Eikev

Written by Yehuda Katz

וְהָיָה | עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה 
And it will be, because [eikev] you will heed these ordinances...
[Eikev 7:12]

Rashi comments that when the Torah uses the word "Eikev" [Hebrew], it teaches us that this is referring to the Mitzvoth that man usually neglects. Eikev in Hebrew can also mean the heel of feet, meaning the commandments that a person might "step" on because he considers them to be minor.

We find in Genesis 25:26 that Yaakov was named his name because he held onto Esav's heel when he emerged from his mother's womb. Yaakov comes from the Hebrew root "eikev" meaning heel. 

A question can be asked, What's the connection between "Yaakov's" name and "Eikev" found in our verse?   I would like to propose the following original answer as follows, Bezrat Hashem: When Yaakov held on to Esav's heel, he was telling the world that the very things Esav tramples on are in fact "held" in high esteem by Yaakov. These are the very attributes that Yaakov considers important, namely modesty, humility, honesty, etc. Yaakov knew their value, and held on to them. Esav on the other hand "stepped" on them with his heel.....

This is precisely where Yaakov has the greatest power over Esav and the manner in which he conducts his life. Israel will always be able to defeat Esav as long as they are capable of upholding the attributes Esav tramples on. 

In Kabbalistic thought Esav represents the evil inclination. We are all constantly seeking out methods to conquer that which ails us spiritually, yet here lies the key to our victory. Let us all grasp the very attributes that the Evil inclination abhors, and hold them in high esteem as our forefather Yaakov had done at the time of his birth. Let us all be more humble, modest and gracious to our fellow man.

The Festival of the Future Redemption

Aliyas n'shama Mordechai ben Menachem

The 15th of Av is undoubtedly the most mysterious day of the Jewish calendar.

A search of the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law] reveals no observances or customs for this date, except for the instruction that the tachanun [confession of sins] and similar portions should be omitted from the daily prayers [as is the case with all festive dates], and that beginning on the 15th of Av one should increase one’s study of Torah, since at this time of the year the nights begin to grow longer, and “the night was created for study.” And the Talmud tells us that many years ago the “daughters of Jerusalem would go dance in the vineyards” on the 15th of Av, and “whoever did not have a wife would go there” to find himself a bride.

And this is the day which the Talmud considers the greatest festival of the year, with Yom Kippur (!) a close second!

Indeed, the 15th of Av cannot but be a mystery. As the “full moon” of the tragic month of Av, it is the festival of the future redemption, and thus a day whose essence, by definition, is unknowable to our un-redeemed selves.

Click here to read more essays on Tu B''Av

What Happens When Moshiach Comes and How to Bring Him

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

World Catastrophes and the Noahide Laws

After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski  ob"m wrote:

Rabbi Twerski

The recent tragedy in Haiti has elicited a number of comments. People question why G-d permits such catastrophes to happen. Others ask, why go to places of worship to pray for the victims to the G-d who smote them? Some people see such tragedies as expressions of G-d’s wrath, but, are the victims of earthquake, tsunami and tornadoes to be considered the most sinful people in the world?

My understanding of these happenings is based on the statement of the Zohar, that the Torah was the “blueprint” according to which G-d created the world. In other words, Torah is Natural Law, according to which the world operates. The Law of Gravity is Natural Law and is inviolable as are other physical laws, and so is the Natural Law of Torah. If the physical law that keeps the moon in its orbit were somehow suspended, the moon would crash into the earth, but this would not be a punitive act by G-d. If someone puts one’s hand into a fire, one gets burned, but that is not a punitive act of G-d. Rather, it is the result of Natural Law that fire burns.

According to the Torah, there are seven Noahide Laws that are binding on all human beings, and these constitute the Natural Law according to which the world operates; these are:

1. Prohibition of idolatry

2. Prohibition of murder

3. Prohibition of theft

4. Prohibition of sexual promiscuity

5. Prohibition of blasphemy

6. Prohibition of flesh taken from a live animal

7. Requirement to have just laws.

All human beings, religionists and non-religionists are required to abide by these laws, which underlie the Natural Law according to which the world operates. Violation of these laws is tampering with Natural Law, whose consequences can be catastrophic.

The world is a closed system. When a butterfly flaps its wings in Norway, it affects the ecology in Australia. When the Natural Law is intact, the earth’s crust and the atmosphere are stable. When air pollution tampers with the ozone layer, or sulfur dioxide pollution causes acid rain, the effects may be felt hundreds of miles away from the perpetrators. The people suffering these effects are not being “punished” by G-d, but are the victims of the reckless behavior of other people.

Is this an injustice? Yes, just as it is an injustice for a pedestrian to be killed by a reckless driver. Such happenings occur because G-d does not interfere with the free choice and behavior of human beings. Just as we do not fault G-d when an innocent person is killed by a reckless driver, we should not fault G-d when innocent people, victims of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunami, suffer from the reckless behavior of those who violate the Natural Law.

No one is singled out to suffer the consequences of tampering with Natural Law. Violation of the seven Noahide Laws by people on one continent may result in a disruption of the Natural Law according to which the world operates, and the consequences of such disruption may occur on a distant continent. The disruption of the Natural Law which affected Indonesia and Haiti may have been caused by violations of the Noahide Laws by people the world over. No individual or group of people can be singled out as responsible and as being punished.

The seven Noahide Laws are the basis of decency and morality. Every human being should behave according to them.

The 30 Noahide Laws Pt 1

Rabbi Efraim Palvanov

What are the “Noahide Laws” and where do they come from? Are there just seven, or are they actually more numerous? And what do they have to do with the End of Days and ushering in the Messianic Age? 

Find out in this class where we begin our journey into the ancient Noahide Laws. Along the way, we explore the 620 Pillars of Light at the start of Creation, the ten types of witchcraft, and answer big questions like: are Noahides obligated to get married? Pray? Give charity? Learn Torah?

A Messenger of Divine Providence

Art Inge Schuster

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto

The Maggid, HaGaon HaTzadik Rabbi Aryeh Shechter zt"l, in his sefer 'Aryeh Sha'ag', imparts a wonderful lesson concerning the plague of frogs. 

As we know, the plague of frogs began with one gigantic frog that slowly emerged from the river. 

The Egyptians wished to kill this huge frog that had infiltrated their land and began hitting it forcefully. But every strike caused more frogs to emerge from it and filled the land of Egypt with their multitudes.

Seemingly, if a rational person would be standing at the side viewing the actions of the Egyptians, he would turn to them with the following question: "What do you think you are doing? Have you gone crazy?! Can you not see that with every strike more and more frogs emerge? The blows are not helping at all, leave the frog alone and the plague will diminish!" 

But this is the nature of man. When he acts out of anger and an intoxication of senses, he loses his discretion and hits everywhere without a trace of logic or benefit. 

Maran the Steipler, the 'Kehilot Ya'akov' zt"l, explains that a similar reality sets in with every fight and argument. When a person sees that his friend acted against him, he does not sit by idly but repays him twofold. After that, his friend pays him back and so it goes on until the two sides are left with only 'a tooth and an eye', with the fire of dissension growing hotter and being prolonged. 

Turning to one of the rivals and trying to inject some logic into him by saying: "Keep quiet, don't respond, why do you need more mud-slinging and disgrace?" will result in him replying with blind anger: "No, he started, I'll show him business!" 

So, for every blow that one strikes one's friend, loads of new 'frogs' emerge, and the fire of argument intensifies and increases infinitely. 

Therefore, any time one is faced with a dispute, friction or quarrel, it is important to remember the verse: "You shall love your fellow as yourself for I am Hashem." Indeed, it is not easy to swallow one's words when someone else is spreading false reports about you and publicly degrading you, but if you keep in mind that "I am Hashem", that Hashem is looking at all that is taking place and sees how you are not responding to all the degradation and slander, it is easier to guard one's tongue and count oneself among those who are insulted but do not insult. 

If a person understands that all the suffering and distress he endures in This World is not happenstance but set in motion by an intentional Heavenly hand, he will realize that anyone who humiliates him is simply a messenger of Divine Providence, a means of afflicting him for his sins. Then automatically there is no reason at all to return battle, rather it is in place to search one's deeds and understand why this evil befell him.

The Lions of Av

The month of [Menachem] Av is represented by the Lion.  The sign of the month is linked to the events which take place in it. In the sky of Av, a cluster of stars takes the image of a lion. The lion has arisen and is at its power. 

Israel itself is compared to a Lion.  When Yaakov blessed his sons and spoke about the End of Days, he compared Judah to a Lion.

Through the tribe of Judah, the lion symbol came to represent the blessing, majesty, and even divine protection of the Jews. The lion symbol continued to be used even after the destruction of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah's nation, in 586 BCE.

The yarzheit of the Arizal, on the 5th of Av: the Arizal was the Lion - In addition to meaning “lion,” ARI is an acronym for “Eloki [“G‑dly”] Rabbi Yitzchak”

The Month of Av: Leo

The Hebrew month of Av (or Menachem-Av, the consoler of Av) is the fifth of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar.

The name Av literally means "father." It derives from the root which means "to will" or "to desire." It is the month of the "low point" of the Jewish calendar (the 9th of Av, the day of the sin of the spies and the destruction of both the first and second Temples in Jerusalem) as well as the month of the "high point" of the Jewish calender (the 15th of Av -- "there are no happier days for Israel than the 15th Av and Yom HaKippurim" (Mishnah Ta'anit 26:) -- the day of finding one's predestined soul-mate).

This accords with the teaching of our sages that "the Mashiach is born on the 9th of Av." Relative to all other souls of Israel, the soul of Mashiach, who comes to redeem Israel from her state of (spiritual as well as physical) exile, is like a groom to his bride. After his birth on the 9th of Av he reveals himself to his bride and betroths her on the 15th of Av.

Av is the month during which many calamities befell the Jewish people. Of all these misfortunes, the most prominent is the destruction of both the First and Second Temples on 9th Av. Each time, destruction was followed by exile - once to Babylonia (420CE) and once to Rome (70Ce). Rome is identified with Edom, an exile which continues to this day.

The sign of the month is linked to the events which take place in it. In the sky of Av, a cluster of stars takes the image of a lion. The lion has arisen and is at its power. There is no escape.

The Tzeidah La-Derech alludes to the power of this sign over man, animals, metals and whole geographical areas:

It is a sign of fire, masculine, a day sign which brings illness. It is the sign of gold, silver, precious stones, and diamonds, and of the blacksmith. Those born under this sign are dominant over others, overpowering, quick to anger, passionate, effusive, true to their word and adept at fashioning ornaments of gold, silver and precious stones.

These are the conclusions of astrology. They do not take account of life beyond the influence of the stars. Jewish history does bear out some of these tendencies in two contrasting directions. The 9th of Av was the day of the destruction of the Temples and is a fast day. In contrast, the 15th Av is a day of joy.

In this month, we cultivate “correct hearing,” alluded to in the name of the tribe of this month, Shimon, which comes from the word for “hearing.” During the nine days from 1st-9th Av, Jews do not eat meat or listen to music, as a sign of mourning for the loss of the Temple. On the ninth day of Av we mourn for the Holy Temple, destroyed by the lion-like nations of Babylon and Rome—hence the association with the sign of Leo.

The letter governing this month, tet (t), has the negative meaning of “quicksand,” but is also the first letter of the word “good” (tov), since we can reach the highest levels by transforming the lowest levels into good.

Above includes extracts from "Signs of the Times" by Gad Erlanger [Feldheim] and Rabbi Y. Ginsburgh Inner.org

The Bride's Debt

It once happened in Safed, that a disciple of the Holy Ari had to go on a long journey. Before departing, he came to his teacher for a letter of recommendation. The Ari wrote it for him, then blessed him and said "May G-d be with you, and may you go in peace".

The disciple then asked "Master, can you tell me anything about what will happen when I get there?"

"You will marry a beautiful woman" the Ari replied. "And she is your destined soulmate for this life. But after you have been happily married for only six months, she will suddenly die. And here is the reason: In another incarnation, this woman was a man, and you were also a man then. He was your dearest friend, but he also caused you some legal trouble for six months. Finally, he brought a lawsuit against you in the civil courts, which caused you to lose 600 gold coins, even though you were innocent of his charges.

"Now" continued the Ari, "this friend from another life is once again reincarnated - as the woman you will marry on your journey. His soul has come to make atonement for his sins against you. For the six months of trouble that he caused in that life, you will have six months of happiness in this life. The inheritance you will receive when she dies is to repay you for the 600 gold pieces you lost in the past life. But even though you know this, you should be kind and patient to this woman, and grant her forgiveness for the trouble she caused you in the previous life."

And everything happened exactly as the Holy Ari said it would.

[Shivchei Ha-Ari, 16th century]