Parshas Eikev, Ikvesa DiMeshicha - the Time of 'Tishma'un' - Rabbi Asher Parkesh

00:00 There was the holy tzaddik Reb Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, the father of the Rebbe of Lubavitch. Chassidim used to call him Reb Levik, as chassidim often call a person by a familiar form of his name. He was an extraordinary genius, an outstanding Torah scholar, great in both the revealed and hidden dimensions of Torah. He was an important rabbi in Russia and led an entire city—a city that was by no means small; it was one of the largest cities in Ukraine. Yes, though in those days it was in Russia. He lived in Yekaterinoslav, as the city was then called; today it is called Dnepropetrovsk, a very large city in Ukraine. He was the rabbi of the entire district, the whole region. There were hundreds of thousands of Jews there. He carried out his work as rabbi with a firm hand. In every matter of reverence for Heaven, every matter of Torah, and everything connected with Torah, he led with a firm hand. He was intimidated by no one and stood with the utmost resolve. When the Communist regime came to power and issued decrees against Jewish life, he stood firm, with actual mesiras nefesh, so that every aspect of Jewish life in the community, great and small, would remain intact. For this he suffered terribly, until, during those years of hardship, the time came when the government—

01:45 arrested him and took him to prison. He was held in a very harsh prison for many months. There they interrogated him and subjected him to all kinds of terrible suffering and torment, because they wanted to extract information he had about other chassidim. Of course, he did not open his mouth or give them anything. For that they beat and whipped him, and he endured tremendous suffering while standing firm with mesiras nefesh. It is also told that they wanted to shave off his beard in prison. Yes, everyone brought in there was shaved immediately, and they wanted to shave his beard as well. He stood with the utmost resolve, with actual mesiras nefesh. They beat and whipped him, but he stood firm and said, “Under no circumstances will you touch the image of G-d.” Most astonishing of all, he succeeded in holding his ground. They saw that he stood with such resolve, such sincerity, and such mesiras nefesh that even those accursed KGB men left him alone and did not shave his beard. Afterward he was in exile, where he suffered terribly. Those were long, difficult years. He was in a—

03:12 village among non-Jews, surrounded by non-Jews, and living in hardship. He had to contend with all of this and stand firm with mesiras nefesh. Yes, in everything he faced in practice, his conduct and his actual mesiras nefesh were remarkable. Chassidim relate that when his very last moments came, G-d forbid, after all the hardships he had endured during those years, he was on his deathbed, close to the end. There were a few chassidim in that area, in a remote corner of Russia. They came to be with him as his soul was departing. He was already dying, and it was no longer possible to make out what he wanted to say. They sensed that he was trying to say something. One of the chassidim came closer and listened, and heard him say, “Your footsteps were not known.” It is a verse in Tehillim: “Your footsteps were not known.” “Your footsteps” alludes to ikvesa deMeshicha, the footsteps of Moshiach. And he said, “Ikvesa deMeshicha—ah, ikvesa deMeshicha. ‘Were not known’—we do not know, we cannot see the end of it.” In other words, his sense of loneliness and bitterness over the length of the exile and its suffering burst forth: ikvesa deMeshicha is a long period, and “were not known”—its end is not in sight.

04:46 Those were the last words heard from him before his passing. That was on 20 Menachem Av, [unclear], when he passed away. [unclear], this is Parshas Eikev. Ikvesa is connected with Parshas Eikev. The weekly parsha begins, “And it shall be, because you will heed.” The Torah says: “And it shall be, because you will heed these ordinances, and keep and do them, Hashem your G-d will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your fathers.” It then lists many wonderful blessings. There is a well-known question that all the commentators ask about this, and that is asked in the Midrashim as well: What does the word “eikev” mean? “Eikev” is not an ordinary word in this context. Seemingly, it should say, “And it shall be if you heed,” or “when you heed.” The wording “eikev you will heed” is quite unusual. Why is that? Why is the parsha called this, and why does Moshe Rabbeinu use the word “eikev” specifically? There are many Midrashim and many explanations of this; even Rashi addresses it. Rashi explains that “eikev” refers to things a person tramples under his heels: there are matters of Torah and mitzvos that people trample under their heels. We are being told to take care even with those things a person tramples under his heels—things people tread on, so to speak: “you will heed.” Through this, through “keeping and doing,” all these blessings come. And here, yes,

06:29 we need to understand what this means: What are the “things a person tramples under his heels”? How are they defined, and what is meant here? The verse is speaking about the reward for mitzvos in general. Why is it important to single out matters described as “eikev,” as “things a person tramples under his heels”? What is the explanation? But there is a wonderful interpretation of “And it shall be, because you will heed” in the sefer Or Hameir, written by Reb Wolf of Zhitomir. Reb Wolf of Zhitomir was among the great disciples of the holy Baal Shem Tov, the Maggid of Mezritch, and Reb Pinchas of Koritz. He was among the earliest, of the first generation of disciples of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid. His sefer Or Hameir contains wonderful teachings. In his discussion of the weekly parsha, he offers an interpretation of the verse: What does “And it shall be, because you will heed” mean? This interpretation is also brought in Or Hatorah of the Tzemach Tzedek. He asks: Why does it say “and it shall be”? Why not use the usual wording? And what do “eikev” and “you will heed” mean? He gives a wonderful interpretation: “Eikev” refers to ikvesa deMeshicha. As we discussed, ikvesa. “Eikev” refers to ikvesa deMeshicha, as it says in the Gemara at the end of Tractate Sotah and in the Gemara in Sanhedrin: ikvesa

07:58 deMeshicha. That is, the period before Moshiach’s coming is called ikvesa deMeshicha. It is the time of the heels, the end—like the heels in the literal sense, called piyetes. The heels are at the end of the body, the bottom of a person’s full height, the [unclear] part. Similarly, our generation, at the end of the exile, is called ikvesa deMeshicha. We can already begin to hear Moshiach’s footsteps. The verse is therefore saying: “And it shall be eikev”—when the time of “eikev,” the end of the exile, arrives, then “you will heed.” The Tzemach Tzedek explains “you will heed” as a statement of certainty. In other words, it is certain that at the end of the exile, Jews will heed Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The Tzemach Tzedek bases this on the Rambam’s words, which he quotes. The Rambam says in Hilchos Teshuvah: “The Torah has promised that ultimately the Jewish people will do teshuvah at the end of their exile, and immediately they will be redeemed.” The Torah promises that the Jewish people will ultimately do teshuvah: a time will come at the end of the exile, when the time for Moshiach’s arrival has come, and then “the Jewish people will do teshuvah at the end of their exile.” The Jews will certainly do teshuvah, “and immediately they will be redeemed”—the Geulah will come immediately. And the Rambam cites the verses. What do the verses say? “And you will return to Hashem your G-d, and Hashem”

09:41 “your G-d will return your captives and have mercy on you.” Before Moshiach comes, there will be a time of “and you will return to Hashem your G-d,” when the Jews will do teshuvah. Then there will be “and Hashem your G-d will return your captives”—Hakadosh Boruch Hu will take us out of exile. This, then, is the meaning, as the Tzemach Tzedek explains it, of “And it shall be, because you will heed.” The Torah does not say “if” or “when,” but speaks with certainty: at the time of “eikev,” in ikvesa deMeshicha, there will certainly be “you will heed.” “The Torah has promised”—the Torah has promised it, so it is certain: “The Jewish people will ultimately do teshuvah at the end of their exile, and immediately they will be redeemed.” In the merit of the teshuvah the Jews will do, we will leave this exile. Let us return to the maamar he cites. The maamar says that in this verse Moshe Rabbeinu gives the Jews words of guidance. Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Jews: When the end of the exile arrives, when you can hear and sense Moshiach’s approaching footsteps, when you hear the footsteps of the Geulah, Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Jews: “And it shall be eikev”—“The words ‘and it shall be’ always denote joy.” The joy of knowing that we are about to stand at the threshold of the complete Geulah, right at its doorway, must be immense. And that joy must be present at the time of “eikev”: when we are in ikvesa deMeshicha and know that Moshiach will soon be revealed, then “you will heed.” Strengthen yourselves, fulfill

11:15 Torah and mitzvos, devoted themselves to Hakadosh Boruch Hu and served Him. A Jew needs to know that “eikev tishme’un”—when we can already hear Moshiach’s voice, there must be “tishme’un”: he must awaken on his own. As he explains, we must not wait to be awakened from Above. There are times when an awakening from Above is needed. When the awakening comes from Above, it may sometimes not come through [unclear], when one is awakened [unclear]. About this, the verse says—Moshe Rabbeinu tells the Jews—“vehayah,” an expression of joy. When the time is already drawing near, when we can already feel the joy of the time of Geulah, of the Geulah, then “eikev,” the footsteps of Moshiach—“tishme’un.” The Jew devotes himself to Torah and mitzvos, obeying and listening to the word of Hashem. “Tishme’un”—“you shall listen and do.” A Jew must gather his strength and come to his senses, devoting himself to Yiddishkeit and to Torah and mitzvos with all his resolve and all his vitality, without waiting to be awakened from Above. That is the idea of Eikev, Parshas Eikev, the weekly parsha. With this, a very interesting question about the verses of the parsha can be resolved. At first glance, the parsha raises a question, as we will see when we study it: “And it will be, because

12:41 “you listen to these ordinances, and you observe and do them.” In other words, the Torah is speaking about a Jew who hears, who listens to the word of Hashem; “and you observe”—he takes care to keep it; “and do them”—he puts it into actual practice. The Torah is speaking [unclear]. Then the Torah continues: “Hashem your G-d will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu will keep His covenant, His kindness, and His oath. Seemingly, when is a covenant needed? When is kindness needed? When is an oath needed? Generally, a covenant, kindness, and an oath are three things that come from Above as a gift. A covenant means making a covenant. As explained in the sefarim, the Alter Rebbe explains that when two people make a covenant with each other, it means that come what may, their love will remain in full force and will never cease. That is the whole point of making a covenant: a bond in which each is devoted to the other in such a way that nothing can ever separate them. That is the idea of a covenant. So the question arises: what is the place of “He will keep the covenant” here? When is a covenant needed? When a Jew is not in a good state,

14:12 nevertheless, because of the covenant that Hakadosh Boruch Hu made with him. The same applies to kindness: even if he is not deserving, he receives from the attribute of kindness. And likewise with an oath: when a person swears an oath, it means that even if there are difficulties and all sorts of other things, he has sworn, and he must therefore keep his oath. When are a covenant, kindness, and an oath needed? When a Jew does not conduct himself as he should. When his conduct is not as it should be, then a covenant, kindness, and an oath are needed. Hakadosh Boruch Hu therefore need not take the person’s conduct into account; even though he is not deserving or worthy, he is still given what he needs because of the covenant, the kindness, and the oath. But the verse here says the opposite. It says, “Because you listen, and you observe and do”: if you listen, observe, and do, that is proper conduct. As the Tzemach Tzedek explains, this refers to thought, speech, and action. “You listen” is in thought; observing is with the mouth, as the Gemara says in Eruvin; and then “and do”—action. These are thought, speech, and action. Does someone need a covenant, kindness, and an oath for that? Surely then he is deserving and worthy, and is entitled to receive. What is the explanation? The meaning is this:

15:39 The Rebbe speaks at greater length in the sicha about the explanation in the teaching of the Tzemach Tzedek, of Rabbi Meir [unclear]. What is the explanation of “And it will be, because you listen” as stated here? This concerns a Jew’s conduct during the time of exile. As is well known, concerning exile in general we say in the Yom Tov prayers, “Because of our sins we were exiled from our land.” Jews went into exile. And when we go into exile, as the prayer continues, “we are unable to ascend, to see, and to bow down.” When the Beis Hamikdash stood, people saw G-dliness. Jews saw G-dliness in the Beis Hamikdash; they saw the ten miracles and saw openly that everything came from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It was a time of revealed G-dliness. Jews saw, understood, and felt it; all the faculties of the soul perceived [unclear]. And this led them to bow down, to devote themselves, to self-nullification. Jews were completely devoted to Hakadosh Boruch Hu because they saw G-dliness, heard G-dliness, and felt G-dliness. That was how it was when the Beis Hamikdash stood. But when the time of exile comes, we say, “We were exiled from our land and distanced from our soil, and we are unable to ascend, to see, and to bow down.” During exile, Jews are distant from G-dliness. There is concealment and obscurity, a darkness doubled and redoubled, darkness [unclear]. We do not see G-dliness or hear G-dliness. [unclear]. This is the time of the footsteps of Moshiach. It is a darkness

17:18 doubled and redoubled. A Jew does not have the same inner self-nullification that existed when the Beis Hamikdash stood. Nevertheless, precisely in this time, we see from all the stories—hundreds and thousands of stories about Jews throughout the generations, right up to our own generation—that when times and circumstances of doubled and redoubled darkness arise during exile, to the point that there is no revelation of G-dliness, no revelation through tzaddikim or great people, and no revelation of G-dliness in the world, it is precisely then that the power of mesirus nefesh among Jews is seen in its fullest measure. A Jew stands with the greatest devotion. He does not understand, see, or feel. On the contrary, he sees doubled and redoubled darkness. He sees concealments and obstacles in the world, [unclear]. Yet Jews stand with the greatest resolve in observing Torah and mitzvos. This is called “eikev.” And here lies the allusion in the word “eikev”: eikev also means “heels.” It is brought in Chassidus—the Rebbe Rashab discusses it in his maamarim—that when a person sees hot water, very hot water, it is very hard for him to put his head into it. But putting his feet into hot water is not so hard. A person can take his heels, his feet, and put them into hot water, and it does not [unclear]. Why? Because the feet are suited specifically to—

18:58 the foot, which corresponds to the lowest part of a person’s soul. A person’s heels, the Rebbe says, are the place with very little sensation. Precisely the heels can be put into hot, boiling, scalding water, and he will not feel it. Along these lines, he says regarding the generations: there were generations of tzaddikim, rabbis, great and holy people. And yet we see that precisely in these generations of ours, the last generations of exile, and increasingly as we approach the time of Geulah, precisely amid doubled and redoubled darkness, we can tangibly see the idea of the heel among Jews. How is the idea of the heels, the footsteps of Moshiach, expressed? What does the heel have? The power of mesirus nefesh to put a foot into hot water. Simple people, who are like heels, are not afraid to leap into fire and water, to devote themselves to Hakadosh Boruch Hu so as to observe Torah and mitzvos with actual mesirus nefesh. That is why the verse says, “And it will be, because you listen, and you observe and do.” When the observance of Torah and mitzvos is in the manner of eikev, in the manner of mesirus nefesh—not because of what he understands, sees, or feels. No; his service comes from absolute devotion, with mesirus nefesh, like the heels. He has strong feet, strong peyos, strong heels. And with those heels he devotes himself with mesirus nefesh in actual practice, serving Hakadosh Boruch Hu through practical action. Precisely then, he says, “Hashem your G-d will keep” is fulfilled—

20:43 “The covenant and the kindness which He swore.” What is this referring to? When a person’s service is guided by reason and understanding, by what he sees and comprehends—by the soul’s inner, limited faculties—the response from Above follows the same pattern. It, too, comes measure for measure. You give of your inner faculties, and you receive an influence from Above that is clothed in those faculties. It descends within limits, through contraction. But when there is an element of “heel,” when a person serves Hakadosh Boruch Hu from the heel within him—serving Him with self-sacrifice and in actual practice, without thinking about himself or his virtues—he gives himself over with kabbolas ol, self-sacrifice, and simple faith in Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It is precisely the heel, the service of the time of exile, that leads to “you will listen, and you will keep and do,” and “Hashem will keep for you the covenant and the kindness which He swore.” In other words, the influence from Above then comes without any calculation of limits. It is not measure for measure. It is a covenant, a kindness, an oath—a gift from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants Jews to receive everything through their own service, so that it will not be an unearned gift. As it is written, there is the concept of “bread of shame.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu does not want it to be bread of shame, for a Jew to receive something without having done anything for it. He wants Jews to receive these things with joy and gladness of heart, and to eat the fruit of their own labor. He himself has worked for it. When he receives it, it is the result of his efforts; his wish and hope is that it not be an unearned gift. He himself has worked, and so it—

22:21 becomes his own. And this is what the parsha says: “And it will be, because”—eikev, “heel.” When he is in the state of a heel, when he does not see, feel, or hear, his service is one of self-sacrifice in actual practice; it is service on the level of the heels. It is precisely the heel that leads to “you will listen, and you will keep and do”: from Above, he will be given the ability to receive everything as an influence from Above, like a gift. Everything will come in the form of a covenant, kindness, and an oath, beyond all limits, because he does not feel his own existence. He stands in a state of utter bittul. True, he has his own service in “because you will listen,” but not because he thinks he really deserves anything. He thinks nothing of himself. This is complete bittul. He stands on the level of the heels. And Hashem’s blessing enters him, with all the many blessings of the [unclear]. In light of all this, we can better understand the matter of the faculties, or what Rashi says: “the lighter mitzvos that a person tramples with his heels.” This does not mean that a person does not observe those mitzvos, G-d forbid. We are not speaking of wicked people or fools. Rashi does not mean that “tramples with his heels” means he steps on them and does not observe them. That is not the meaning. We are speaking of a Jew who observes Torah and mitzvos, every one of them, as he should. But when one starts making calculations, the fact is that there are mitzvos on the level of the head, mitzvos on the level of the heart, mitzvos associated with other parts of the body, and then the very lowest part, the heels, the very—

23:51 lowest part. And about this he says: Yes, that is exactly the point the parsha is telling us: “And it will be, because you will listen.” On the level of the heels—precisely the heels—service in the manner of the heels means not making calculations. It is not a matter of saying, “First I want to observe the more exalted mitzvos, then I’ll observe the other mitzvos, and after that I’ll do the things at the end, the last things that seem to me to be an extra stringency upon an extra stringency, a custom upon a custom. I’ll do those later.” That is not the way to serve. “Mitzvos that a person tramples with his heels.” In other words, [unclear], “When I finish all the important things, I’ll also do that thing that [unclear].” But that is not the way. At the end of the time of exile, when this is the period of the heels, a Jew must devote himself—devote himself deeply, with all his heart and soul—to actual service without any calculations. Even mitzvos that seem like mitzvos of the heels, outward mitzvos, simple things, things that seem lower—he does them with the same vitality, with kabbolas ol and self-sacrifice. He is devoted to the lighter mitzvos just as to the more stringent ones, without any limits. And then, from Above, there is a response measure for measure. When a person’s service is based on intellect and calculations—he considers this mitzvah important, that one not so important, this one can be put off, and that one can... He makes calculations—then calculations are made from Above as well.

25:21 Measure for measure. And when calculations are made, woe to us indeed. When a Jew gives himself over to Hakadosh Boruch Hu with self-sacrifice and kabbolas ol—“because you will listen”—then from Above, too, he is given without limits or calculations. Then the promise from Above is fulfilled: “Hashem your G-d will keep for you the covenant and the kindness which He swore to your forefathers.” And then, as the Gemara says, “One sheep among seventy wolves”—how is that possible? If we think that the seventy wolves are the ones who must save us, that it depends on the kindness of the nations of the world, and we place our hopes [unclear], take them into account, and [unclear] with them, then, may G-d have mercy, without Hakadosh Boruch Hu—if we think according to reason and live according to intellect—well, where can we turn for help? How could one sheep possibly survive among seventy wolves, according to reason? But when a Jew stands with self-sacrifice, and knows that this is the level of the heel, that the heel is the time of Moshiach, and that the heels must stand with the full strength of self-sacrifice, and that the heels themselves are the vessel that holds blessing—that is what keeps him from sinking low. And when they conduct themselves in the manner of the heel, with self-sacrifice and devotion, then from Above, too, Hakadosh Boruch Hu—“great is the Shepherd who guards her”—gives the Jews all the blessings written in the parsha: “He will love you and bless you and multiply you,” and all the verses that follow in the parsha. Yes, “the fear of you”...

26:44 “And the dread of you,” “No man shall stand before you”—that Jews should be secure throughout the world and in the Land of Israel, and stand with the full strength of their trust in Hashem. May we merit the revelation of Moshiach soon in our days, amen, and may all the blessings listed in the parsha be fulfilled in their full force, immediately. Amen, so may it be His will.