Ekev Don’T Begin with the Basics Jewish Life Begins with the Loftiest Ideas—And That’S Fine

4. Ekev Don’t Begin with the Basics Jewish Life Begins with the Loftiest Ideas—and That’s Fine Dedicated in loving memory of Harav Menachem Zvi ben Rav Yechiel Yitzchak, .marking his yahrtzeit, 4 Av ,ר׳ מנחם צבי בן ר׳ יחיאל יצחק ז״ל May the merit of the Torah study worldwide accompany his soul in the world of everlasting life and be a source of blessings to his family with much health, happiness, nachat, and success. [ 54 ] PARSHA OVERVIEW Ekev In the parsha of Ekev (“Be‑ inscribed and gave to them cause”), Moses continues following their repentance. his closing address to the Their forty years in the Children of Israel, promis‑ desert, says Moses to the ing them that if they will people, during which G‑d fulfill the commandments sustained them with daily (mitzvot) of the Torah, manna from heaven, was to they will prosper in the teach them “that man does land they are about to not live on bread alone, but conquer and settle, in keep‑ by the utterance of G‑d’s ing with G‑d’s promise to mouth does man live.” their forefathers. Moses describes the Land Moses also rebukes them they are about to enter as for their failings in their “flowing with milk and first generation as a people, honey,” blessed with the recalling their worship of “seven kinds” (wheat, barley, the golden calf; the rebel‑ grapevines, figs, pomegran‑ lion of Korah; the sin of the ates, olive oil, and dates), spies; and their angering of and as the place that is the G‑d at Taveirah, Massah, focus of G‑d’s providence of and Kivrot Hataavah (“The His world. He commands Graves of Lust”). “You have them to destroy the idols of been rebellious against the Land’s former masters, G‑d,” he says to them, “since and to beware lest they be‑ the day I knew you.” But he come haughty and begin to also speaks of G‑d’s forgive‑ believe that “my power and ness of their sins, and of the the might of my hand have Second Tablets that G‑d gotten me this wealth.” TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 55 ] A key passage in our parsha the adverse results (famine is the second chapter of the and exile) of their neglect. Shema. This passage repeats It is also the source of the fundamental mitzvot the precept of prayer and enumerated in the Shema’s includes a reference to the first chapter and describes resurrection of the dead in the rewards of fulfilling the messianic age. G‑d’s commandments and LESSON 4 / DON’t BEGIN WITH THE BASICS [ 56 ] I. PRIORITIZING MITZVOT What Terrified Isaac? TEXT 1a BEREISHIT (GENESIS) 27:33 וַיֶחֱרַ ד ְיִצחָ ק חֲרָדָ ה ְגדֹלָה עַ ד ְמאֹד, וַיֹאמֶ ר,מִ י אֵ פֹוא הּוא הַצָ ד צַיִד וַיָבֵ אלִי, וָ אֹכַל מִ ּכֹל ְ טֶרֶם ּבּתָ בֹוא וָאֲבָרֲ כֵ הּו?גַם ּבָ רּוְך ְיִהיֶה: And Isaac shuddered a great shudder, and he said, “Who then is the one who hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate of everything while you had not yet come, and I blessed him? He, too, shall be blessed.” TEXT 1b RASHI, AD LOC. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi) “ויחרד”. כתרגומו: ׳ותוה׳, לשון תמיהה. ומדרשו: ראה גיהנם 1040–1105 פתוחה מתחתיו. Most noted biblical and Talmudic commentator. Born in Troyes, France, Rashi studied “And Isaac shuddered”: Explain it as the Targum renders it, in the famed yeshivot of Mainz and Worms. His commentaries which means he was perplexed. The Midrashic ex‑ on the Pentateuch and ”,ותוה“ planation is that he saw Gehinnom opening beneath him. the Talmud, which focus on the straightforward meaning of the text, appear in virtually every edition of the Talmud and Bible. TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 57 ] Story: In the Lion’s Den TEXT 2 SEFER HATOLDOT ADMUR HAZAKEN, VOL. 4, PP. 560–562 On Wednesday, my turn arrived to be received by the Rebbe for an audience in the Upper Gan Eden. When I entered the Rebbe’s chamber, I was struck with fear and awe by his appearance of his face, his powerful and penetrating glance, and his mighty and deliberate voice, inquiring, “What can I do for you?” But I immediately re‑ covered and calmed myself. I said, “I am an elementary school teacher in my hometown, and I teach my pupils according to the rules of Hebrew grammar. But my fellow teachers oppose me and slander me for it, saying [with sarcasm], ‘Why don’t you teach the pupils the science of linguistics as well!’ “When I offered—as evidence [that a knowledge of grammar is important]—the Rebbe’s new text of the siddur, which follows exactly the rules of grammar, they had nothing to reply. For the public benefit, I request that you give me a letter of reference, which I can use to demonstrate that it is good to teach young children according to the rules of grammar, to accustom them to read correctly, and to teach them Tanakh.” The Rebbe leaned on his forearms for about five minutes. Then, he raised his head, opened his eyes, and said, “You are correct—the hymns and Psalms in the prayers, and especially Keriyat Shema, must be recited with great care, following the rules of grammar. But as for teaching LESSON 4 / DON’t BEGIN WITH THE BASICS [ 58 ] grammar and linguistics as academic subjects, one must be very cautious about doing such a thing. “In the Heavenly Yeshiva, there are separate halls for each kind of study. And right between the hall of grammar study and the hall of linguistics study stands the hall of those who deliberately misinterpret Scripture. “Now, when one’s soul ascends to Heaven each night to renew its life spirit, the soul rises to the study hall that cor‑ responds to the subject he studied during the day. But occa‑ sionally, one may enter the wrong hall by mistake. Instead of entering the hall of grammar or the hall of linguistics, he may enter the hall of those who deliberately misinter‑ pret Scripture. Therefore, one must be very cautious about studying the subjects of grammar and linguistics.” When he finished speaking, he again leaned on his fore‑ arms, as before. Then, he raised his head, opened his eyes, and asked me how I explain to my pupils the verse, “And Isaac shuddered a great shudder.” “I explain it according to the first interpretation of Rashi, that it means he was astounded,” I replied. “And why don’t you explain it to your pupils according to the second interpretation of Rashi, quoting the Midrash, that he saw Gehinnom opened up beneath him?” he asked. “In my opinion,” I replied, “one shouldn’t fill the pupils’ delicate minds with Agadah in general, and especially with things that might frighten them, such as Gehinnom and the like. Even less should one teach small children things that they can’t even imagine. The pupil will wonder how the large and wide opening of Gehinnom could enter into Isaac’s small room. And how could its fires, which have been constantly blazing for 5555 years, enter the room, and TORAH STUDIES / SEASON FOUR 5780 [ 59 ] yet Esau and his father Isaac remained alive and were not burned to a crisp?” “And how does the Midrash know that he saw Gehinnom opened up beneath him?” he asked further. I remained silent, making no reply. Obviously, I had no answer. Indeed, is this the first gross exaggeration found in the Midrash and Talmud? When he saw that I remained silent, the Rebbe said, “When Esau entered Isaac’s room, Isaac asked him, ‘Who are you?’ To this, Esau replied, ‘I am Esau, your firstborn son.’ But this was a lie, for he had already sold the birthright to Jacob, in a legal sale with all the required formalities. Now Isaac knew this, and thus he was very frightened by this lie designed to annul something that is valid under Torah law. This caused him to tremble, for telling such a lie resulted in Gehinnom’s opening up beneath him.” When the Rebbe finished speaking, he leaned on his fore‑ arms as he had done before. Then, he raised his head and opened his eyes. It is customary that whenever he receives people, even during the daytime, there are two lit candles, a Chumash, and a Zohar on the table. He now lifted one of the two candles and scrutinized me, after which he said, “You come here from Vilna, but you claim to come from Zamut; you convert little children to the idolatry of Has‑ kalah, but you claim that you are a schoolteacher. [Because of these lies,] Gehinnom opens up beneath you. How many souls have you already destroyed? Yet you continue to rebel. Yes, it’s true: you are a heretic, and anyone who goes down that road will never return!” I quickly fled his chamber. LESSON 4 / DON’t BEGIN WITH THE BASICS [ 60 ] The Forgotten Mitzvot TEXT 3a DEVARIM (DEUTERONOMY) 7:12 ְוהָ היָ עֵ בקֶ ּתִ ְש ְׁמעּון אֵ ת הַ מִ ְשּׁפָ טִ ים הָ אֵ הלֶ ְּושׁמַ ְרּתֶ ם וַ עֲ שִ ׂיתֶ ם אֹתָ ם, ְו ָשַׁמר הֱ’ אֹלֶקיָך ְל ֶָך אַת ְהּבִרית ְו ֶאַת הֶחֶסֲד אֶשִׁר ְנש ַּׁבַעלֲאבֶֹתיָך: And it will be, because you will heed these ordinances and keep them and perform, that the L‑rd, your G‑d, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.

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