Rashi expounds on the word eikev, which means heel. The heel refers to the mitzvos that a person threshes with his feet. The Torah is telling us that if we keep these mitzvos, we will have great reward. The big question is: which mitzvos are we referring to? Which mitzvos are we threshing with our feet? The Daas Zkainim gives two different explanations. One is the mitzvah of tzitzis, making sure not to drag them on the floor. The other mitzvah that one can transgress with his feet is the mitzvah of shiluach haken.
The Satmer Rebbe zt”l gives a different interpretation of the first Rashi in this week’s parsha. He bases his explanation on the Gemara in Maseches Sota regarding schar pesios, reward for the steps one takes to go to shul. Why is this mitzvah so crucial that it can bring so much brachah?
I wanted to explain this based on a Rabbeinu Yonah in Brachos that gives a deeper insight into the idea of taking steps to go to shul. Rabbeinu Yonah is actually addressing the Gemara that says that it’s a mitzvah to run to shul. That seems strange; why is it so important to run a few feet to shul, and how does it change one’s tefillah?
Rabbeinu Yonah explains that running reflects our love for Hashem and our desire to get closer to Him. In chassidus, it is taught that the preparation for a mitzvah can be more important than the mitzvah itself. Perhaps one can say that it’s not to compare importance, but rather, the preparation can be more impactful, because how we enter into the mitzvah will dictate how much joy we will do the mitzvah with, which is the key ingredient.
Chazal are teaching us that the mitzvos that we do with our feet mean that the preparatory stages before the mitzvah can end up changing the whole mitzvah experience.
Next time you’re about to reach shul, run a few feet and ask Hashem to help you have a real connecting experience. This is really what davening is supposed to be all about. It is related that when the Chafetz Chaim would daven, it would look like he was literally shmoozing with the Creator of the universe, Who is also our father and Who loves us more than we can ever imagine love is.
It is interesting to note that even on Shabbos, there is a mitzvah to run to shul. Shabbos is a time when no phones are on and no phone calls need to be attended to. Hence, it’s an opportunity to really get into davening each word slowly, making each word real and meaningful.
RABBI DANIEL COREN
