The Heel of History

Eikev, the name of this week’s Torah portion from Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25 is sometimes translated as “because” or “as a consequence.”

Eikev can also be rendered simply as “heel.” which points to a Torah principle that there are no minor commandments.

Human frailty can lead us to view certain mitzvot as insignificant and therefore allow them to be trampled underfoot. Giving proper weight to every mitzvah is an idea embedded in the word eikev. This becomes apparent when we read the Ten Commandments as recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. These ten declarations are regarded as encompassing the principles of all 613 mitzvot.

According to the Baal HaTurim, the Ten Commandments contain 172 Hebrew words. The numerical value, or gematria, of eikev is also 172.

The word eikev also carries messianic connotations through the expression “the Heels of Moshiach,” referring to the final generation before the Redemption. That generation is compared to the heel of the foot, which is coarse and relatively insensitive.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, taught that just as the heel is the lowest part of the body, the expression hints that immediately before the coming of Moshiach, humanity’s spiritual condition may reach its lowest point.

Yet the heel also completes the body and carries it toward its destination.

Israel’s spiritual and historical connection to the Land is also reflected in the imagery of literally walking the land. Moses teaches that when the nation faithfully observes the mitzvot, it will remain secure in the Land, and HaShem will broaden its borders, as stated in Deuteronomy 11:24

“Every spot on which your foot treads shall be yours; your territory shall extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River—the Euphrates—to the Western Sea.”     

Moses also reminds the nation of the tangible goodness of the Land—goodness that can be fully experienced only by physically walking upon the earth of Eretz Yisrael and being sustained by the bounty of the Seven Species for which the Land of Israel is praised.

Each has also come to represent an aspect of Torah life:

• Wheat - nourishment of the soul through Torah.

• Barley - humility.

• Grapes - celebration.

• Figs - sweetness.

• The pomegranate - 613 mitzvot.

• Olives - light.

• Dates - endurance

The Seven Species are also linked to the future Redemption, as described in the Book of Amos:

“A time is coming—declares HaShem—when the plower shall meet the reaper, and the treader of grapes the one who holds the seed; when the mountains shall drip wine, and all the hills shall wave with grain.”   —Amos 9:13

The word eikev also takes us back to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Gan Eden. In its aftermath, HaShem tells the serpent:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they shall strike at your head, and you shall strike at their heel.” —Genesis 3:15

This enmity between the woman and the serpent may also call to mind the courageous women of Israel who repeatedly refused to become partners in national sin. According to our tradition, the women did not surrender their jewelry for the Golden Calf, did not join Korach’s rebellion, and did not accept the faithless report of the spies.

The connection to the heel becomes even more apparent when the letter yud is added to the word eikev, yielding the name Ya’akov. Like other names in the Torah, Ya’akov’s name reveals something of his destiny and character. He was born grasping the heel of his twin brother Esav, foreshadowing the struggle that would continue between them and their descendants.

Consider Ya’akov’s seemingly simple response in Genesis 33:14, when Esav proposes that they travel together:

“Let my lord go ahead of his servant, while I travel slowly.”

Rashi sees a prophetic dimension in Ya’akov’s concluding words: “until I come to my lord at Seir.” Ya’akov had no immediate intention of traveling to Seir. His words therefore point toward the future, when the descendants of Ya’akov will finally confront the power represented by Esav.

Esav and his descendants may seem to dominate nations, empires, and institutions. Ya’akov travels more slowly, carrying children, families, Torah, and to their destination.

The prophet Obadiah describes the end of that journey:

“Liberators shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esav, and the kingdom shall be HaShem’s.”

At the eikev—the heel and final edge of history—the dominion of Esav will end, and the sovereignty of HaShem will be revealed.