Deuteronomy:Eikev
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ShareWas Deuteronomy something very different than the first 4 books of the Torah?
The inclusion of Deuteronomy into the Torah, as it supplements Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, seems to be written in a quite different tenor.
Following the story of Moses's personal contact with God in the "Sinai Experience" and then in his leadership of the Israelites in the "wilderness",.... in Deuteronomy Moses instructs a new generation of Israelites regarding his evolved understanding of how the Divine commandments are to be understood and obeyed.
This weeks Parsha, entitled Eikev (second word of Deuteronomy 7:12), is translated to mean.. if you heed (if you obey).
However, in the later 11th Century Rashi translates "Eikev" to mean "on the heels of..." (from the Hebrew root word "akav"). Rashi posits that by consistently observing (and not treading with one's heels) even on God's "lighter" (lesser) commandments that such observance would be acceptable to what God requires of the Israelites. (See commentary on Deut. 7:12, below, which discusses required performance of SOME... or ALL... of God's Commandments.).
In Deuteronomy the emotions of "Love of God" and also the "The Fear "of God are central themes introduced multiple times in the Book of Deuteronomy. However, in Deuteronomy Moses (and related Talmudic commentary) associate both the Love AND the Fear of God as necessarily co-dependent upon each other. It is this specific interplay between Love and Fear of God that we will begin to study today....
In the Torah the word... "yirah" is interpreted both as "Fear" and also as "Awe". "In God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism" by Abraham Joshua Heschel, the author explains that: "Awe unlike fear, does not make us shrink from the awe inspiring object (referring to God), but, on the contrary, draws us near to it. That is why awe is comparable to both love and joy.
Note: Awe, as a principle of religious virtue, is a discussion for another study session since biblical commentary specifically associates attaining the reward of Heaven with living in awe of God.
At the end of last week's parsha (Vaetchanan) we read:....
(ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
(5) You shall love (vahavta) your God יהוה with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך. הלב הוא הדעת והוא כנוי לרוח המשכלת כי היא המרכב' הראשונה וכן חכם לב קונה לב:
WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL. The heart refers to knowledge. It is another term for the spirit of intelligence, for the heart is its (intelligence's) first residence....
Later Deut: 10:16 refers to "cutting away the thickening of your hearts"... poetically referred to a circumcising the "foreskin prejudices" of your hearts... see Soforno's Talmudic commentary below.
Talmud Commentary: Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 6:5
"Perhaps our verse intends to arouse in us three distinct kinds of love for G'd which G'd's creatures are familiar: They are: 1) Loving Him for His goodness (spiritually speaking); 2) Loving Him for the pleasant sensation this affords us; 3) Loving Him because He is so useful to us......
Respecting the sequential verses of Chapter 7 we need to take a brief detour...and address Deut: 7:12
(יב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
(12) And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, (to include Deut. 6.5, above) your God יהוה will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers:
The question becomes.... do we need to observe all of God's commandments or only certain ones we choose to observe? Rashi has one position, and about 100 years later Maimonides offers...quite another viewpoint.
Rashi on Deuteronomy 7:12
AND THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE, IF YE HEARKEN (The Hebrew text may be taken to signify if you will hear the heel, עקב) — If, even the lighter commands which a person usually treads on with his heels (i.e. which a person is inclined to treat lightly), ye will hearken to,...
THEN THE LORD ... WILL KEEP FOR THEE His promise. (Midrash Tanchuma, Eikev 1)
Presenter's sourced contemporary commentary...
"In interpreting Rashi ... There are some obligations which we feel are important and other obligations which are not. ...and so we trample..God doesn't ask us to be perfect He doesn't expect us to be perfect...(nor) to perform all of his Commandments... All God desires is effort..."
Source: Rabbi Shmuel Silber Parsha Perspective: Eikev-Heeding the Heel
Miamonides responds ... these people (i.e.Rashi) are mistaken... (Miamonides) suggesting ALL mitzvot require observance...
"While Rashi argued that God created the World to be given to the Jews...Maimonides apparently had no knowledge why God created the world.. .but felt that (it was) reasonable that God revealed all commandments to improve the behavior of individuals and societies to raise individuals to the highest perfection they can attain."
Source: Review by Isreal Drazin of "Between Rashi and Miamonides", Ephraim Kanafogel, Moshe Sokolow editors)
Now......Back to Love (The carrot)... later followed by Fear (the Stick)....
(יד) בָּר֥וּךְ תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּ֑ים לֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֛ עָקָ֥ר וַֽעֲקָרָ֖ה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃
(14) You shall be blessed above all other peoples: there shall be no sterile male or female among you or among your livestock.
Talmud commentary informs the benefits of "obeying the rules"
(א) ברוך תהיה וגו'. פירוש שלא תהיה אומה גדולה מהם, או ירצה על זה הדרך ברוך תהיה וגו' ומה היא הברכה שלא יהיה וגו' ואומרו בך וגו', פירוש שלא ימצא אדם עקר מעצמו, וכנגד עקרות הבא על ידי חולי אמר והסיר ה' ממך כל חולי הסובב, ובזה תהיה נכרת הברכה של לא יהיה בך עקר כשלא יהיה בישראל אדם שאינו מוליד:
(1) ברוך תהיה מכל העמים, "You will be more blessed than all the nations." This can either mean that there will not be a nation which is greater in stature than the Jewish nation, or it could mean: ברוך תהיה, "you will enjoy certain blessings over and beyond those enjoyed by other nations;" what are these blessings? "There will be none amongst you that are barren genetically." Beyond that, "if there is someone amongst you who has become barren through sickness, G'd will remove this sickness from you, etc." It will thus become common knowledge that you have been blessed by the Lord your G'd.
Moses's evolution of "the stick"
Citation of: Talmudic commentary in Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 32 ...
.. "And you shall love the L-rd your G-d".....
And there is no (absolute) love in the place of (i.e., co-existing with [absolute]) fear, and no (absolute) fear in the place of (absolute) love except vis-à-vis the Holy One Blessed be He. (So that if one loves Him absolutely, it follows that he fears him absolutely, and his reward is doubled.)
(יח) לֹ֥א תִירָ֖א מֵהֶ֑ם זָכֹ֣ר תִּזְכֹּ֗ר אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְפַרְעֹ֖ה וּלְכׇל־מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(18) You need have no fear of them. You have but to bear in mind what your God יהוה did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians:
Deut: 7:15...including "all your (idolotrous) enemies.
(כא) לֹ֥א תַעֲרֹ֖ץ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּֽי־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּקִרְבֶּ֔ךָ אֵ֥ל גָּד֖וֹל וְנוֹרָֽא׃
(21) Do not stand in dread (fear) of them, for your God יהוה is in your midst, a great and awesome God.
(א) לא תערוץ מפניהם. רק תערוץ מהשם שהוא אל גדול ונורא:
(1) THOU SHALT NOT DREAD THEM. Only dread the Lord, who is great and awful.
(י) תְּחִלַּ֣ת חׇ֭כְמָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדֹשִׁ֣ים בִּינָֽה׃
(10) The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding...atttributed to King Solomon s during his reign between 970-930 B .C
Pirkei Avot 3:17
Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said: Where there is no Torah, there is no right conduct; where there is no right conduct, there is no Torah. (Presenter - Make the case for theTorah as a unique guidebook for the Jewish people)
Where there is no wisdom there is no fear of God; where there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom. (Presenter - See Mussar discussion below)
Where there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; where there is no knowledge, there is no understanding.
.
Presenter Observation: Moses understands the trepidation of the Israelites in crossing the Jordan River and entering into Canaan where it is known they will encounter existing idolatrous nations (tribes)....Additionally per the story of Deuteronomy, the Israelite uncertainty (fearfulness) has been heightened as it will be the untested Joshua, no longer Moses, who will assume leadership of the Israelites.
In Eikev, is Mose in fact strategically acting to diffuse the Israelites trepidation?
In a positive effort, Moses seems to be refocusing (motivating) the Israelite nation to forge their resolve reminding them of God blessings in order to forge their resolve to face the unknown... Blessings = mutual LOVE between God and his Chosen People.
Yet as the Israelites are about to begin their post-Deuteronomic experience, Moses at the same time acts as a protector and teacher to the Isrealites in order to insure thier disciplined commitment and unity as they enter the "Promise Land". Moses commands the attention of his followers highlighting the power of God's (previously exhibited) retribution which must be FEARED (7:21) if the Israelites do not follow the Divine commandments.
Topic for thought: Fear is a great motivator... but does it propitiate our own "best angels"?
A Contemporary Vantage Point:
Excerpts from "Loving & Fearing God" by Rabbi Louis Jacobs (1920-2006)
first leader of Conservative Judaism in England Source: My Jewish Learning
The (Ethical) Mussar Movement: The emphasis is placed on the lower fear...Only simple reflection on the severe punishments in store for the transgressor can penetrate man's stony heart. In Modern Jewish theological thinking there is little fear of God...for two reasons: 1. "the move from (the) God centered universe and ; 2. partly because of the unwholesome emotions the concept of fear is said to generate.
(ו) וְיָדַעְתָּ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֤א בְצִדְקָֽתְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱ֠לֹהֶ֠יךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֜ אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף אָֽתָּה׃
(6) Know, then, that it is not for any virtue of yours that your God יהוה is giving you this good land to possess; for you are a stiffnecked people.
(טז) וּמַלְתֶּ֕ם אֵ֖ת עׇרְלַ֣ת לְבַבְכֶ֑ם וְעׇ֨רְפְּכֶ֔ם לֹ֥א תַקְשׁ֖וּ עֽוֹד׃
(16) Cut away, therefore, the thickening about your hearts and stiffen your necks no more.
ומלתם את ערלת לבבכם אם כן ראוי שתסירו את ערלת שכלכם והוא שתתבוננו להסיר כל טעות מוליד דעות כוזבות:
ומלתם את ערלת לבבכם, therefore, it is appropriate that you remove the “foreskin,” prejudices with which your intelligence is afflicted, so that you will realize the errors you have made in your world outlook based on false premises.
Or HaChaim commentary on Deuterony 9:6
What did Moses hope to accomplish by admonishing the Israelites about their having had stiff-necked wicked people amongst them in the past?
Moses' reason may have been that the people reflected that even at the times they had been rebellious this did not result in their march towards the Holy Land coming to a halt. They had explained this anomaly to themselves by reasoning that G'd had to fulfil His oath to the patriarchs. Moses therefore wanted to make it plain that their own righteousness was essential in bringing about fulfilment of that oath. If they were to backslide they could still forfeit the promise to inherit the land.
A Few questions:
1. How do we distinguish between (a & b, below):
(a)The God of the first 4 books of the Torah... a God who among other things:
i. created the deadly flood in Genesis 6:5, though the Israelites did not have Torah at that time; ii. who repeatedly threatened retribution against "stiff-necked"Israelites at Mt. Sinai resulting from the Golden Calf even;; iii., who treatened death to the Israelites following the Sin of the Spies; and iv. who punished and destroyed by plague 24,000 at Shittim in Numbers 25?.
(b) The God of that Moses knows, who will offers Gods guidance and protection to the Israelites once they merge their hearts (passion) with their intellect (righteous human reflection) ... (which commentary refers to as: circumcising the heart.)"
2. What motivates contemporary Reform Jews to live a righteous existence?
(a) Is it motivated by a conscious Fear of retribution for not following God's commandments (specifically, Mitzvot that can be observed today in the diaspora)?...or,.
(b) Is moral righteousness achieved rather thru study and contemporary contextual understanding of the laws of Torah in identifying and pursuing a basic attainable code of conduct that preserves community yet promotes human potential?