The Yismach Yisroel also understands the word ‘eikev’ to be a hint to the ikvesa d’meshicha. He adds that the earlier generations were like the ‘body’ of Odom Harishon, and the later generations are like his heel (eikev). Just like the heel is far from the head, the later generations are far from true wisdom, which makes it difficult to perform mitzvos properly. The pasuk is saying that if we listen to Hashem even in such a time, it will be considered as if we did them on the highest level of wisdom and with the loftiest kavanos.
He adds that it is said that Rav Chaim Vital zy’a asked the holy Arizal that it is stated that the cow that belonged to Rebbe Elazar ben Azaria’s neighbor once went out on Shabbos with a red string attached to its horns. Since Rebbe Elazar did not protest this desecration of Shabbos, it was considered as if he had done the sin and his teeth became black. After he fasted and repented, his teeth returned to their whiteness.
Rav Chaim asked if Rebbe Elazar had to fast and repent greatly for such a trivial sin, what can we, who are full of sin, possibly answer for ourselves?
The Arizal replied that this level was expected only in previous generations. In our times, in the midst of the darkness and gloom of exile, one cry or moan from the depth of the heart of a broken Jew is as valued as many fasts.
The Yismach Yisroel zy’a added that if this was true in the bygone days of the Arizal, it is all the more true in later generations, as the pain and suffering has grown more and more by the day since then. It is certain that when Yidden cry out to Hashem in our times, it is as precious to Him as the fasting and supplication of earlier generations was.
The Yismach Yisroel continues to say that the main thing is to have a burning fire within us to fulfill the word of Hashem and to purify ourselves as much as possible. He uses this idea to explain the pasuk (Devarim 7:14): ‘And there will not be amongst you a barren man or woman.’ Chazal say that this means that our prayers will not be ‘barren’, as they will always bear fruit. The Yismach Yisroel states that we see from here that one should never think his tefillos are unworthy of being heard because he cannot compete with the prayers of the people of earlier generations. The verse is teaching us that there is no prayer that does not bear fruit because every tefillah is desired by Hashem.
This is further seen from the pasuk in Tehillim (119:33): ‘Instruct me, Hashem, in the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it at every step (eikev).’ With these words, Dovid Hamelech is hinting to the generations of the ikvesa d’meshicha and davening for them to do what is right in that difficult time.
It is known that Dovid Hamelech drafted tefillos for every person in every generation. This is seen from the pasuk (145:21): ‘And every person (kol basar) shall praise You holy name forever.’ This means that every person, in every situation, even if he is merely ‘kol basar’ (just a piece of meat that has sunk into gashmius), can daven to Hashem and have his voice heard.
