Eikev: “And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers ……” (Deuteronomy 7:12). The Torah portion Eikev which translates “if or because”, is a bold statement not only implying but saying that if we as it were behave as commanded then all will be well, and that we do not need to fear anything adverse happening to us. I am reminded here also of the request, almost a demand made by Jacob in Genesis 20:8 “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: 'If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on”. His name was changed to Israel after he wrestled with the Angel. The next two verses continue “so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then shall the LORD be my God. and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.” So in some ways the verse in this week’s Torah portion answers Jacob’s wishes. It is therefore important to ask the question, was Jacob’s life following his request in the words of Deuteronomy 7:12 been all fulfilled and/or indeed what he actually desired and demanded for himself has happened?
This Torah portion also deals with Moses’s farewell speech to the Children of Israel reinforcing the notion of all will be well if the Children of Israel keep the commandments.
Moses lists the blessings that God will bestow upon the Children of Israel as a reward, such as they will get enough food, drink and cattle:
ואהבך וברכך והרבך וברך פרי בטנך ופרי אדמתך דגנך ותירשך ויצהרך שגר אלפיך ועשתרת צאנך על האדמה אשר נשבע לאבתיך
“And God will love you, and bless you, and multiply you and will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your corn, and your wine, and your oil, the increase of your cattle and and your flock in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you”(Deut. 7:13). In this Corona virus period where governments and authorities have imposed all sorts of restrictions and further ones are expected, the question is have we done so much harm to our fellow human beings and to the world, that we do not deserve the benefits of safe and protected life and if we were as it were doing OK, how come that humanity has to cope with this hard and difficult period? So what is it that we have to do in order not to call upon us what some may call God’s wrath?
In my last week’s D’var Torah I mentioned that what we are experiencing I do not consider to be a punishment though it might be a timely reminder of what w still need to do as individuals and as a society to help our world and our fellow human beings. The often reminded hand washing is significant in so far as it is telling us, that we must be circumspect and at the same time not to be complacent in doing everything and anything just because we have reached the height of technology, can reach the Moon and enjoy the benefits of high speed trains and better and faster planes. It is perhaps a timely reminder to realise how we can we better and improve the world’s populations’s lives.
Moses’s words and Jacob’s request was I believe to remind us to have wisdom of thought and action whereas Jacob’s ‘ASK’ was for the ability to cope when he and his family are in the open big wide world, away from home and away from what he has been used to experience and live through.
As we are going through this period we are better at treating the illness caused by the virus. we are searching as a community nationally and internationally for solutions to not only improve our own lives and bring about a better destiny but also the lives of those who will come after us. Certainly this is not the last virus which has come to cause us anxiety and so many deaths. We need to be better prepared and equipped, losing some of the arrogance which we may have acquired through the successes over the years.
In last year’s words for this Torah portion I said that the portion was telling us that life was a game of two halves - God and us, but not in conflict but in cooperation as hopefully as true partnership was set up right from the beginning of creation. God created the World and then created us human beings-what could have been the purpose for that? Most obvious answer for me is, that our existence on this earth is to be strive to be partners in creation, which requires skill, wisdom and determination together with understanding, compassion and justice.
Somehow the words which I wrote last year ring true ‘The name Eikev, which means ‘if or because’ is a reminder not to have ‘if, ands or buts’ but resoluteness in the way we treat the world and our fellow human beings. Cicero said: “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. A room without books is like a body without a soul.”'
Shabbat Shalom
B’Shalom Rabbi Thomas