the end of the winter dormancy.
6 Chumash Dvarim with Daat Mikrah comentary, Pub. Mossad Harav
Kook, Jm. 2001.
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