English translation — עקב א

A.

On “And it will be, because you will hearken” Rashi translates: “If the light commandments that a person treads with his heels you will hearken.”

The source of this explanation is in Midrash Tanchuma<sup>1</sup>,

but there the wording is: “light commandments that people do not pay attention to them but rather cast them under their heels”<sup>2</sup>.

One must understand: Granted, Rashi’s explanation “that a person <b>treads </b>with his heels” — that a person “steps” on the commandments

(is disdainful of them<sup>3</sup>)

— is understood how it is brought out from the word “eikev”,

for “treading” is done “with his heels”; but according to the explanation of the Midrash “that they cast them under their heels” is not smooth

(according to the plain meaning)

: what connection does this <b>casting away </b>of the commandments —

i.e.

not fulfilling them — have specifically to “under their heels”?

When one does not fulfill the light commandments,

it means,

that one casts them entirely away

(not only “under their heels”).

2.

Further it says in the Midrash,

that this is what King David says⁴

"Why should I fear in days of evil, the iniquity of my heels surrounds me": David says,

that he is not afraid "of the severe commandments of the Torah",

rather "of the light commandments,

lest I transgressed one of them, whether I did or did not, because it was light, and You said, 'Be careful with a light commandment as with a severe commandment.'"

It is not smooth: certainly King David was careful in all the commandments,

also in light commandments,

and as the Midrash brings <b>immediately here and in the continuation</b>⁵

to the aforementioned exposition,

that what King David says⁶

"Also Your servant is careful with them, <b>in keeping them there is great reward</b>",

it refers to the "light commandments"

(and "great <b>reward</b>" alludes,

as the Midrash continues,

on the verse⁷

"How great is Your goodness that You have hidden etc.'",

which is "the reward of light commandments")

- then <b>knowing</b> that "Your servant is careful with them" why does he say "I am afraid of the light commandments"⁸?

3.

Is the explanation in this:

The midrash does not speak about one who holds that one must, heaven forbid, not be careful in light commandments

(and all the more so not about one who degrades the commandments — he “tramples” on them).

Here one speaks about such a one who agrees that one must fulfill light commandments and strives to fulfill them,

only he is to them “casting them under the heel” — he puts off their fulfillment to later and still later — until after the “heel.”

He argues,

first he will see that "the head" - d.

h.

the matters of the most severe - should be in order; afterwards matters that are "close" to "the head",

commandments close to them in stringency etc.,

and only at the end will he think about matters of "eikev",

and what is even further: hiddurim,

beyond the letter of the law and the like⁹.

One cannot begin from the heel - he argues - there must be an <b>order</b>.

And according to the order one must first begin with absolutely necessary matters,

and as long as he is not finished completely with them,

he has nothing to think about regarding other matters and especially - of beyond the letter of the law,

matters of piety and the like.

When one comes to a Jew and demands from him Ahavas Yisrael,

that he should love

(even)

a Jew from whom he never had any benefit and even never saw¹⁰

—he argues,

why does one demand from him <b>such</b> a level in Ahavas Yisrael,

when he is not yet holding properly even in many simpler levels.

And the proof,

that even in relation to a Jew whom he knows and has had some benefit from,

he sometimes fails in "Ve'ahavta...

<b>Kamocha</b>" — although he does not suspect himself of,

G-d forbid — repaying evil for good!

So too,

why does one demand from him that he should keep the shiurei Chitas — learning every day the weekly portion <b>Ch</b>umash with Rashi's commentary,

saying every day the monthly portion in <b>T</b>ehillim and the daily portion in <b>T</b>anya — when he sometimes misses from the preceding matters of prayer!

His claim is: it is true that all these matters must indeed be fulfilled,

but &lt;b&gt;he &lt;/b&gt;is not yet at that point,

he must do and proceed with an order.

a span of time

(until it will become his habit - thirty days&lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt;)

- in essential matters that are in Shulchan Aruch,

say

(which the Men of the Great Assembly instituted)

and &lt;b&gt;afterwards &lt;/b&gt;- during the aforementioned time - additions after this until the Rema and afterwards a span of the aforementioned time in matters of the Rema and the later authorities,

and afterwards - he will begin from beyond the letter of the law,

a matter of Chassidus etc.

He does not give up on any thing, heaven forbid,

but everything must go with an order.

- One once spoke with someone about Ahavas Yisrael in the manner of lifnim mishuras hadin etc. - he says it is not an order.

And he has on this a ready parable*¹¹

: Someone goes in the street without shoes,

without a shirt etc. - but he wears on the neck a "tie"

(necktie)...

D.

Although that according to intellect - and also intellect of holiness¹²

- such a claim seemingly has a place,

but the truth and great principle is that service of G-d must begin with faith and acceptance of the yoke and not with a calculation according to intellect.

And from the side of faith and acceptance of the yoke,

he is <b>careful </b>

(not merely - fulfills)

with a light commandment as with a severe one - and also in the <b>carefulness </b>of the commandment it is with him with the entire fervor in a light commandment.

The point of all the commandments&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;

- commandment from the word connection and attachment&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;

- that through commandments one becomes bound with the Essence and Being of the Infinite One, blessed be He - is equal in all commandments,

without any distinction between severe commandments and light commandments,

"head" or "heel".

In this matter there is no place to think about an order&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;

of head with heel - whether it is a thing that was revealed by the Men of the Great Assembly or by a latter-day distinguished student of the latest ones - since he knows that with this he connects himself with the Essence and Being of the Infinite One, blessed be He.

The evil inclination, however, is an "artist"&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

in his craft - as the Rebbe used to call him: "the clever one" - he devised arranged arguments of "order",

and in order that it should be accepted he adapted parables etc.

One must know that this is the counsel of the evil inclination,

and the condition of receiving the Torah and Judaism is "we will do" <b>before</b> "we will hear,"

your mouths preceded your ears¹⁷

opposite of the order.

And further the prophet says¹⁸

"Who is blind but My servant" - regarding "<b>My servant</b>,"

one will say that he is "blind"¹⁹.

When someone argues that one must serve the Almighty with <b>order</b> like a <b>servant</b>

serves his master - not with intellect but with faith and acceptance of the yoke - one will say that thus behaves a blind person, G-d forbid.

According to intellect the order must be that one must begin with intellect and afterwards ...

one will see.

If intellect will investigate and inquire according to intellect and intellect will decide that intellect is not sufficient,

one will use faith.

But - <b>begin</b> with faith?

5.

The Rebbe the father-in-law told,

that when the children — the children of the Rebbe — were small,

they took for them a teacher.

The teacher held that to children one must not tell matters in Judaism of bewilderment — wonders that are not according to intellect,

matters of wonders that do not fit into intellect.

That is for adults who comprehend properly the matters that are according to intellect,

then they can absorb matters of wonders.

But with children this only bewilders the concept²⁰,

With them — held the teacher — one must speak only matters of Judaism that are according to intellect.

When the Rebbe

(the Maharash”b)

of blessed memory found out about this teacher’s method,

they immediately dismissed him.

One must <b>begin</b> specifically with faith and acceptance of the yoke and not with intellect; also the matters

The matters understood in intellect need to be done with kabbalah and avodah.

And so too in the matter of education: one needs to tell children matters of miracles,

which are above intellect,

this instills in them faith.

And the claims that this is not a proper order,

and for what need must one begin with matters that overwhelm the mind and the like — come from the evil inclination,

the old king &lt;b&gt;and the fool&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;.

6.

With this one will also understand what King David says "Why should I fear in days of evil, the iniquity of my heels surrounds me" — that his fear is from "the iniquity of my heels":

The fear of King David was

(Not that he is, heaven forbid, not careful in light commandments&lt;sup&gt;22&lt;/sup&gt;

- he knew that "Your servant is careful in them, in keeping them there is great reward"

(as above sec. 2)

- but)

from this,

that perhaps light commandments do not have by him the &lt;b&gt;same measure&lt;/b&gt; of force and carefulness as heavy commandments&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;.

He fulfills all commandments and with carefulness,

but perhaps the calculation and knowledge is,

that &lt;b&gt;this&lt;/b&gt; is a commandment that pertains to the "head",

and the commandment - to the "heel" - an influence on the attribute of carefulness and adornment -

It is not equal his &lt;b&gt;running&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt;and being careful&lt;/b&gt; in a light commandment as in a heavy one - and therefore "I have not done"

(because it was not as was proper for me to do),

and therefore "Why should I fear in days of evil, the iniquity of my heels surrounds me":

"In days of evil" refers to days of the conduct of nature,

that Jews are as one sheep among seventy wolves²⁵,

until even matters of livelihood are

(as the saying of our leaders²⁶)

a matter of "manna" above nature,

because from the aspect of the distress of the times etc. and especially in the time of exile,

livelihood comes

(in its fullness)

above the ways of nature.

And when a Jew makes calculations in Torah which is from heaven,

from head to foot,

and conducts himself according to this calculation and intellect,

in this measurement and limitation,

one conducts oneself with him G-d forbid from above also thus,

according to the measurement and limitation,

it becomes,

G-d forbid "in days of evil".

But when one does not make the aforementioned calculations,

he is only concerned that he should be connected with the Above,

with Atzmus U’Mahus Ein Sof Baruch Hu,

and consequently, the entire storm of mesiras nefesh and kabbolas ol of a servant and son to the Above is within him, whether he does a mitzvah that is connected with rosh,

whether — with eikev,

as long as it connects him with Atzmus U’Mahus Ein Sof Baruch Hu — then,

they conduct themselves with him also thus from Above.

And then he need not fear any thing.

Since he is connected with Atzmus U’Mahus Ein Sof Baruch Hu,

and the Above rules and dominates over everything,

including simply — the conduct of nature,

consequently, great is the shepherd who guards the sheep²⁷

and provides for her "in lush pastures He makes me lie down, beside still waters He leads me"²⁸,

with ample children, life, and sustenance to each and every one.

It is as he says in the parshah²⁹

: "And it will be, because you will listen" - "And it will be" is an expression of joy³⁰,

"Because - you will listen",

you will listen to the commandments of "because" exactly like the commandments of "head" - is "And the Lord your God will keep for you the covenant etc.'",

and all good influences are drawn forth³¹

which the verse enumerates - "And He will love you and bless you and multiply you etc.

Blessed will you be from all the peoples" -

And very soon "upon the land which He swore to your fathers to give you".

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Eikev 5711)