THE TORAH PORTION FOR 22 AV 5781 JULY 30-31, 2021
PARSHA
From ReformJudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/eikev
Ëkev (עֵקֶב – Hebrew for “[And if You] Obey {follow} [These Rules])
Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25
And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the Eternal your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers. – Deuteronomy 7:12
SUMMARY:
- Moses tells the Israelites that if they follow God’s laws, the nations who now dwell across the Jordan River will not harm them. (7:12–26)
- Moses reminds the people of the virtues of keeping God’s commandments. He also tells them that they will dispossess those who now live in the Land only because they are idolatrous, not because the Israelites are uncommonly virtuous. Thereupon, Moses reviews all of the trespasses of the Israelites against God. (8:1–10:11)
- Moses says that the Land of Israel will overflow with milk and honey if the people obey God’s commandments and teach them to their children. (10:12–11:25)
From Wikipedia.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eikev
The parashah tells of the blessings of obedience to God, the dangers of forgetting God, and directions for taking the Land of Israel. Moses recalls the making and re-making of the Tablets of Stone, the incident of the Golden Calf, Aaron‘s death, the Levites‘ duties, and exhortations to serve God.
The opening sentence of the Amidah prayer quotes Moses’s characterization of God in Deuteronomy 10:17 as “the great, the mighty, and the awesome [Ha’Ël hagadol hagibor v’hanora].”
HAFTARAH
The haftarah for the parashah is Isaiah 49:14–51:3. The haftarah is the second in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B’Av, leading up to Rosh Hashanah [which is now five weeks away. This year it begins the evening of Monday, September 6, 2021.]
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH
Ëkev – follow
We are now fully in and nearing the end of the second prologue (Ch. 5-11). As referred to in the last two weeks, most scholars say that the chapters following the second prologue are older than either of the second or first prologues. Here, too, this Parsha contains some differences from earlier versions in Torah, including “new details”.
In the triennial reading Deuteronomy 9:4-10:11. Moses tells the Israelites that they will dispossess those who now live in the Land only because the inhabitants are idolatrous, not because they themselves are virtuous, and in fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses reviews all the trespasses of the Israelites against God. They are labelled a “stiffnecked people” (עַם־קְשֵה־עֹרֶף ‘ãm-k’shëh-‘õref.)
In the making and re-making of the two tablets of stone, we learn Moses spent more than one 40-day and night period without bread and water, and laying prostrate. The retelling of the incident of the Golden Calf and its aftermath includes more information about Aaron and the disposal of the idol’s remains. And we find out that the place of Aaron’s death and burial is named Moserah.
REFLECTION – Listen
Too long to quote here, you may want to read the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sack’s take on Ëkev. He begins by discussing the verb “sh-m-a” found at least 92 times throughout Deuteronomy and which can be translated as “hearken”, “completely obey”, “pay attention to”, “heed”, “hear” as well as “to understand”. He points out:
“We often miss the significance of this word because of what I call the fallacy of translatability: the assumption that one language is fully translatable into another. We hear a word translated from one language to another and assume that it means the same in both. But often it doesn’t. Languages are only partially translatable into one another.”
At the end he states, “A leader is one who knows how to listen: to the unspoken cry of others and to the still, small voice of God.” How he arrives at that statement is worth reading. The whole article can be found at https://rabbisacks.org/eikev-5781/
PRAYERS
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:
FOR OUR COUNTRY p.516
THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.
O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.
FOR HEALING
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence especially against all minority communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
YAHRZEITS/ANYOS
We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.
This coming week, the 22nd through the 28th of Av, we lovingly remember:
Maria Dolores Advincula
Mother of TKH Member Ida Farmer
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.
TORAH STUDY AND SHAZOOM
Being a part of, contributing to and connecting with Temple Kol Hamidbar helps us fulfill our three-fold purpose as a Beit Tefillah (House of Prayer), a Beit Midrash (House of Study) and a Beit Knesset (House of Community).
We will meet as usual at the regular times for Torah Study and Shazoom this evening, Friday, July 30, 2021.
Zoom continues updating its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening:
Topic: Torah Study – Triennial Reading Deut. 9:4-10:11
Time: July 30, 2021 06:00 PM Arizona
and/or
Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service
Time: July 30, 2021 07:30 PM Arizona
To join the Torah Study and/or Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
Passcode: 4NrMk0
Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat!
-Ruben