Moshe Rabbeinu, the ever attentive and devoted shepherd, tries to prepare his beloved flock for entry into the Land of Israel. He reviews the events of the last forty years, reminds them of their successes, and cautions them against repeating their mistakes. Along the way, he sprinkles in meaningful pieces of life advice and direction.
And it will be, because you will heed these ordinances, 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)
Keep your commitment to the relationship with Hashem and He will reciprocate. 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 highlights that in our religious lives we have “big things” that we are attentive to and careful with and “small things” which unfortunately, we “trample” upon and may be less attentive to. Creating a comprehensive spiritual identity requires attentiveness to the “big and small” things in our Judaism.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov adds an additional layer of meaning. “Haynu she’tikashru es ha’Torah b’levavchem kol kach ad she’tishmau osah b’soch ha’akeyvim v’ha’raglin ….” One should bind the Torah to his heart to such a degree that he hears it in his heels and feet …”
The Rebbe is highlighting a beautiful and profound goal – Torah should not simply be something we perform, but rather, it should become part of the very essence of who we are. I want Torah to be part of my beating heart and the blood which flows through my veins. I do not want Torah and my relationship with Hashem to be relegated to a set of behaviors and actions, I want to feel it as part of who and what I am.
Perhaps, these two ideas are linked. The way to reach the Rebbe Nachman goal is through the method of Rashi. When we treat all parts of our Yiddishkeit with importance and try our best to bring full energy to all aspects of our relationship with Hashem, then we are zocheh (privileged) to feel our Torah, spirituality, and relationship with Hashem as part of who we are. The greater my commitment, the more I feel it as part of myself.
It is natural and normal to have religious hierarchy, the areas in which I am spiritually vigilant and others in which I am a bit more lackadaisical. If we can amplify our commitment and increase our spiritual diligence, then we will truly feel Hashem and His Torah in our hearts and heels.
