From the Parashah
First Reading: Hearing with the Heel
How to understand parashat Eikev’s first words? The literal reading is of course, “if you listen to [these ordinances].” But as we will see, the word translated as “if you” (עֵקֶב), is cognate with the “heel” (עָקֵב), the bottom part of our feet that we spend so many hours a day on and that is described as “dead” in the Talmud. Rendered this way, the first verse becomes, “It shall come to pass that if your heal listens” or “if you listen with your heel.” Whatever could this mean?
The Sefat Emet explains that "listening" encompasses many levels; one can listen to God’s ordinances, His commandments with varying depth. Together, all these levels of “listening” are part of a complete spiritual structure, a partzuf, that includes the way in which the lowest of generations, down to the “heels of the Mashiach” the generations, just before the coming of Mashiach, listens. Even these generations merit at least the heel—the bottom-most aspect of what it means to listen to God. For these lowly generations, listening means at least performing the mere physical dimension of the observance of the commandments, even without understanding their foundations and reasons. Even such a low level of listening, "if you listen," results in "Havayah your God safeguarding for you the covenant and the loving-kindness that He swore by oath to your forefathers," as well as all the blessings mentioned thereafter.
In a musical analogy, the "heel" of listening corresponds to the lowest tones, the bass. In English as well as in Hebrew the word "bass" (בַּס) also relates to "basis" (בָּסִיס). The bass sounds provide the rhythm, which is the foundation of the music. We generally draw a parallel between the three parts of a musical melody—melody, harmony, and rhythm—and the division of the sefirot into intellectual, emotional, and habitual groups of three each. The bass sounds thus correspond with the rhythm, as explained elsewhere.
In Jewish life, the rhythm is the very act of performing the commandments, as per the well-known dictum that, "the deed is the main thing," even without understanding their meaning. The meaning of each commandment with its myriad explanations corresponds to the melody, which can properly develop later as long as we catch the right rhythm of life.
The word for “rhythm” (בֶצֶק) in Hebrew has the same numerical value as, “in all, of all, and all” (לֹכַּבּ-לֹכִּמ-לֹכּ), three words that allude to the foretaste of the World to Come in this world that was experienced by each of the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. By keeping the rhythm of Jewish life going God safeguards for us the World to Come, "if you listen."
Another layer of listening appears later in our parashah in the verse that opens the second paragraph of the Shema, which we recite daily: "It shall be that if you listen diligently." Here, the Sefat Emet explains that the repetition of "if you listen" requires an explanation. Following the precedent set by the sages with regard to similar repetitions, the Sefat Emet explains that the repetition is meant to stress that you should listen, "even a hundred times," because listening has many shades. Every day we can listen anew, and we can accept the yoke of Heaven anew. The initials of the phrase, “yoke of Heaven” are a permutation of the word Shema (עַמְשׁ). Every time we sincerely listen and taking upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven, we reattach to God. The double effort required to listen and listen again represents the rectification of the soul and the rectification of the body. Rectifying the soul is achieved by accepting the Torah in general, and rectifying the body, by accepting and committing to observe the commandments.
Following the Arizal, every day before beginning the morning prayers we do indeed take upon ourselves to listen and accept the Torah and the commandments. We say, "I accept upon myself the positive commandment of 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Loving one’s fellow as one love’s oneself is the great principle of the Torah, which leads to "loving Havayah your God." Loving God is the conclusion of the first verse of the Shema’s second paragraph, “It shall be that if you listen diligently... loving Havayah your God.”
Moses’ Heritage of Awe
Regarding the verse "And now, Israel, what does Havayah your God ask of you but to fear Him...," the sages ask, "Is fear [or awe] of God such a small thing?" Their answer is that for Moses indeed, fear of God is a small thing. The question arises, what benefit does this have for all of us, who are not Moses? After all, the verse is demanding fear of God from us, “what does Havayah your God as of you.”
The Sefat Emet explains that within every Jew there is a spark of Moses, and it is in reference to this that it is said, "the Torah that Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." Included in this inheritance is not just the Torah, but Moses himself. The word "inheritance" (הׁשָרֹמו) contains the letters of "Moses" (הׁשֹמ) and the two letters vav and reish (ור) from the word "Torah" (תָּרֹוה). Just as God gives Himself within the Torah, so too, Moses gives of himself in the "Torah of Moses."
In addition, the initials of the three words in this verse, “Moshe commanded us” (נוּלָהִצֶהׁשֹמ) spell the word “image [of God]” (םֶלֶצ), pronounced tzelem. In Kabbalah, the tzelem is the intermediary spiritual element that connects the light to the vessel. Here, Moshe connects himself to us as the tzelem between the Torah, which is the light, and us, the vessel that is the Jewish people who are composed of Priests, Levites, and Israel (ֹּכהֵןֵלוִיִיְרָאֵלׂש), whose initials spell the word “vessel” (יִלְכּ).
The Sefat Emet explains that at the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, Israel merited that fear of God would become a small matter. It became a point of inception from which we can ascend, as Moes said to them, "Do not fear." When all our souls said, “We will do and we will hear” (ֶהׂנַעֲשְמַעׁוְנִש), we were each given two crowns to mark our commitment. Even though we lost these crowns after the Sin of the Golden Calf, Moses preserves them for us and returns the crown of fear to us on Shabbat. This is why the sages state that even a simple Jew who is unlearned has a reverence for Shabbat. Similarly, through repentance—the verse’s first word, “And now” (וְעַתָּה) signifies repentance—and through engaging in Torah for its own sake, one can return to this level and the Torah adorns us with humility and fear of sin.
(from HaRav Ginsburgh’s notes)
