Insight & Inspiration
Parshat Eikev: The Heel That Brings The Head
By Rabbi Moishe New
One of the great revelations of Chassidic teaching is that G-d has chosen for our relationship with Him to be two-way. Not only do we receive from Him — we affect Him. He desires that we be true partners, contributing to the relationship so that His presence is not something “external” bestowed from above, but something deeply internalized through our own effort.
This is true even for the loftiest revelations — including those of the Messianic era — that seem utterly beyond our reach. Astonishingly, these too must be drawn into the world through our deeds.
The Paradox of the “Heel Generation”
The Talmud calls our era “ikveta d’meshicha” — the heels of Mashiach — meaning both that we are very close to redemption and that our generation is spiritually like the heel of the Jewish body over history: the lowest, least sensitive souls.
Logic would suggest that greater, purer generations should have brought the ultimate redemption, not us. Yet, Chassidut explains that the heel, while lacking the sensitivity of the head and heart, is most directly connected to the deepest will of the soul. The heel obeys without question — it simply carries the person forward.
So too today: in an age of concealment, without open revelations of G-dliness, when the mind has questions and the heart feels uninspired, Jewish commitment comes from a place far deeper than intellect or emotion — from the very essence of the soul.
Essence Touches Essence
G-d’s essence is revealed when we reveal ours. When a Jew observes Torah and mitzvot not because it feels uplifting or makes sense, but simply because “I am a Jew,” that essential bond mirrors G-d’s own essential commitment to us.
This is the unique gift of our generation: we embody a relationship that is unconditional, unshakable, and eternal.
A Foretaste of Redemption
The Torah in Parshat Eikev promises material blessings for mitzvah observance — not as the goal, but as the means to serve without distraction. The true reward for a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself — the connection it creates with G-d.
Remarkably, our generation already enjoys unprecedented freedom and prosperity compared to past centuries — a foretaste of the Redemption. This is not the time to grow complacent, but to use our blessings to deepen our commitment and bring Mashiach’s full revelation.
In short: The “heel generation” is not spiritually inferior. It is precisely our essential, unshakable bond — beyond intellect, beyond emotion — that elicits the ultimate revelation of G-d’s essence in our world.
