Ekev

Sometimes, the Torah contains clues, and in this article, we'll examine one of them. 

In Parashat Ekev - וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃ - And if you obey these rules and observe them, your G-d will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers. 

The most interesting word here is Ekev, and besides the normal translation as a heel, there's an awesome secret hidden in it, that I would like to discuss. So, with your permission, let's delve into it!

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן - Vehaya Ekev Tishmeoun - When you will listen - there's lots of great promises made by Hashem. To unlock this sentence, we need to refer to another place. 

In Parashat Toldot, we are told the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah. The Midrash tells us that when Rivkah Imeinu was pregnant and passed by the synagogue, the child would be active, and if she passed by the place where the idol was worshipped, the child would be active again, as if it wanted to come out. She was worried—why her child would be so puzzled—drawn after holy and unholy. So, she went to inquire. 

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה׳ לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י (גיים) [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃ 
and Hashem answered her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two separate peoples shall issue from your body;
One people shall be mightier than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.” 

And so it was. When her time to give birth came, there were twins in her womb. 

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃ - The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. 
וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב׃ - Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob... 

Here, we learn that Hashem referred to Yaakov as the one holding onto  Eisav's heel. 

So, another way to read this pasuk we have started with would be not Vehaya Ekev Tishmeoun - When you will listen, but should be read as Vehaya Yaakov Tishmeoun - "When Yaakov will listen to these rules and observe them carefully, your G-d will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers." When the nation listens and follows the laws, Esav, the older brother, will serve Yaakov, the younger brother.

But let's go even further. Remember in Parashat Vayishlach 32:25-29, Yaakov Avinu went to get some jugs and was alone, and suddenly an angel jumped on him, and they fought. It was a long fight until the break of dawn. When the angel saw that he had not prevailed against him, he asked to be let go. Then the angel said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But Yaakov answered, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." Said the angel, "What is your name?" He replied, "Yaakov." 

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃ - Said the angel, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with beings divine and human, and have won." 

Yisrael means Yashar El - straight to Hashem; all the prayers go straight to Hashem, no longer with a delay or through an intermediary, as the one who is attached or very close to G-d. Before the fight with an Angel, Yaakov Avinu was just a prophet and a righteous married man - with four wives and 13 children, but after he won the battle with an angel and passed the hardships with people - that made him into a giant - a father of the tribes, and a forefather of the nation.

How can this all be applied to us and our everyday life?

When the child is born, that child stands at the level of Ekev or the Heel until the age of Bar Mitzvah. But once he has reached his 13th birthday and girls the age of 12, suddenly the neshama or soul changes, since now it has Yetzer Hara and Yetzer HaTov or Good and Bad Inclinations inside, and until the age of 120 there's a battle that goes on inside the person whether one should do good or evil. And since this inclination or Yetzer is part of his Divine Soul, this person, like Yaakov Avinu, battles with his exclusive and internal Divine Angel. Hashem puts him through many tests and situations until one day, he passes his tests, subdues his Yetzer Hara to total control, chooses to do good and not evil, and continues so for the rest of his life. This is when this person graduates from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael and becomes even closer to Hashem. 

Did you hear of Olam Habah or The Future World, the one that will start after Mashiach comes, which will be one long and the most enjoyable time ever? Any ideas on how to get the entry ticket to it? There's a pasuk that gives it away. Kol Yisrael Yesh Lahem Chelek Le Olam Habah - All Israel have a share in the World To Come - All Israel, which, by the way, doesn't mean Every Jew, only those Yaakovs that have graduated from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael. They have battled men - by halacha, and battled Divine - their Yetzer Hara, subdued it to the point where it was under their total control, embraced Torah and mitzvot for life, and thus graduated from the level Yaakov to the level Yisrael, and only then got their ticket to the World To Come. 

And since we've come this far, let me ask you this: Do you know why good people suffer and bad ones have it smooth and easy? 

Those who go through life without paying attention to the laws of the Torah always stay at the level of Yaakov. At this level, they get all their goodness here on this Earth but lose their entry ticket to the World To Come. 

But the righteous ones, who seem to suffer more than the others, are under strict supervision of the Almighty. Since He loves them and wants them to earn their passage into the Future World, and He wants them there next to Him. He tests them and creates unpleasant situations for them through other people who ought to be punished, puts them through trials and tribulations, so they learn to fight their Evil Inclination, and eventually, get it under their total control, and submit themselves to Hashem, to His laws, and Torah way of life. 

But I bet you hear this often: This is how I am; I have always been like that!! Most probably, I am a reincarnation of some person who battled it then, and I can't change this about myself now. 

So... little about reincarnations or the gilgulim. 

Some very high souls have few things to fix about themselves. For them, the transition from Yaakov level to Yisrael is easy and almost unnoticeable for others due to their environment, their targeted efforts, and their insatiable and burning desire to reach those heights.

But for the rest of us who have it tough and have plenty to change about ourselves… what do we do?

Many say Hashem loves you - they are not lying to you. He does since He has given you hardships. Because each hurdle makes the next one easier to overcome even though it hurts more than the last time, each hardship is a stepping stone that gets our Evil Inclination under control - slowly muting its voice and minimizing its importance. Slowly but surely, step by step, year after year, blow after blow, until we finally stand on our feet with Yetzer Hara under our full control. At that moment, the Divine becomes our life and calling. This is when we graduate from the level of Yaakov to the level of Yisrael, and we become very close to Hashem in this world, as His extension here on Earth with a guaranteed ticket to the Olam Habah. 

So, my friend, are you ready to battle your angel now?!! Challenge it; you won’t regret it!!

Shmuel Katanov