Ekev

Parasha Ekev

Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25

Please pray this

prayer before reading

Prayer

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parasha

That the Truth of Torah may

Come forth. Amen

This Torah Portion is the 46 portion in the Torah Cycle. Usually the word “Ekev” means heel. In fact, this word shares the same three root word as the name Jacob, who was born holding on to his brother heel.

However, in this forty-six reading, the third in Deuteronomy the word ekev means “on the heel of,” or “because of.”

It is used in the first verse of this portion, which says: “and it shall come to past, because you hearken to these ordinances and keep and do them, that יהוה your Elohim shall guard you with the covenant and the kindness which He swore to your fathers.” This portion of Deuteronomy describe the good things that will happen on the heel of believers who keep to the path of righteousness.

From a Kabbalistic standpoint, this portion is about the power of unity and, specifically, the understanding that even the greatest souls cannot do on their own what lessor souls can do if they have unity.

In order for an Assembly to be able to reveal great light, it is important that no one individual view him or her self, as more important than anyone else.  The smaller the ego, the greater the Light they will received. The person who view themselves as the least of the group is the one who is responsible for opening up the gate of blessing and abundance from Above.

This is true only when we assembly together for spiritual reasons. It is also true with family and with work. The gift of this Sabbath is the understanding that nothing in the world can bring as much blessing as that of unity.

The Torah uses the Hebrew Word ekev, which mean heel to indicate that our journey to perfection is strictly about the diminishment of the selfish ego. What every believer want to awaken on this Sabbath is not just another understanding of how important it is to diminish our ego; we also want to grasp the idea of being a heel, of being the lowest or been humble.

It is only someone who accomplish greater and greater diminishment of his ego who merit hearing the Word of the Creator, that is why we are told not to cast our pearls among swines.

The greatest spiritual decrement or secrets are found in the place that are least populated, the place where it is the quietest, where we are the least comfortable. This lesson applies to finding a teacher as much as it does to our spiritual life, but in both case, one sure sign that our spiritual journey is no the right track is its unpopularity. If our spiritual works is seen and applauded by everyone, that is the time to question our motive.

On the Sabbath of Ekev, we witness the power of unity, and we know that seeing ourselves as the weakest link in the chain allow us to be a conduit for the Light of the CREATOR. On this Sabbath we also should become aware that feeling, the faith of our soul, and the faith of our friends help to breakdown all the barriers our negative actions have erected between the Holy Spirit and ourselves.

All our spiritual life should be centered around the desire for the diminishment of our ego, and become the heel the lowest part of the body is the part that supports the whole body.

This Parashas continue with Moses encouragement to the nation, to trust in  יהוה in order to ensure their successful in conquest of the Land and the abundant blessing in every aspect of their lives.

He stress again and again that all vestiges of idolatry had to be eliminate from our life and the land, for idolatry is an investment in the selfish ego.

This chapter is broken down in the following area:

1. In general, that, if they would serve YAHVEH, HE would bless and prosper them verse 12–15.

2. In particular, that if they would drive out the nations, that they might not be a temptation to them, YAHVEH would drive them out, that they should not be any vexation to them verse 17.