Mikayla Sacks

Jordana Blackman

The following Devar Torah, written by Year 11 students, Jordana Blackman and Mikayla Sacks, was presented by them during our High School Tefillot

Rabbi Siegel

Mikayla: This week’s parashah is called Eikev. The word eikev is used, say the Rabbis, because it has a numerical value of 172—the number of words in the Ten Commandments and Ekeiv is asking the Israelites to abide by God’s laws. The parashah is about Moses giving the Israelites a ‘pep talk’ about their future living in the land of Israel without him: cautioning them not the fear the Canaanite armies, and that God will protect them in battling these armies. Moses also tells the Israelites that they should not think that they are entering the Promised Land due to their own virtues and good deeds, but rather that God has promised them this land and that God keeps the promises that he makes. 

Jordana: Moses continues to tell the Israelites that if they follow everything that God tells them to do and if they remain faithful to God, God will reward them in a multitude of ways including obliterating and demolishing the Canaanite army. He also tells them that when they arrive in the Promised Land they have to destroy every idol that they come across. This part of the parashah is a little odd, because aren’t we supposed to treat our neighbors the way we want to be treated? Moses tells them that they have been through many experiences in the 40 years that they were wandering the desert, and have done many things that angered God. With an emphasis on the building of the golden calf, Moses recounts the Israelite sins against God, and if it wasn’t for Moses calming God down, God would have killed all of them for these sinful acts, and now they should learn from their mistakes and do what God says. 

Mikayla: Towards the end of the parashah, Moses scolds the Israelites, knowing their past ways, and tells them that these wonderful things which they will receive once they have entered the Promised Land should not lead them to forget the One who provided them with the wealth; such a blunder would lead to their destruction and ruin.

Jordana: This part of the parashah is confusing, the fact that God is rewarding the Israelites with a wonderful new life in the Promised Land is all well and good, but the fact that God says He will kill off the whole Canaanite people to save the Israelites and to bring them home seems a little bit extreme, especially when God says that if the Israelites slip up once again, he will leave them and not help them for the rest of the generations or worse. It seems as though the whole parashah is filled with a multitude of double standards and varying extremes. I mean, aren’t we taught to give people second chances as the Israelites are given, let alone first chances which the Canaanites are not given? 

Mikayla: Moses says for us to love and fear God but most of all to serve God. He explains God’s greatness, and impresses on the Israelites their great fortune – that God has chosen them to be His ‘treasured nation’. He again reminds them of the many miracles God had performed on their behalf since they left Egypt. If they serve God, he will create rain to fall on the land, harvest and fertilise the land of Israel for the Israelites to live and prosper, as we say in the Shema prayer, every day.

Note that the obligation to bless the Lord after eating comes from the verse, “when you eat and are satisfied, you must bless the Lord your God”. This is why we recite Birkat Hamazon after eating. Lastly the Israelites are commanded to wear tefillin, place a mezuzah on the door of their homes and teach the new ways of life to their children, which we also remind ourselves when saying the Shema. Moses informs the Israelites that if they follow God’s ways and love Him, they will easily occupy the land of Israel, and no man will stand up against them.

Jordana: The final section in the parashah is what has become the second paragraph of the Shema, which talks about the rewards for doing mitzvot and the punishments for not doing them.

Mikayla: This parashah is about appreciating God and what he has done for the Israelites, our ancestors. Something that we can take away from this is the notion to stop and appreciate the world around us. We are all so busy in our everyday lives; studying, seeing friends, working, and more studying. So sometimes, we should all just stop for a moment, and take the time to appreciate the great things in your life, like friends, family, being able to attend a really good school, health and happiness, even nature. Our challenge for you is to go and watch the sunset, at least once in the next week, and really appreciate the beautiful colours of the world.