This is a translation of the Dvar Torah from the previous post which was written in Hebrew. As it's a translation it doesn't sound quite right in English. There's a lot that really needs a more expanded treatment in English. Hopefully, I'll get to do that eventually.
The Parsha begins:
And it shall be, the consequence (Eikev) of when you listen to these laws and keep and do them; Hashem, your G-d, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.
First of all, what is meant by the expression Eikev, which I have translated here as “consequence”? The Ibn Ezra explains that Eikev implies a reward that comes about in the end. Meaning, a reward that doesn’t come immediately, but only after the passage of time. That the reward does not come immediately is apparent from the utopian promises that one reads in the continuation of the Parasha—blessings of produce and progeny, and the complete removal of our enemies. These are blessings that, to our dismay, have still not fully materialized.
The question is, why? Why must it be that the reward for keeping the commandments will only come later—not immediately?
The Ralbag answers this question in his commentary to the second half of the verse. What does it mean when it says that “Hashem, your G-d, will keep (shamar) for you the covenant and kindness that he swore to your forefathers”? What is the meaning of “(shamar) keep”? According to the Ralbag, what’s implied by the word “keep” is to “wait.” Meaning, that as a reward for keeping the Torah, Hashem will wait to give the promised reward and keep it kept safe until the time that is most propitious.
Whenever the reward does come, there is a danger. With all the blessings of the land that they are coming to inherit and with all the success that is to follow, comes the chance of stumbling upon the thought that, “by my power and the strength of my hand this great success happened.” As the remedy to this danger Hashem gave us a powerful tool to combat this damaging thought—the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon (Grace After Meals).
Seemingly, the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon works as a reminder. We eat and we are satisfied and then we are commanded to remember the source of our blessing. In the Siddur of Rav Kook that his son, Rav Tzvi Yehuda edited, there is an amazing explanation of how the blessings of the Birkat Hamazon do not only remind us of the source of our blessing, but they also show the way to the fulfillment of the dream of Judaism as well as consolation for the disappointment we feel when that fulfillment is delayed.
I will do my best to summarize his comments with brevity. Rav Kook explains that in Judaism “the thread that weaves its way through all the paths of the Torah is the connection of the general to the particulars.” I believe what is meant is that the particulars—the more base and material things—are raised up to the general—to those matters that are more elevated and spiritual, which is the ultimate end. Like the ladder of Jacob, with its base on the ground and its top reaching up to the heavens.
How does this work in the case of Birkat Hamazon? Moshe instituted the first blessing when the manna fell for Bnei Yisrael. The primary goal in the giving of the manna (as well as the text of the first blessing) was to rectify their physical condition—to raise them up from the base animalistic pleasures to human beings who recognize the source of their blessing—“His great goodness.”
Yehoshua decreed the second blessing when they entered the Land. While the first blessing was centered on the sustenance of the individual body, the second blessing ascends one level to the sustenance of the “general body”—the nation—in the place where it can be sustained.
These first two blessings are like the first layer of bricks in a building. From here we ascend to the third blessing. David instituted the half of the blessing regarding “Israel your people and Jerusalem your city”—upon the founding of the city where the nation is joined together in its spiritual form. And Shlomo instituted the second half of the blessing “upon the great and holy Temple”—upon the building of the Temple wherein the highest goal of the nation is fulfilled—not only for them to know Hashem, but for all of the world, “so that all the nations of the earth know that Hashem is God, there is no other.”
Finally we get to the fourth blessing. “The good and the beneficient” was decreed in Yavneh, on account of the slain of Beitar—this, says Rav Kook, was instituted in opposition to the people becoming discouraged. How so? When a person compares our current lowly state with our lofty aspirations, discouragement is bound to follow.
“The good”—for they did not decompose; “the beneficient”—for they were given for burial.
When the hopes of the nation for national independence were lost with the conquering of Beitar, the forms of the slain were preserved—a sign to the generations that when we are downtrodden and without strength, there still remains within us our individual form.
And they were “given for burial”—a sign for the generations that we are confident that the spirit of our nation will be revived, similar to burial, which demonstrates that we have confidence in Hashem that He will preserve His faith to those who sleep in the dust when the dead are resurrected.
To summarize: when a person comes to sit at his table to eat and feels the satisfaction of the body, the Torah obligates one to contemplate one’s dependence on Hashem’s blessing. Then one ascends, level after level to see the fulfillment of the great mission of the nation—that all the nations of the world should know and bless the great name of G-d. And even though our hopes and dreams might only come to be fulfilled after an extended wait—Eikev—we should not be discouraged—for we are still capable and qualified, with G-d’s kindness, to give thanks to Hashem, who sustains the entire world with His goodness. This is both the start and the goal. As it is written at the end of the Hallel Hagadol:
He gives bread to all flesh—for his kindness endures forever.
Praise the God of the Heavens—for His kindness endures forever.
Comments