The name of this week’s parsha, Eikev, literally means Heel – as in the heel of a foot. However the word, Eikev is usually translated, “As a result of…” It refers to God’s promises of good and prosperity if the Jewish people listen to His mitzvot. So the parsha begins, “Eikev – This will be the result of listening to God’s commandments…”
Rashi draws meaning behind the odd word choice and comments that it means that one must pay close attention to the small and seemingly unimportant mitzvot – the ones people usually ignore and trample upon with their heels – to fully realize the blessings that God will provide.
I would suggest that there is another reason why the name of the parsha references a heel and it addresses a theme in this week’s Torah reading.
We are in the midst of Moshe’s lengthy speech to the Israelites before he is about to pass on. In this week’s part of the discourse, there is much emphasis and warning that the Israelites shouldn’t be too full of themselves. Moshe foretells them that they will be very successful and prosperous but that they shouldn’t allow that success to go to their heads and forget that is was God who took them from slavery. They must not have the attitude of, “My strength and power made me all this wealth and status!” (Deut. 8:17)
And it’s not just financial success that they are warned about. Moshe cautions them not to think too highly of themselves. That they are so wonderful and righteous and that this is the reason that God is overpowering their enemies when they go to Canaan to conquer it. They shouldn’t proclaim, “Because of my righteousness God allowed me to posses this land.” (Deut. 9:4)
No, that is clearly not the case for the Torah goes on to state that God does it primarily because of the wickedness of the other nations who inhabited Canaan at the time. That in addition to the promises that He made to the forefathers. “You should know that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God gives you this land, because in fact you are a stiff-necked people.” (Deut. 9:5,6) So the truth is that He gives the Israelites the land despite their shortcomings of being an obstinate people.
To illustrate the difficult nature and personality of the Jewish people, Moshe recounts in detail the whole sad episode of the Golden Calf and how he had to beg, plead and beseech God not to wipe them out and to reinstate His relationship with them.
Moshe’s reminder to the Israelites is one that we all need to take to heart. That we need to periodically remind ourselves that we were like the lowest part of the body at one point or another in our lives. One should never lose sight of being humble, to forget our lowly beginnings so as to not let success go to our heads.
We know of the temptation of self-aggrandizement for too often we witness successful, powerful or wealthy people exhibit arrogant and haughty behavior. In fact we find it refreshing when we encounter a very successful person who is still able to retain their humility. A person who exhibits the traits that they are no better than anyone else and that all are deserving of inherent dignity that comes with being created in God’s image.
Granted that success is closely related to the amount of effort and hard work we put in to achieve it, be it financial or otherwise. But let’s face it, every successful person has something going for them – some advantage that they had absolutely nothing to do with – and yet was still a crucial factor in their accomplishment. It might be the family they were born into, the natural talents they were born with, the wonderful choices others – such as parents – made that gave them a head start, or the simple fact that they were in the right place at the right time. There is always a significant outside factor that was critical to any achievement.
Any success – financial, professional, family, children, physical strength – all could just as easily not have been, had there not been some gift that paved the path to getting you there. So give it a rest, don’t get all puffy-chested and stop walking around like a peacock proclaiming, “My strength and power made me all this wealth and status!”
This is why Moshe emphasizes that the Jewish people must always remember their humble beginnings. Indeed at every holiday, and constantly in Jewish practice, we recite, Zecher LeYetziat Mitzrayim – a Remembrance of our Exodus from Egypt. We never lose sight of those early days when we had nothing going for us. When we were slaves to another people and that, but for the grace of God, would have remained that way had He not redeemed us.
We each have our own personal Zecher LeYetziat Mitzrayim – our personal Exodus story. Every one of us has a humble beginning where someone came to our aid and pulled us through. It might have been a parent, a sibling, a teacher, a friend. But someone reached out and pulled us from the depths when we were rock bottom. None of us are “self-made” in the pure sense of the word.
This is the lesson of Eikev. No matter what we have or how great we have become – at some point early on, we were each just a lowly heel that would have been trampled upon our entire lives. But thanks to God and others we have been raised higher.
I thought I was flying like a bird
So far above my sorrow
But when I looked down
I was standing on my knees
Baby if you need me
Like I know I need you
There’s just one thing
I’ll ask you to do
Take my hand and lead me…
And pull me through
-Jackson Browne