Just JEW It

"And it will be, because (עֵ קֶ ב) you will listen to these commandments and keep and perform them, that the L-rd your G-d will keep the covenant and the kindness that he swore to your forefathers."

This week's Torah portion is "Eikev" (עֵ קֶ ב), generally translated contextually as "when" or "because." But ask any native Hebrew speaker what this word means, and they'll tell you "heel" - the bottom of the foot. The most overlooked and insensitive part of the body. What symbolism does this have for us, the reader!? What connection does a heel have to holy commandments? (Beware: If NIKE hears about this, they may try to get their logos on this section of the Torah scroll).



I don't know about you, but when I receive a birthday gift, oftentimes the more touching and meaningful part is not the item given; it's the card. As the famous saying goes: "It's the little things that matter." In relationships. of course major needs and issues are vital to address, but often it's the little things that speak volumes. The husband who cleans the dishes; the child who brings a cold drink to dad after work; the mom who makes your favorite food; your friend who writes you something to brighten your day.

So too in one's relationship with G-d. About this word "Eikev" in the Torah, Rashi writes: 'The verse is suggesting if you will heed the minor commandments which a person tends to tread on with his heels (then G-d will keep his promise to you).' "It's the little things that count" says G-d. Doing the commandments that we're not so interested in doing, that may be uniquely hard on us or seemingly irrelevant. Paying attention to the small details. Showing our love through something seemingly small, where no one sees you but G-d. Thanking Him for even the little things that are good in our lives.

Through this devotion and attention to even the little things, we can reach the deeper explanation of the word heel here, that our commitment to G-d and his Torah will come to permeate one so entirely, that even the "heel" - signifying the least sensitive aspect of a person's being - will come to feel a closeness to G-d. The word heel is written in connection to the commandments, to also teach us that our relationship with G-d should not be confined only to the holy days of the year, or to certain holy hours of prayer and study, but should also embrace our everyday activities.

In the spirit of this week's Torah portion, let us choose one mitzvah - one area in Torah observance - that we usually "trample on with our heels" (ignore), and do it with a smile :)

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel

Dancing with God

~ Thank G-d, an article was published this past week in the S.D. Jewish journal about my youth group, Jteen :) You can see it here: Article ~


Today is the 15th day of the Hebrew month "Av", a special day known as Tu b'Av. SO special, in fact, that the Talmud describes it with a very surprising statement: 'There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out... and dance in the vineyards. ' (Taanit 26b) For some reason, these 2 days were days of rejoicing; days when "love was in the air." Women danced, matches were made (wait, why don't we do this today again?)Yes, Judaism is big into celebration, and especially Jewish matchmaking. But why are these 2 specific days so perfectly suited for this celebration??

As surprising as it is to see Yom Kippur on this list - the seemingly most solemn day of the year, upon further reflection it does make some sense as to why this day was so celebrated. After the sin of the golden calf, and after many days of repentance and remorse, G-d gave Moses the 2nd tablets (the 1st were at the shop after Moses broke them) to bring back to the Jewish people on the 10th day of Tishrei - Yom Kippur. Thus, the day represents a time of forgiveness and closeness, when G-d and his people were re-united in love. Thus we understand the celebration & matchmaking of this day. But what about "Tu B'av"? Many great things in Jewish history happened on this day (see here for 6). But even so, why is this day known as a day of celebration and matchmaking, partnering husband and wife?

Some explain, that unlike other holidays, Tu B'Av is connected to the darkness which precedes it. The holy temple in Jerusalem was destroyed on the 9th day of Av, a month associated with an extreme descent. And we know the famous saying of our Sages: the greater the descent, the greater the ascent. Therefore the reunion represented by Tu B'av after such an incredible descent as the destruction of the holy temple only days beforehand, is an incredibly powerful one. But what does that have to do with matchmaking & love? We are also taught that in our lives, marriage also isn't really just a union between man and woman, it is a reunion. A soul is divided into two halves; one half descends into this world in a male body, the other in a female's body. Marriage is the joyous reunion of these two estranged halves. When the two finally find each other and reconnect, the resulting emotions are so intense, because it results from the re-unification of that which was long lost.

On a cosmic level, man and woman are metaphors for G‑d and His nation. The soul of the Jew is a "part of G‑d" (beg. of Tanya Ch.2); like husband & wife, one's soul and our creator G-d is essentially of one essence. And we too undergo this process of estrangement and reunion; a process intended to heighten the love and passion, to bring it to levels unimaginable had we never experienced separation in the first place. The first time our nation was estranged from G‑d was shortly after our betrothal at Mount Sinai when we worshiped a Golden Calf. The reconciliation and redoubled commitment and love occurred on Yom Kippur.

That, however, was a relatively short estrangement. With the destruction of the Holy Temple and the commencement of two millenniums of exile, we embarked upon a most painfully long stretch of estrangement. The goal? To ultimately reunite in an amazing passion and infatuation with G-d. The result of this estrangement will be the grandest wedding of all times - the coming of Moshiach which will usher in an era of eternal marital bliss. This is what is signified and celebrated on Tu B'av; after the mourning of the temple's destruction, we rebound and see the reason behind the destruction in the first place - the most powerful reconciliation imaginable. May we always remember in our lives that events of descent will always be ultimately followed by an ascent, and that the distance we may feel from G-d, can always be followed by a much more powerful reunion.

Shabbat Shalom & happy Tu B'av!

-Daniel

A Bag of Cold Goins

A wealthy & experienced businessman had a son who was a novice in business. The father gave him a sack of gold coins to buy some merchandise. “Business isn't complicated my son. It's simple: You buy merchandise in bulk at wholesale price, and you sell it at retail price, making profit. Go to Vilna. Visit the city market and buy it for the wholesale price.” The son-in-law went and did as his father-in-law had suggested. The first stand he saw at the market was selling shofars (ram horns). "It's right before Rosh Hashanah! Come and buy shofars for the holiday!" Announced the owner. He got a good price on shofars and bought a wagon-load.


When he arrived home, his father was flabbergasted. “What did you do?!” The son replied, “What’s the matter? I checked the prices just like you told me to.” “Yes,” said the father, “but there's only one main synagogue in our city! Everyone hear's the shofar blown there on Rosh Hashanah. Nobody's going to buy these!” The father stormed off to tell his workers to put the shofars in the warehouse. Sometime later the father was ready to try again. The son went to Vilna again, and this time he found a tremendous bargain - a massive amount of toothpicks for less than 10% of their wholesale price! Smiling with pride, the boy filled his wagons with toothpicks and headed back to town. He was in for a surprise when he came home. “What’s the matter father? I got an amazing price on these toothpicks.” “What’s the matter? What’s the matter?! Nobody's going to buy all of these toothpicks!” The father sighed and told his workers to put the toothpicks in the warehouse.

After a while, the father called a merchant who dealt in odd lots and asked him to take the shofars and get whatever he could for them. The following day, he called somebody else, who dealt in overstocks, to do the same thing for the toothpicks. Soon after, these two fellows bumped into each other. Unaware that they were working for the same person, they made a trade, shofars for toothpicks. When the father got the report, he burst out laughing. His son complained: “Why are you so upset with me? These two guys are hot-shot businessmen and they both bought the same merchandise I did!” The father answered, “My dear son. Both of these men had something worthless and exchanged it for something worthless. But you had gold. You could have bought priceless goods, but instead you bought worthless merchandise!”

Each of us has been entrusted with a beautiful neshamoh (soul). We have been given a G-dly gift, the Torah, full of Divine wisdom and guidance. We have been given many minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years to achieve and acquire good deeds in this world. But too often we pass up on good "merchandise", instead focusing on the purchase of useless items. This wouldn't be a big deal, if not for the fact that we were given gold. Each of us has been given golden, priceless souls, entrusted with a divine mission to acquire mitzvot and better the world as best we can. From saying the shema to lighting shabbat candles or giving a dollar to charity, we can come home with great merchandise our Father can be proud of.

Shabbat Shalom!