Parshas Eikev: Don't Tread on Me!

At the heart of Parshas Eikev lies a curious Hebrew word that transforms our understanding of divine blessing. The word "eikev" – typically translated as "because" but literally meaning "heel" – opens a window into how we might unlock the abundant blessings promised in Torah.

While some commentators take the straightforward approach that blessing follows obedience, Rashi offers a more nuanced perspective. He suggests the verse refers specifically to those mitzvot we tend to trample underfoot – the overlooked commandments we might consider minor or inconsequential. But why would these particular mitzvot be the key to blessing?

The answer takes us through a fascinating journey into Talmudic wisdom, where the schools of Hillel and Shammai debated for years whether human existence itself is worthwhile. Their conclusion – that we must "examine our deeds" – becomes profoundly illuminated through Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky's interpretation. He teaches that beyond the 248 explicitly enumerated positive commandments lie countless opportunities for divine service embedded in everyday life.

These "between the lines" mitzvos – greeting someone warmly, supporting your family through honest work, making blessings with intention – are precisely what tip the scales in our favor. They transform existence from spiritually precarious to abundantly blessed. The mitzvos we "trample with our heel" aren't those we intentionally disregard, but rather those we fail to recognize as sacred opportunities.

This perspective revolutionizes how we approach daily life. That morning commute? A holy opportunity. The negotiations at work? Divine service. The smile offered to a stranger? A mitzvah that may just tip the cosmic scales. By elevating these seemingly mundane moments to acts of spiritual significance, we access the flow of blessing described in the parsha.

How many mitzvah opportunities have you walked past today without noticing? What might change if you began seeing the sacred potential in life's ordinary moments? Perhaps the greatest blessing comes not from the obvious commandments, but from discovering holiness hidden in plain sight.

Chapters

• 0:00 The Linguistic Protuberance
• 3:35 Rashi's Unique Interpretation
• 8:05 The Talmudic Debate on Existence
• 15:15 Rabbi Kamenetsky's Understanding
• 22:07 Applying Wisdom to Daily Life
• 27:21 Between the Lines: Finding Hidden Mitzvot

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

The plan is simple. We notice an odd linguistic protuberance, we see how our holy sages make sense of it. Then we zoom in on Rashi's understanding, we take a slight detour through Shas, we use the help of the Marsha, we finally understand a Gemara through the eyes of Rybyakov Kamenetsky. And then we apply that wisdom of that understanding of that Gemara through the eyes of Rebyakov Kamenetsky. And then we apply that wisdom of that understanding of that Gemara through the eyes of Rebyakov Kamenetsky, we take that new piece of wisdom and apply it to the words of Rashi that explain our very first Pusik that contains that odd linguistic protuberance to hopefully deliver a symphonic and absolutely fresh and emphatic Musser melody. So let us begin. If you obey these rules and observe them, then these rules and observe them, then Hashem will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your forefathers. If we play by the rules and follow the Torah and its commandments, we heed the call, well then we'll have tons of blessing. The Torah continues to elaborate on all of the blessings that will be bestowed upon us if we play by the rules. If it isn't already clear the odd linguistic protuberance, well then I'll ask you directly to translate the first five words of the parsha, the haya. We got that. Akev huh, tishmoon. You're listening, as I'm a spot him, the laws haela these. What does the word Ekev mean? Quite frankly, if you remove the word Ekev from the Pasuk, the Pasuk still makes perfect sense. Listen to this and it will be. Take out the word Ekev, just it will be Tishmon, if you listen to the rules. What does the word Ekev mean? Simply, we look down at Unkelis, the translation of the Torah and the Ramban elaborates upon how Unkelis came to this conclusion. But Ekev means because, but not just a because, or rather plain because, but more of like a cause and effect type of because A because of one thing led to the next. You can see Ishaya Perik Dalad, pasek Dalad, to see how it's used in that kind of cause and effect manner. And the Ramban shows how, when Unkula says V'hiz Cholaf Disa Kablon Yos Dinaya that's how he translates the words is. The translation of it adds to the passage that it is a direct cause and effect, that the blessing comes as a direct result and an outcome of your listening to the rules, and we can conclude God forbid the opposite that we'll be looking left and right for all the blessings, but if we do not keep the Torah well, that we'll be looking left and right for all the blessings, but if we do not keep the Torah well, then we'll have our answer.

Speaker 1: 3:35

But Rashi does not take this approach. Rashi does not learn that Ekev just means because Rashi says, in a strange turn of events of our linguistic protuberance, eikev here comes to teach. If, if you will listen and perform the mitzvos that are light mitzvos that are often overlooked, those that you trample upon on your heel, those type of mitzvos that you power walk over and totally disregard them, if you will keep those mitzvos, then you'll be rewarded. Rashi learns that the word Ekev is to be darshaned, that it means the word heel, and the medrash that Rashi applies here tells us that the Pesach reads that it will be ekev tishmo'un if by the heel you will listen. What does that mean? By the heel? Meaning the small mitzvos that are often overlooked, those that you generally would tread upon, those mitzvos that the ankle bone, achilles, heel, tarsus and astragalus, talus and ankle joint all tread upon, those light mitzvos, those, if those light mitzvos, the ankle trotted upon mitzvos, those you keep, then you get the blessings. That's what Ekev means. It's an entirely different reading of the Pesach. It isn't simply because, but rather if you will ankle these pesachim meaning if you will, you have to insert a lot of words to make it read but how Rashi learns if you will fulfill the mitzvahs that the ankle normally treads upon. It's a drusha. Here the Gur Aryeh elaborates how Rashi came to this conclusion and how Rashi sees that it's supposed to be for drusha and you have to learn the Pasek for drusha.

Speaker 1: 5:58

The Gourarie takes care of Ramban's question of now that it means the light mitzvos. That's what we're referring to here. Then why does the verse continue to elaborate and talk about the Mishpatim? Mishpatim means direct and strict, large commandments. It doesn't seem like the apostolic means to be talking about the healed, the treaded upon mitzvos. The Gourarie takes care of that and defends Rashi, and he proves why, even though Rashi always comes to find the most literal and simple translation. Why Ekev, meaning the heel and the mitzvos that you tread upon if you keep those, then you'll be blessed why this is the most clear, lucid and obvious translation of the words.

Speaker 1: 6:43

And now we move into step two. We understand the linguistic protuberance. We understand Rashi's words, how he makes sense of the awkwardly placed heel word in the Torah. But now we take a step back and ask two questions. A double-edged sword, a cherub? Why is it that the small mitzvos Are what bring To the bounty? Why, specifically the mitzvos that one treads upon With his heel? Why are they Uniquely the key to unlocking the brachos? And number two what are these mitzvos? Define them clearly. Don't we want to know what they are so that we can be sure not to tread upon them? Don't we want to know exactly which of the 613 of these mitzvahs are often an oversight Taken lightly, so that we can unlock the brachos, so that we can keep God's will in its entirety? So let us take step three, erevin Yodgimel Amadbez, and traverse on this slight detour through the Talmud.

Speaker 1: 8:05

A famous gemara, the rabbis, the sages. They taught the following For two and a half years, the house, the University of Shammai and the University of Hillel had a dispute Halalu omrim, noachlo, la'adam, shaloh, nivra, yoser, mishinivra, beishamai argued it would have been preferable had man not been created than to have been created. V'hal of Omrim and Hillel argued no man should have been created then to have not have been created A famous machlokas, not have been created A famous machlokas. Did we get the core end of the deal by being born. Is this proposition that we've all received to come here and wake up on this earth? Is it worth it? Did we win the lottery? Is it a positive thing or are we stuck here? Win the lottery Is it a positive thing or are we stuck here? Baisamai maintains we're stuck here and he continues to teach how we therefore should at least make the most of it. But Baisamai maintains no, it's much better, it's a gift that we've been given a soul, and we wake up with a beating heart and our crying lungs on the first day that we enter into planet Earth.

Speaker 1: 9:50

After the debate back and forth, the Gemara concludes Nimnu ve-Gamru, nimnu ve-Gamru. They counted and they concluded Noach lo la'adam shalom nevra. Yoser mishenevra. It is better for a person that he should not have been created, should not have been created, more than to have been created. Be-shabai is correct, we're stuck here. Achshav Shenevra. But now that we are here, now that we have been created, yifash v'shbemaisav. Yifash v'shbemaisav, check yourself, think, scrutinize, plan, evaluate to make the most of this life that you have been given against your will.

Speaker 1: 10:50

There are many questions on this. Gemara heard much of the shtickle Torah from the great G'oin, the genius, the Rav, the Posik, rabbi Radinsky, the Rosh Hashiva of Orruvain and Muncie. He said this about a couple of years ago, but he asked multiple questions on this, gemara, and he cited many of them from the Marsha. But there must be more to the story here, because life is the ultimate gift. It cannot be a simple argument about whether or not it's good to have been born. Of course it's good, or it doesn't even matter if it's good. The Torah talks in way of commandments To have children, to be fruitful and to multiply. Of course it's a beautiful thing. It's a commandment. Now that we've been born, we're following the will of Hashem. Could it possibly be that it's not a good thing? We're following the will of Hashem? Could it possibly be that it's not a good thing? Could we possibly understand that, with Judaism and all of our hashgafa, that the Torah would understand that life's a curse, that we're just stuck here? It can't be. We must look deeper and we must also ask what does it mean? Nimnu v'gumru? After back and forth, two and a half years of fighting Nimnu Vigomru, they counted and concluded. What did they count exactly that brought them to this Vigomru, this calculation, this conclusion, the Marsha.

Speaker 1: 12:16

You need to know who the Marsha is before we tell over his incredible upside on this Gemara. His name is Reb Shmuel Adels, known simply by all as the Marsha is, before we tell over his incredible pshad on this gemara. His name is Reb Shmuel Adels, known simply by all as the Marsha, a Polish rabbi and Talmudist whose chidushim on both halacha and agadah are found in every, nearly every single edition of Shas. He is an immutable commentator. He was a child prodigy. He entirely immersed himself in Torah. He became the Rav in Pozin, established a yeshiva there, was supported for 20 years by his mother-in-law, whose last name was Adel. Maybe his first name was Adel, her first name, but either way, adel is the last name that the Marsha took in honor of his mother-in-law, who paid very much for his learning.

Speaker 1: 13:05

The Marsha is Lundus, the Marsha is Ion's study and the Marsha, of course, was an active participant in the Vahd, ha'arbo, ha'aratzos, the Vahd, the council of the four lands. The Marsha explains the Gemara as follows let's get to the meat and potatoes. The machlokas about whether or not it's good to have been born into this world. That Bezhillah and Beishamai are arguing is a machlokas about. Well, how many mitzvot do we have that are positive, and how many commandments do we have that are negative? How many pitfalls can we run into and how many mitzvah opportunities do we have? Let's set the table Offense versus defense. The mashah explains that the fight was well, there's 248 positive mitzvot, we know that, and there are 365 negative commandments Nimnu v'gumru, nimnu v'gumru. The gemara concludes that they counted up.

Speaker 1: 14:04

The final say was the establishing of there's just too many possible minds to step on in this earth. There are too many ways to go awry, too many traps. It's a losing proposition. The scales just aren't balanced, with not enough mitzvahs to perform, we're stuck here. It's a dangerous place. That's what it means, nimnu. They counted v'gumru.

Speaker 1: 14:32

So what is the answer? What does it mean? Yefash v'shpemaisav? What do we do now that we are in a place, in a minefield, with so many places that we could go awry? Check yourself. The way we learn the Gemara means be careful not to step on a mine, be careful not to violate one of the negative commandments. Check yourself, scrutinize yourself, Be cautious so that you'll make the most of life. But that's not how the Baal Shem Tov explains the Gemara, that's not how the Kasaf Sofer explains the Gemara and that's not how Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky explains the Gemara.

Speaker 1: 15:13

We have to first famously cite how the Baal Shem Tov explains this to Gemara. It's a very root to so much of the ideologies and theologies, philosophies of Hasidim, and that Yefash Vesh B'maisav means that the Baal Shem Tov taught check all your actions and elevate all your actions. Make the simple things that aren't, aren't, aren't mitzvos, the simple things that aren't holiness, make them holy Like your glass of coffee in the morning. What am I saying? Glass of coffee, like your cup of coffee in the morning. Make that holy, make a loud bracha and sing it with simcha and dance to the davening, even though maybe it's not a mitzvah to go and walk somewhere, to take a stroll. But if it's all elevated and I'm not a master in Hasidic thought, but hopefully you can get the drift here that the way that the Baal Shem Tov is trying to preach to us in a way of elevating your fashmash b'maisav, way of elevating Yefash B'Shemim Maisov, that is all an effort and a cause trying to enable to tip the scale so that we have a chance down here, so that Yefash B'Shemim Maisov, we have enough schlussim and enough opportunities. But Ryab Yaakov Kamenetsky explains the Gemara differently.

Speaker 1: 16:32

Ryab Yaakov Kamenetsky, the prominent rabbi Rosh Yeshiva and post-exec, the leader of American Jewish communities after World War II. Born in Lithuania, studied in the renowned yeshivas of Slavodka and Lomza. He was well known for his sharp intellect and unwavering commitment to Torah study. He was a great Rav in Seattle. Do you know that? In Toronto, do you know that Eventually settled down to become the chief Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vedas in New York, along with a on his shoulders American Jewry it really was carried by Rabbi Yaakov and Rav Misha Feinstein. They showed us practical leadership, spiritual leadership, kindness, benevolence. Anyway, let's get to Rabbi Yaakov's Torah.

Speaker 1: 17:15

I went to go find the safer MS Lyakov to look up this idea. I didn't have the safer. I went to Keter Judaica and spoke to Rabbi Tucker downstairs, the superstar Sepharim aficionado in Talmud Chacham that deals the Sepharim downstairs in Keter Judaica in Lakewood. And we went down to the shelves to find the MS Lyakov. I looked up the Parsha and looked up Akiv to find the idea. I couldn't find it there. I went to the Gemara's in Erevin. The MS Lyakov on the shelf, the three volumes put out by Rabbi Neustadt, that's all the Torah of Rabbi Yakov Kamenetsky. We also couldn't find it there, so we'll have to call it the mysterious and curious case of the missing MSS Lyakov. But Rabbi Rudinsky reported that he heard this Vart from Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky's mouth, so you can take his word for it.

Speaker 1: 18:04

The way we understand the Gemara is after the Marshal shows us that the conflict of interest is between how many mitzvot and commandments that are positive and negative down here on this earth. Nimnu v'gomeru, is it worth it to be, or are the opportunities there for us, or are there too many pitfalls? How do we do this? Yefash b'shbim maisov, says Rebbe Yaakov, you gotta look deeply in the gray area. Yefash b'shbim maisov, notice all of the mitzvah opportunities that you will have that you don't think are necessarily part of a positive commandment To your friend in the morning Is not categorized as one of the mitzvos, but we know that is a very, very big mitzvah, a positive commandment indeed. To smile at your friend in the morning. Sages would command and personify how they would never walk in the streets and let anyone else smile or say good morning to them Before they said good morning first. That's a mitzvah. That's Yefash Bishbim Maisav. When you look deeply you find so many more opportunities. There are so many offshoots and branches to the 248 positive commandments that we are really after. Yefash Bishbim Maisav, we take to heart the Gemara's words check yourself for how many opportunities you have and search for how many great mitzvah branches you could come by. We're swamped in mitzvahs opportunities and of course it's the direction that we should take in this earth. We generally think that the mitzvahs hayoyim, like tzitzis, tefillin, lulav and kriyashema, are all of the practical applications of fulfilling God's will you open up your day With this Yefash Vesh B'mais of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky thinking cap on, you'll see that this world is a beautiful paradise that is all like a smorgasbord of mitzvot.

Speaker 1: 20:31

According to the Chovos HaLevavos, did you know getting dressed in the morning and commuting to work is a massive mitzvah? I believe that's chapter four of his magnum opus. That going to work supporting your family is a huge mitzvah Should come at no surprise. Somebody needs to pay the bills. God wants you to effectuate. Jewish souls in the world proliferate. Buy aliyahs from the shoal, buy svarim. Of course it's a mitzvah.

Speaker 1: 21:08

The Rambam maintains that it's one of the greatest forms of tzedakah that you could acquire. Is supporting your family Makes a lot of sense. The Rambam doesn't want somebody to take handouts for his Torah learning, but rather to have a job, and that's a great mitzvah. It may not be in any parasha, but we know that it's all part of how Chazal understand how God wants us to live. So it is a mitzvah and it is a branch on this Eitz Ha. It is a mitzvah and it is a branch, on this Eitz HaChayim, of mitzvah opportunities. How many blessings can you say? Literally, you can't go more than 30 minutes in your day if you are a normal, healthy, happy person, before you have another tremendous gray area mitzvah opportunity to make a bracha. And now let's take our next step, the fun step, and plugging it all back together.

Speaker 1: 22:07

Rebbe Yaakov applies this idea to the first Pesach of our Parsha and he applies it to Rashi V'hoya, ekev tishmun esam mishpot. Ema'ela says Rashi, what is ekev? It means the heel. If you listen to the mitzvot of those that people normally overlook, the way we understand Rashi is not the mitzvot that you disregard, that you don't give enough importance to. It's not referring to when you walk past the mezuzah or you have an opportunity to learn Torah that you shouldn't disregard that and don't consider it a light mitzvah, but take it very seriously. That's not what Rashi's saying. Rashi's saying those mitzvahs that you trample upon with your heel, those that you disregard, those that you overlook because they're between the lines, because you don't see them by the naked eye, because you won't find them in the parasha, but of course it's a mitzvah, but God forbid should you trample upon them. You're missing the opportunities To tip the scale. Keep reading the psukkim. You're missing the opportunities To tip the scale. Keep reading the psukkim To tip the scale in that now, applying the gemara in Erevin, that now the Torah is giving us more opportunities because we're listening to now the mitzvahs that we normally trample upon. So now we're tipping the scale towards more mitzvah opportunities and of course, we're going to get the blessing. The little ones are the small, little extra spoon-filling scoops that you're putting on top of your mitzvah heap. To tip the scale, the dosh ba'akev of you need the ones that are small, that you don't normally see and you won't find in the parasha. Those mitzvahvos are what unlock the blessings, because that's what tips the scale and makes your fashbish be myself and makes our opportunities outweigh the possible pitfalls in this world.

Speaker 1: 24:08

And what are these mitzvos? To define them clearly, they're all those mitzvos that are between the lines, all those mitzvos that you would consider to be heel-like mitzvahs, where they are offshoots, afterthoughts, things that you don't normally think about or things you won't read about in kriyashima, like going to work. Going to work, shouldn't that fire you up about your commute? It's tipping the scales for you, shouldn't that fire you up? The way that you negotiate, I'll be Torah, but you negotiate to win, so that you can succeed in your parnasa and livelihood pursuits. And now this holy mitzvah, this avodah ha-kodesh, just imagine taking advantage of the giving a blessing to the ani, to the impoverished, impoverished fellow, and not just giving him money, a smile.

Speaker 1: 25:17

All of these types of between the lines mitzvos, you know, living up the way that you know God commands you to Like that, those Ekev Tishmon, those you choose not to tread upon, instead to take advantage of those opportunities.

Speaker 1: 25:41

That's what tips the scale towards bracha.

Speaker 1: 25:44

So there you have it, our odd linguistic protuberance and understanding from Rashi, kind of going out of bounds of the regular understanding of the Ramban and Unkelis, applying the Gemara from Eirvin, seeing the Marsha, hearing the idea from the Baal Shem Tov foundational idea from the Baal Shem Tov, and our real Litvisha idea here about not overlooking mitzvos and nimnu v'gumru seeing between the lines, and now the whole pasuk becomes our symphonic Musser melody.

Speaker 1: 26:25

That v'hoyen, it will be eikev tishma'un esam ishpatim ha'eila. If it will be that eikev, that those mitzvos that you normally overlook and the mitzvos that are between the liness, that you normally overlook, and the mitzvahs that are between the lines and that you don't immediately associate with being a mitzvah, like going to get a job and going to pay the bills and smiling at your friend, and being a mensch. When you won't tread upon them with your heel bone, but rather you fulfill them, then of course, all the blessings start to flow right in. Don't overlook the possibilities and the opportunities of the mitzvahs between the lines. Do not tread upon what is there for the taking, but rather fill up your basket with Torah and mitzvos and those that sometimes you don't notice as mitzvos. Now take a moment to notice how they are avodah and they are mitzvos, and like that it should all be zocha. The blessings that are written here should all be applied to us.