An Ancient Rebuke:
A Modern Application

Shabbat Ekev: Deuteronomy 7:2-11:25;
Isaiah 49:14-51:3.

I

e ce r
..ur nem.home.--Dedication
ceremony. Food. Rides. Games. Family festivities.

34

n this week's sedrah, we have wanted standards of behavior
Moshe rebuking his nation be- upon the general population. The
fore his death and before the less observant see the more ob-
conquest of the land of Canaan servant community as parasiti-
begins.
cally living off the toil and
The words of Moshe speak not sacrifices of the more observant
only to his generation, but con- population while attributing all
tinue to reverberate, sounding achievements to their own sanc-
an appeal in every generation, timonious behavior and rela-
particularly our own with the es- tionship to God. Other verses in
tablishment and maintenance this sedrah speak to these accu-
of the State of Israel. With all sations: "Do not say in your heart,
the successes of the state, some when the Lord your God dis-
of them seemingly
places your enemies
miraculous, there still
from before you, that 'it
persist many short-
is through my right-
comings.
eousness that the Lord
To my mind, the
brought me to inherit
most tragic failure of
this land' ... it is not
Israel is the apparent
through your right-
inability of Jews of dif-
eousness nor correct-
ferent religious posi-
ness of heart that you
tions to live in mutual
come to inherit the land
civility, understanding
... and you should know
and cooperation. The
that it is not through
polarization between
RABBI EL IEZER COHEN your righteousness
the more observant
that the Lord your God
SP ECIAL TO
and the less observant
gives you this good
THE JE WISH NEWS
continues to widen
land to inherit because
and breed even more
you are a stubborn na-
hatred.
tion. Remember that you angered
The favorite verses used by the the Lord your God in the wilder-
more observant to chastise the ness. That from the day you left
less observant come from Ekev: the land of Egypt until you have
"Be careful lest you forget the come to this place, you have been
Lord your God and keep not His rebels against the Lord"
commandments, judgements and (Deuteronomy 9:4-7).
rules ... Lest you eat and are sat-
The great medieval rabbi
isfied and build great houses and Rambam (Nachmonides 1194-
dwell therein and your cattle and 1270) discusses these very vers-
sheep increase and silver and es in his commentary on the
gold increase to you and there in- Torah: "After warning that you
crease to you all that you have.
should not think that 'my
And you become arrogant and strength and the power of my
forget the Lord your God ... and own hand did this for me,' rather
you say in your heart 'my you should know that the victors
strength and the power of my in war were given that strength
own hand has made for me all by God ... it returns to mention
this wealth"' (Deuteronomy 8:11- that you shouldn't think that God
17).
in His glory did all this for you
Moshe warns the Jewish peo- because of your righteousness ...
ple, about to enter the land of not that you are righteous in your
Canaan, that their eventual suc- deeds and not even because of a
cess is in large measure a result correct heart ... but because of the
of God's beneficence and the ful- promi8e to your forefathers do
fillment of His promise rather you inherit this land — because
than simply a result of their own your sins cannot destroy the gift
capable efforts.
that was given to your forefathers
The more observant accuse the with a promise."
less observant of an ungrateful
The Rambam explains that
arrogant sense of achievement God's love for the Jewish people
and an abandonment of God, His is enjoyed by the entire nation,
Torah and all that it means to be even the wicked, and it is ulti-
Jewish.
mately through the beneficence
On the other hand, the less ob- and mercy of God that we enjoy
servant accuse the more obser- that which we have. In fact, the —/
vant of arrogance in their Rambam in his addendum on the
attempt to impose their un- Sefer HaMitzvos (book of enu-
merating the commandments):
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of
"Perhaps it (the verse `Remem-
Congregation Or Chadash.