TORAH PORTION

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Avoid Going In Circles

Shabbat Ekev:
Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25;
Isaiah 49:14-51:3.

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and we are stepping on some-
obody move!
thing
valuable.
I lost a con-
This
idea can be further
tact! "
illustrated
with the following
"Hey! Watch where
metaphor.
you are going! There are
Our sages tell us that-the
little children around
Hebrew letter samech, whose
here! You may hurt
symbol is a circle, represents
someone!"
the evil force in the world.
Rabbi Avraham
"Look both ways
What is it about a circle that
S. Cohen
before you cross the
is emblematic of evil?
Special to the
street!"
The answer lies in the
Jewish News
These are a few of the
inherent difference between
many warnings that we
a circle and a square. When
issue when we are afraid
you would know the angle of even the
that our feet may be working without
smallest arc of a circle, you would be
our minds to guide them. It is impera-
able to project the exact dimensions
tive that we control where our feet take
of that circle. Just continue the line at
us or the results could be disastrous.
that angle and the two ends will meet.
This is one of the lessons in this
You would 'also know everything there
week's portion, Ekev.
is to know about the circle, since each
God promises , the Jewish people
piece
is identical to any other piece.
that "as a result of" our keeping His
A
square
however, is composed of
commandments, He will keep the
a
line
that
has
made four 90 degree
promise that He made to our forefa-
turns
at
just
the
right point. If you
thers, to bless us and to love us. The
had
continued
any
one of the lines in -
word used to express "as a result of"
the
direction
it
was
going, you would
is a peculiar word. It is the same word
not have a square. Important deci-
that means "heel" (As if to say "on the
sions were made at exactly the right
heels of").
moments to produce the square.
To clarify this, the commentaries
The circle says, "just continue the
explain that there is a hidden meaning
in the usage of this word. It is telling us course you are on; don't think about
change. Allow your -feet to take you
that if we keep even those command-
along the familiar pathways you have
ments that people tend to step on with
their heels; only then we will be worthy always walked upon. There is no need
to change your ways."
of the great blessing and love.
It is now, especially, that we need
It is as if the Torah is telling us,
to think about what changes we can
"Watch where you are going!" If you
make in our routine that will bring
don't pay attention to where your feet
us closer to ,our Creator. With those
are taking you, you may be stepping
small but sure steps that we take in
out into the path of an oncoming car,
the direction of Torah and mitzvot,
or you may hurt a child or step on
may we merit the redemption of our
something very valuable.
people from all its troubles, speedily
When we look at the magnificent .
in our day. ❑
world around us, we observe how
perfectly balanced God made it; and
Conversations
we realize that there is not one thing
Why are so many of the injunctions
in this world that doesn't perform an
to
us accompanied by the reminder
important task.
that we were strangers in the land
It goes without saying that if in the
of Egypt? Isn't not oppressing the
physical world there is such precision,
stranger enough because it is the
in the spiritual world all the more so.
moral thing to do?
This being the case, when there are
613 mitzvot, every single one of them
is important. There_ is no mitzvah
Avraham S. Cohen is director of the
about which we can say, "this isn't
Jean and Theodore Weiss Partners
in Torah program at Yeshiva Beth
important." If we do so, we are letting
Yehudah, Southfield.
our feet take us where they want to,

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August 10 s 2006

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