Sourcesheet
And it will be, because you will heed these ordinances and keep them and perform, that the Lord, your God, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers. (Devorim 7:12)
At first glance it represents a simple, straightforward theme; if we follow the word of God, He will take care of us. The Torah is replete with verses emphasizing the reciprocal nature of our relationship with God. If we are willing to commit as manifest in our fidelity and allegiance to the Torah and Mitzvos, God will see that our needs are met. This idea is at the core of our relationship contract with God. You will get out what you are willing to put in. Yet, the famed commentator, Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105) highlights an additional dimension of meaning:
“And it will be, because you will heed: Heb. עֵקֶב, lit. heel. If you will heed the minor commandments which one [usually] tramples with his heels [i.e., which a person treats as being of minor importance].”
The Torah uses the word “eikev” which contextually means “if” but can also mean “heel.” As such, Rashi understands an additional nuanced message, “if we are vigilant with the details which people normally trample upon, there will be abundant Divine blessing.” Rashi is teaching us two profound lessons.
Lesson #1: We all trample on something. In our spiritual lives, we consciously or subconsciously create a religious hierarchy. There are some obligations which are important and other obligations which are not. There are details which apply to me and details which do not. There are mitzvos I can relate to and others which seem anachronistic, or at odds with my life outlook or philosophy. And so, we trample. We adhere, obey, and admire the aspects we agree with and intentionally or unintentionally set aside the aspects with which we don’t. Here is the beautiful reality – God doesn’t ask us to be perfect. He doesn’t expect us to perform all His commandments, and He doesn’t expect proficiency in every area of Judaic practice. All God desires is effort. We create these mitzvah rankings as a way of justifying non-performance. But we don’t have to do that. I don’t perform all the mitzvos because I am a limited human being who tries hard but can’t always get it right. I recognize that every law and detail in the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) is binding and obligatory, but I am not always able to live up to this standard. The good news is – it’s ok. God understands. Just don’t trample and make things unimportant to justify our human finitude. In fact, if you look at the wording of the verse it says, “ just listen! Yes, the ultimate goal we aspire to is performance (), but start just by listening, acknowledging that these are the expectations. I don’t have to trample or negate; I just have to try.
