Parashat Ekev : Comfort Before Teshuva

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Le'iluy nishmas ha'bachur Eliezer Osher ben Reb Yaakov — a very pure and special neshama that was taken from his dear family this week. He was a special young man. His whole life he had tremendous willpower and sincerity to do whatever he could; every tefillah was something special, and every word he said carried so much sincerity. May he be a meilitz yosher for his dear parents and for the whole family.

And le'iluy nishmas Reb Shlomo ben Reb Yitzchak.

We're reading Parashat Eikev this week, but I'd like to start with what we read at the end — the haftarah.

The Seven Haftarot of Consolation

This week we read the second of the seven haftarot of consolation, the ones we read from after Tisha B'Av until the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana. It begins with the words Vatomer Tzion azavani Hashem — Yerushalayim tells the navi, "Hashem has abandoned me."

I'd like to bring the beautiful words of the midrash on the meaning of these seven haftarot.

Last week we read Nachamu Nachamu — Hashem calls out to His prophets and says, "I beg of you, go to My people and comfort them. Tell them I'm going to come. Go, you, and tell them." This week, in the second haftarah, Am Yisrael answers: Vatomer Tzion azavani Hashem. Yerushalayim says, "I don't want to be comforted by the prophets. Hashem has abandoned me. I need a direct connection to Hashem now. I want to hear exactly what Hashem is saying to me."

So Hashem says, Hatishkach isha ulah — "Does a woman forget her child? You are My children; Anochi lo eshkachech, I will not forget you." Then come very interesting words: Miharu banayich — "Get all your children ready, and mehorsayich umachrivayich mimeich yeitzeu, those who destroy you, your worst enemies who are within you — and unfortunately we're seeing this today — get them out of you, make them leave, because I want to come and take you."

But then the prophets come back and tell Hashem, "We came to Yerushalayim, to Zion, but Zion said, 'We don't listen to you. Azavani Hashem — Hashem has forgotten us, abandoned us. There are so many tragedies. We don't want to hear words of comfort. We want to hear something more.'"

So the third haftarah begins with the words Aniya so'arah. Am Yisrael is compared to a poor woman who cannot be comforted. The prophets come back to Hashem and say, "We tried to speak to Yerushalayim, to Am Yisrael, but she doesn't want to accept our words of comfort."

So comes the fourth haftarah: Anochi Anochi hu menachemchem. Hashem comes directly to Am Yisrael and tells them, "I am the One who is going to comfort you." When Yerushalayim hears this, comes the fifth haftarah, Roni akarah — the woman who had no children, who was so unhappy, is now full of joy. She begins to rejoice because she realizes her children are coming back to her. Then comes the sixth haftarah, Kumi ori ki va oreich — Hashem says to Am Yisrael, "Wake up now, the great light of the geula is coming," and Yerushalayim feels the geula drawing closer and closer. And at the last, in the seventh haftarah, we say Sos asis baHashem — "Now I can truly rejoice with Hashem. I feel so connected." This is what we read before Rosh Hashana, as we begin the process of teshuva for the new year.

Why Comfort Comes Before Teshuva

I heard a very beautiful idea this week.

We first read three haftarot of destruction, punishment, and exile — the words of Yirmiyahu, which began Divrei Yirmiyahu and Shimu, "listen to my words," and the last of which was Chazon Yeshayahu. Right after that, for seven weeks we speak words of comfort. And then on the eighth week, the week before Yom Kippur, we read about the importance and the necessity of a true, sincere teshuva — Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha.

So we start with punishment and exile, we continue by describing the comfort of the future geula, and only at the very end do we speak about teshuva. The question is: shouldn't we speak about teshuva first? If we want to bring the geula, and we've had the punishment of exile, shouldn't we first speak about the importance of making teshuva, and only then begin speaking about geula?

I heard a very beautiful explanation. Often, when a person has been in a very difficult situation that has led him almost to despair, he doesn't know how to lift himself up. He can't envision himself making amends and becoming a better person, and because of all the distress he's been through, he sinks deeper and deeper into despair.

So what does Hashem say? Hashem says no. Because Hashem wants to bring us close to Him, through His great love He first says, "I want to comfort you. I want you to feel how much I love you." Hashem begins: Anochi Anochi Hashem hu menachemchem — "I want to comfort you. I want you to know how much I love you." And Am Yisrael answers with doubt: "Do You really love me, after everything I've done?" When the prophets come, the people say, "We don't know if Hashem really loves us. He's sending only you; He doesn't want to speak to us directly." So we see Hashem coming closer and closer, saying, "No — I am the One who wants to bring you back to Me. I want you to feel My love. I want you to reconnect. I want you to know it's in your hands to come closer to Me."

It's just like a father with a son who has drifted away and isn't close anymore. What does the father do to bring his son back? He shows him his love: "You should know how much I love you, how much I care for you." And when the son hears this, he'll do everything to please his father.

That's the process we're in now after Tisha B'Av. Since Tu B'Av we have forty-five days left. Feel the strength of My love, and then you'll understand that you can easily pull yourself up. "You know I love you, and you'll do everything to prove you're worthy of My love."

Why Seven Weeks of Comfort

You could ask: do we really need seven haftarot of nechama? We explained that the prophets come and come back, and there's a whole dialogue with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. But do we need to repeat it over and over — another nechama, and another, more words of comfort, how Yerushalayim will grow, how it will be rebuilt, how it will develop not only physically and geographically but with a spiritual thirst, lechu lamayim, that you'll go looking to quench, searching for Torah? These words of comfort often seem repetitive. Why seven? Why shiva d'nechemta?

Because when a child needs to be comforted, the mother or father won't say just one word — "hush, be quiet, everything will be fine" — and stop there. When we want to comfort a child and appease him, we repeat, again and again, another word and another word. You could say, logically, just say it once. But it's when the words are repeated, when they sink into the child's heart and he feels the love of his father and mother, that he's given the strength, and then he wants to reconnect more and more.

That's the purpose of shiva d'nechemta. We've had three difficult weeks where we spoke only about the churban, the galut, everything we've been through. But now we want to rebuild ourselves. We want to reconnect to Hashem more than ever. So we do it over seven weeks.

Look to Avraham and Sarah

In the last pasuk of this week's haftarah we find something very interesting. Yeshayahu says: if you really feel you're at the very bottom, in the worst possible situation — Habitu el tzur chutzavtem, look back at the rock from which you were hewn, el makevet bor nukartem, to the hollow of the pit from which you were dug — Habitu el Avraham avichem, look up to your forefather Avraham, and to Sarah.

Why does the navi say this? Yeshayahu is giving a very powerful message. Avraham and Sarah physically could not have children. Sarah could never bear a child; there was no natural way for her to bring a child into the world, and so Avraham couldn't have a child together with her. And yet — Habitu — even so, Avraham and Sarah never gave in to despair. Hashem had promised them, and they kept believing and trusting: "If Hashem promised, we'll have it." That's what Avraham Avinu himself said. There were times he may have been doubtful — he had Yishmael, and at one point he thought perhaps Eliezer would inherit him — but they never gave in to despair. We never see that they stopped trusting and davening to Hashem.

That's the message of Habitu: remember, in whatever situation you're in, lift yourself up. If Avraham and Sarah could build themselves up from a life that was far from easy, then you can certainly do it too.

"Vehaya Eikev Tishmaun" — The Meaning of Eikev

So if we now want to reconnect with Hashem in the strongest way possible, what does Moshe Rabbeinu tell us this week?

He says Vehaya. Vehaya is a term of joy — "and it shall be." There's a difference: Vayehi is a term that depicts sorrow, while Vehaya, referring to time in the past tense, is a moment of joy. So remember, life now can be very good.

And how will you make your life good? Vehaya eikev tishmaun. Rashi points out that this is a special word. Chazal wonder why the word eikev is used — a word that can mean "because," and can also mean "heel."

Rashi's first explanation: eikev refers to the mitzvot that a person tends to tread on with his heels — the ones that seem less important, that we tend to disregard. We think, perhaps it's not so important that I say this bracha carefully, word by word. Perhaps it's not so important that I daven at exactly the right time. There are mitzvot a person tramples underfoot. So Rashi says: what will bring blessing into your life is paying the same attention to those mitzvot you think are less important as to the great, fundamental ones. Be careful with the easy mitzvot and the difficult ones alike, because you can never know the consequence of a mitzvah, the reward Hashem has in store. We're not doing the mitzvah for the reward, but mitzvah goreret mitzvah — one mitzvah draws another — and a mitzvah you didn't think was important may bring you tremendous benefit.

Then Chazal give us many other explanations, taking the three letters of eikev — ayin, kuf, beit.

First: asei kevius — make your learning permanent. Your main value has to be Torah. If you dedicate your life to understanding that your priority is Torah, that will bring blessing into your life.

Another: kadesh atzmecha b'mutar lach — sanctify yourself even with what is permitted. Bring kedusha into your life. Try to do what is good, and avoid doing, looking at, or speaking about things that really aren't advisable, if you want to reconnect to Hashem.

Chazal also point out that the gematria of eikev is 172, which is the number in the Aseret Hadibrot. So if you want blessing in your life, remember you have to keep all of the Aseret Hadibrot.

And eikev, the heel — the lowest part of the body — is a symbol of humility. The Torah is telling us: if you want to bring blessing into your life, the greatest advice is to behave with humility. Don't be arrogant, don't be proud.

Three Pieces of Advice from Moshe Rabbeinu

Here are a few more points from the parasha, briefly.

Don't give in to fear. You're going to enter Eretz Yisrael — lo sira, do not give in to fear. You lived thirty-eight years in the desert and saw how Hakadosh Baruch Hu took care of you: He gave you the mann, gave you water, gave you the Ananei HaKavod, fought your wars. Hashem did everything for you. So never give in to fear. Yes, you're surrounded by enemies and difficulties, by worries about parnasa. Don't give in to fear — remember, Hashem can do everything for you.

Remember what really matters. Ki lo al halechem levado yichyeh ha'adam. In the midbar we lived on the mann, spiritual food, because the people had to be trained to know that the main value in life is Torah, not material wealth. That's why they received exactly what they needed and no more. Hashem sustained all their needs. Moshe Rabbeinu says: you're now going to enter Eretz Yisrael, and life will be different. You'll be busy; you'll become farmers, you'll have to bring in parnasa. But remember, lo al halechem levado — the material part of life is not the most important. Al kol motza pi Hashem — follow the words of Hashem, learn Torah. That's what will bring happiness into your life.

Say thank you. V'achalta v'savata u'veirachta es Hashem Elokecha — after you've eaten and feel satisfied and full, there's a mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon. This is one of the mitzvot d'Oraita, one of the taryag mitzvot, and that's why Am Yisrael would say it from inside the siddur, from inside the birkon, understanding the meaning of each word.

Birkat Hamazon and Its Five Parts

What is so fundamental about Birkat Hamazon? It's essentially an expression of gratitude. We thank Hashem for everything we have. Hashem gives us our means of living, and when we thank Him and realize everything comes from Him, this removes any feeling of pride or arrogance — because right afterward the Torah warns: when you come into Eretz Yisrael and everything goes easily and you're blessed, be careful, lest you say it is kochi v'otzem yadi, my own strength and the might of my hand, my wisdom, that made me wealthy and successful. Moshe Rabbeinu says: don't ever think that. On the contrary, thank Hashem for whatever you have.

There are five parts to Birkat Hamazon.

The first is Hazan — Hazan es ha'olam. We thank Hashem: just as You gave us everything in the desert, water and mann, so too You have mercy on the whole world and give every creature whatever it needs.

The second: after the general expression of gratitude, we give special thanks as Am Yisrael, because Hashem gave us Eretz Yisrael, a land that has been blessed with fruit. We see the great brachot of Eretz Yisrael today. When the goyim were in the land, nothing would grow, but when we live here and keep the Torah, the land is blessed. For that we say Nodeh lecha — we thank You for everything You give us, enough food for life.

The third bracha brings the pasuk we mentioned: V'achalta v'savata u'veirachta es Hashem Elokecha. We thank Hashem not only for our food but for the special blessings of Eretz Yisrael, saying al ha'aretz v'al hamazon. And once we've thanked for all that, we beg Hashem: Rachem na, have mercy on us. We ask Hashem to give us back the malchut, the kingdom of David HaMelech, because only David HaMelech will be able to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. So this is a special tefillah that Yerushalayim be rebuilt, ending with boneh Yerushalayim.

Then comes the bracha of Hatov v'Hameitiv. Since yesterday was Tu B'Av, let me remind you that this bracha — "You have done good, and You are constantly doing good for us" — was instituted after the nes of Beitar.

Sixty years after the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash, Bar Kochba rebelled against the Romans. Bar Kochba had tremendous potential. He was called Bar Kochba, "the son of the star," because Rabbi Akiva applied to him the pasuk Darach kochav mi'Yaakov, "a star shall come forth from Yaakov." He had the potential to save Am Yisrael and rebuild the Beit Hamikdash. But in the end Bar Kochba became so proud of his accomplishments that he gave in to kochi v'otzem yadi; he didn't feel he needed to daven to Hashem for help, and eventually that brought his downfall. His downfall led to the destruction of Beitar.

Chazal teach that the destruction of Beitar was even worse than the destruction of Yerushalayim, because so many people — millions — were killed there. The Romans, incensed by the rebellion, left all the corpses around the walls of Beitar for three years and wouldn't allow them to be buried. Consider the heat of Eretz Yisrael, and imagine millions of corpses stacked around the town, unable to be brought to burial. After three years the Romans finally allowed the Yehudim to come in and bury them. And when they came, they saw a tremendous miracle: the corpses had not decomposed. They were as fresh as the day they had died, fully intact, preserved completely — so that they could be buried according to halacha. That's the Hatov we remember in this bracha. It reminds us of the miracles Hashem constantly does, as we say b'chol yom vayom — every single day. Hu heitiv, Hu meitiv, Hu yeitiv — He did good in the past, He does good in the present, and He will do good in the future.

Eretz Yisrael and the Days of Teshuva

I'll come back to one last pasuk of the parasha, because we're getting closer to Elul and Rosh Hashana.

Eretz asher Hashem Elokecha doresh osah — a land that Hashem cares for, always. Einei Hashem Elokecha bah — Hashem's eyes are on this land, meireishit hashana v'ad acharit shana, from the beginning of the year to its end. I won't go into all the explanations on this pasuk. In meireishit hashana there's an aleph missing — we'll speak about that when we get closer to Rosh Hashana. But know this: Hashem decides on Rosh Hashana all that will happen throughout the year, to its very end.

That's what we have to remember. Everything is on the scale on Rosh Hashana. Now is the time to prepare ourselves for the days of teshuva, for the days of Elul. If we know that Hashem wants to comfort us and is waiting for us to come closer and reconnect fully to Him — now is the time to do it.

A Closing Story — The Minchat Yitzchak in Romania

I'd like to end with a story I read last week from Rav Elimelech Biderman, about the Minchat Yitzchak, who was the Rav of the Eidah HaChareidis in Yerushalayim about forty years ago.

In 1944 he was in Romania — he must have been a young man then — and he and a group of boys wanted to escape. They were told that if they reached Bucharest, they'd be able to board a ship that would take them to Eretz Yisrael. The Minchat Yitzchak writes that his brother-in-law got papers for him and five or six other boys, and they had to travel to Bucharest on a certain date to catch the boat to Palestine. It was extremely complicated and dangerous. They finally found a non-Jew who would smuggle them into Bucharest by car.

The morning they left, after a few hours the car broke down. The driver said, "I'm sorry, I'll have to repair it — it could take a few hours." They were terribly nervous, because the whole time trucks of soldiers were passing, and they were afraid they'd be caught any minute. It took the driver an entire day to repair the car, and they only set out again in the middle of the night. They reached Bucharest late the next day — and when they arrived at the harbor, they found that the boat had already left. They had the tickets, but the boat hadn't waited. It was gone.

They were desperate, broken. "Hashem, how could You do this to us? We arranged the tickets, we had everything."

Three or four days later, they heard that the boat had been attacked by the Germans and had struck a mine. All of its passengers had died.

He said: from that day on I understood that whatever happens in life, don't ever give in to despair, because what Hashem does is always for the best.

Have a wonderful Shabbos, and may we all merit to see a true nechama b'karov.