* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
1) This Shabbat we will be reading Parashat Eikev, the third parasha in the Book of Devarim.
2) This parasha continues Moshe Rabbeinu’s parting speech to the nation of Israel before his death. It is his final will and testament, not only to the people of that generation, but also to each and every one of us today.
3) The root word “ahav” —love—appears 42 times in the Torah, including 23 times in the Book of Devarim and 8 times in this week’s parasha. Moshe Rabbeinu asks us to keep the mitzvot with love, joy, and enthusiasm. We are asked to love God—“to walk in all His ways and to love Him.” But we are also told that God loves us: “Only your forefathers did the Lord cherish to love them.”
4) In last week’s parasha, we read the opening section of the “Shema,” and this week we will read the second paragraph, beginning with the phrase, “V’haya im shamoa”—“And it will be, if you obey the commandments that I command you this day.” This section underscores the concept of reward and punishment. It details the rewards that will come to those who observe Torah and mitzvot and the negative ramifications of turning away from God.
5) This week’s haftarah is the second in the series of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation that we read following Tisha B’Av, words that have given strength and hope to the Jewish people in all their tribulations throughout the generations. Here is just a taste of these magnificent verses of comfort: “For the Lord shall console Zion, He shall console all its ruins, and He shall makes its desert like a paradise and its wasteland like the garden of the Lord; gladness and joy shall abide there, thanksgiving and a voice of song.”
May we merit to see that day.
Shabbat Shalom.
פודקאסט לפרשת עקב באנגלית:
