This past Shabbos we celebrated our daughter becoming a Bat Mitzvah. The following is the Torah and message components of the sermon I delivered in shul, with the personal parts removed.
"Parshas Eikev," the second installment – in terms of 'Parsha's in Devarim – of Moshe’s 21-chapters-long speech that covers most of the last book of the Torah, contains a lot of repetitive features. So much so, were I to be pushed to find themes in today’s Torah portion, I think they could be brought down to three major classifications.
1. The value of the observance of Mitzvos and what a true connection to Hashem could be
2. The stubbornness of the Bnei Yisrael and their need to work hard to counter it, a challenge which can be overcome through humility
3. A love of the land of Israel
In honor of our celebration in shul this morning, I will touch upon each of these subjects, and conclude with a message for our Bat Mitzvah.
VALUE OF OBSERVANCE
There are several passages that address the value of observance and what will come about from keeping the Mitzvos and following Hashem’s rules. One of the more famous of them is the passage we refer to as the second paragraph of Shema, which promises rain and produce, high yields and abundance.
Another passage which touches upon this is the opening verses of the Parsha, which contains the promises of prosperity, children, animals, being the most blessed of nations, and the fulfillment of the covenant and Chesed that God promised to His children.
Another passage is the one in which Moshe says
(יב) וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָה אֶת־יְקֹוָ֨ק אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכָל־ דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְקֹוָ֣ק אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ:
(יג) לִשְׁמֹ֞ר אֶת־מִצְוֹ֤ת יְקֹוָק֙ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לְט֖וֹב לָֽךְ:
Note how he concludes saying this is לטוב לך – it will be for your betterment. Alshikh explains that the ingredients of revering Hashem, walking in His ways, loving Him, serving Him and keeping His mitzvos properly can ONLY refine a human being into becoming the most wholesome person. Think of anyone we might imagine as being a true Tzaddik or Tzadekes, someone who has worked on themselves to such and extent that their existence is a fulfillment of all of this – do we need more proof that their existence is the embodiment of לטוב לך? Those who live by the Torah’s guidance are only personally enhanced.
Moving on to the...
STUBBORNNESS of the Bnei Yisrael and the Need to Work on It
Moshe tells the people several times of their being an עם קשה עורף, specifically with the Golden Calf, and also when he describes how the people might think that they inherited the land on account of their own merit, when he reminds them to have the humility to know that it is in the merit of the forefathers and certain promises, but not because they are necessarily deserving.
Two different messages are וזכרת את ה' כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשת חיל, and also ומלתם את ערלת לבבכם. The idea of opening the heart to let Hashem in, and to remember the plight of the widow, the orphan and the גר, the stranger we are commanded to love because we were strangers in Egypt – all that is attached to the phrase וערפכם לא תקשו עוד, not to harden the neck so you are unable to turn and see the plight of the other.
And finally, there is
A Love of the Land of Israel.
Whether it’s the promise of the land where you can fulfill ALL the Mitzvos, the description of the land as being filled with all kinds of rivers and riverbeds (though their being filled with water is dependent on our behavior), the focus on 7 Minim which include the 5 special fruits of the land, the idea that Hashem will easily clear out the land of its undeserving wicked inhabitants if only you are deserving, a land which has Hashem’s eyes upon it ALL THE TIME (יב) אֶ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְקֹוָ֥ק אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ דֹּרֵ֣שׁ אֹתָ֑הּ תָּמִ֗יד עֵינֵ֨י יְקֹוָ֤ק אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ בָּ֔הּ מֵֽרֵשִׁית֙ הַשָּׁנָ֔ה וְעַ֖ד אַחֲרִ֥ית שָׁנָֽה: ס - ALL THE TIME, because He has to determine whether we are worthy of being there.
These are important messages for you to take away from this Parsha in which your becoming Bat Mitzvah is being celebrated.
It is true that you didn’t prepare to lein a parsha, but you learned the Parsha.
It is true that you won’t be putting on Tefillin daily. But you can daven daily.
Moshe Rabbenu emphasizes in this parsha how he prayed to Hashem on behalf of Bnei Yisrael and was heard. And I believe that every Jew has that power. We may not be confronting God in the same way Moshe did, but we all have our needs, our concerns, and hopefully our prayers for others in mind when we pray.
But shul attendance and participation is actually a very SMALL part of Jewish life. The parsha introduces us to many categories of commandments, including Chukim, Mishpatim, Mitzvos. I know you’re aware of Torot, Avodot, and Edot – which round out the categories that R Shimshon Raphael Hirsch identifies, and these include proper observance of ALL the ways the Torah looks to round out our lives – לטוב לך – so it should be good for you.
He defines Torot as principles relating to mental and spiritual preparation for life. These include all the mitzvos of how we are to relate to Hashem, and how we relate, on a basic level, to our fellow man. Being compassionate, not listening to those who have a bad influence, judging people favorably.
He defines Edot as symbolic observances representing truths that form the basis of the life of the people of Israel, which includes the proper observance of Shabbos and every Yom Tov, and appreciating the symbolism in every ritual object or sign – whether its Matzah on pesach, the Sukkah and the 4 Minim on Sukkos, the Shofar on RH, Rosh Chodesh and the New Moon every month, the Mezuzah you encounter all the time, the mitzvah of Challah when you bake bread.
He defines Mishpatim as Declarations of Justice Towards Human beings, which include respecting people’s space, their bodies, their private property, not cheating in business, being honest, not flattering, or taking advantage of the weak of body or mind.
He defines Chukim as laws of righteousness towards beings subordinate to man, towards earth, plant, animal, one’s own body, mind, spirit and word. These include how we relate to animals, how we respect the body of a Jew, both in life and in death, recognizing that it is a vessel that houses a soul and should be elevated through our behavior to serving Hashem best. This includes being cognizant of what we wear, whether we do things to our body that are irreversible or injurious.
He defines Mitzvot as commandments of love, which include how we relate to our parents, how we relate to people older than us in general, who we marry, how we marry and also how to go about ending a marriage should that be necessary, the importance of Tzedakah and Gemilas Chasadim, having gratitude, and doing everything in our power to avoid the traps of idolatry or similar activities which take us away from that which we should be doing in showing our love for Hashem.
He defines Avodah as everything related to how we ritually serve, including the different kinds of davening at different times of year, daily davening, hearing the reading of the Torah and taking it to heart, responding to the parts of davening that require a minyan, such as Borchu, Kaddish, Kedusha.
All of this rounds out the Jew and makes for a meaningful and fulfilling life. And for all those who wish to know more, I would encourage the reading of Rav Hirsch’s book Horeb, and Judaism Eternal, and the ways he goes about showing his readers that life must be deliberately lived, with intention.
I don’t want to harp too much on the downsides of stubbornness and how humility can be a counter to it. At all ages we are faced with the challenge of thinking we know best, that there is nothing to learn from others, that our way is the best, that we cannot admit to mistakes, and that there is no need for improvement. Many people have a natural impediment to accepting criticism, even when it is meant to be constructive and coming from a place of love. The instruction of ומלתם את ערלת לבבכם provides the image that we have to uncover the barrier of our heart which prevents these improvements from getting in.
Finally, the emphasis on the land of Israel.
Understandably, Moshe was talking to a generation that was about to be going to the Land. I don’t know if he needed to sell them on the land, but he needed to let them know what kind of observance and grit they would need in order to survive, thrive, and benefit to STAY there.
We are blessed to live in a time when living in Israel has become a reality for so many people. You are blessed to have your grandparents and two cousin families living there, and I know you had such a great time visiting them earlier this year. And who knows where life will bring you? It’s not in the cards for everyone to go there – Diaspora Living is a reality of the Jewish people, as it has been for 2000 years. But your Bat Mitzvah parsha reminds you that in many ways your heart should be in Israel. To support Israel and the people living there, to be a spokesperson for Israel, and to love it even if you’re not living there, and to never throw off the possibility of ending up there at some stage in life.
You well know that this year has been a turbulent one for the Jewish people all over the world, especially in Israel. You have cousins in the IDF, so I know that Israel is on your mind, even at this young stage of your life.
The value of Mitzvos. The building of character. A love of the homeland of the Jewish people.
You have it in you to make these the guiding points of your life. We tend to see ritual such as davening and bentching and learning Torah. But I hope you see that those are tools to getting to the heart and core of what it means to be a Jew. You are in the middle of your family, so you are both a younger sister and an older sister. The older siblings help you build character, and the younger ones help you build a sense of responsibility. And a love of Israel and her people gives you a sense of being part of something much bigger and greater than the small confines of our community.
On behalf of everyone in this room, we all wish you the very best. We are confident that as you embrace this stage of responsibility in life you will rise to the occasion. And we bless you to become a tribute to your family and the Jewish people in becoming the best YOU that you can be.
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