This week’s parashah “Ekev” – begins in last week’s reading – Dev 7:12. We
add this reading to our current reading for this week’s parashah.
Aliyah Rishon 7:12-8:11
Deu 7:12 “And it shall be, because (ekev)
you hear these right-rulings, and shall guard and do them, that יהוה
your Elohim shall guard with you the covenant and the kindness which He swore
to your fathers,”
יב וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן, אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה, וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם, אֹתָם--וְשָׁמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ, אֶת-הַבְּרִית וְאֶת-הַחֶסֶד, אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע, לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ.
Note the future tense of the words “it
shall be,” “ you will hear,”” you will guard,” “you will do,” then YHVH “will
guard” His covenant with you.
The word “eikev” used here in the text as
“because” is unusual (used about seven times in the Torah). The sages say much
about this unusual use of the conjunction “because” (a conjunction is a word
that joins together words, phrases or sentences)
Tzemach Tzeddek
(the 3rd Chabad Rebbe) sees it as a reference to ikvata d'meshichah, the
generation of "the heels of Moshiach" (the last generation of the
Exile is called "the heels of Moshiach" by our sages because: a) they
are the spiritually lowest generation, due to the "descent of the
generations"; b) it is the generation in which the footsteps of Moshiach
can already be heard). This is the generation that will "hearken to these
laws," as Maimonides writes: "The Torah has already promised that the
people of Israel will return to the Almighty at the end of their exile, and
will be immediately redeemed."
The first time the word “ekev” is used is
in Ber/ Gen 3:15 “And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel” (ekev).
This is clearly one of the first prophetic references we have of the coming
Messiah in the Torah. It appears that the kind of “walk” the Messiah would have
would crush the head of the enemy and the enemy would do everything in his
power to hinder that walk. This is true of the followers of Messiah to this
day. If we (jointly) walk as Messiah walked we will experience the blessing.
The
gematria of “ekev” (ayin, kuph, beit) is 172. The same number of words in the
10 sayings. If we reverse the letters of the word “eikev” we have the word
“beka” the weight of the nose ring for a bride as well as the sum required for
redemption of the ancient Israelites, the half shekel.
The Hebrew word used here for “hear” is
“tishme- oon” this is a Hebrew word used with an emphatic emphasis. We see this
same verb ending used with several verbs in this portion.
This is not just a casual hearing, it
implies a hearing that causes one to obey and do what you have heard with a
very serious intensity, in other words you really want to hear and respond in
obedience to what you have heard.
What must they hear (tishme oon)? The
Mishpatim or right rulings. Emphasis is on really, really hearing.
Deu 8:1 “Guard to do every command which I command
you today, that you might live, and shall increase, and go in, and shall
possess the land of which יהוה swore to your
fathers.
“Command” or “mitzvah” is singular in the above verse.
This implies that the commandments are to be obeyed one by one and we cannot
pick and choose what needs to be obeyed and what needs not be obeyed.
The Nazarene Talmud (New Testament) agrees with the use
of the singular when referring to the commandments.
Mat 15:3 But He answering, said to them, “Why do you
also transgress the command of Elohim1 because of your tradition?
Footnote: 1See Mat. 5:20.
Rom 7:12 So that the Torah truly is set-apart, and the
command set-apart, and righteous, and good.
The Torah was always meant
to be seen as one whole body of instruction to be wholly obeyed. Christianity
introduced distinctions such as ceremonial, civil and moral laws of the so
called Old Testament. In doing so they have conveniently chosen what it is
relevant and what is not relevant – see Matt 5:17-19.
Deu 8:2 “And you
shall remember that יהוה your Elohim
led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove
you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.
Deu 8:3 “And He
humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with manna which you did
not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by
bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of יהוה1. Footnote: 1Messiah quotes this in Mt. 4:4
and in Lk. 4:4.
That’s why Shaul says in:
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the esteem that is to be revealed in
us.
Rom 8:19 For the intense longing1 of the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. Footnote: 1Lit.
anxiously looking with outstretched head.
Rom 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility,
not from choice, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation,
Rom 8:21 that the creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage to corruption into the esteemed freedom of the
children of Elohim.
Rom 8:22 For we know that all the creation groans
together, and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only so, but even we ourselves who
have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we ourselves also groan within ourselves,
eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all matters work together
for good to those who love Elohim, to those who are called according to His
purpose.
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of the
Messiah? Shall pressure, or distress, or persecution, or scarcity of food, or
nakedness, or danger, or sword?
Rom 8:37 But in all this we are more than overcomers
through Him who loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor
life, nor messengers nor principalities nor powers, neither the present nor the
future,
Rom 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of Elohim which is in Messiah יהושע our Master.
We will only be able to overcome if our lives are built
on the “Rock” and that all things in our lives are dedicated to working to
bring us into complete trust and obedience to YHVH’S Torah as demonstrated on
earth by Messiah Yahshua our Master.
This entire Torah portion emphasizes once again the
absolute authority of the Torah in our lives. Sadly the church has emphasized
the absolute centrality of Yahshua in our lives WITHOUT THE TORAH. This is not
possible – YOU CANNOT SEPARATE YAHSHUA FROM THE TORAH. In fact Yahshua came to
the world as the Torah in the flesh.
Joh 1:14 And the Word(Torah) became flesh and pitched
His tent among us, and we saw His esteem, esteem as of an only brought-forth of
a father, complete in favour and truth.
Every other truth and doctrine of any religion that opposes this fact
will come to a complete end in these last days.
Jer 9:25 “See, the days are coming,” declares יהוה, “when I shall
punish all circumcised with the uncircumcised –
Jer 30:11 ‘For I am with you,’ declares יהוה, ‘to save you.
Though I make a complete end of all gentiles1 where I have scattered
you, yet I do not make a complete end of you. But I shall reprove you in
judgment, and by no means leave you unpunished.’ Footnote: 1See
46:28, Isa. 34:2, Isa. 45:17, Dan. 2:44, Amos 9:8, Hag. 2:22.
Jer 30:24 The burning displeasure of יהוה shall not turn
back until He has done and established the purposes of His heart. In the latter
days you shall understand it1. Footnote: 1See 23:20. –
translation adds “understand it perfectly” – in Hebrew – “titbonew’ is a
hitpael verb of the root “bin” implies that you yourself will understand for
yourself – used in both verses – 30:24 & 23:20. In fact this verb form is
only found in these two verses in the entire Tenach.
Dan 10:14 “And I have come to make you understand what
is to befall your people in the latter days. For the vision is yet for days to
come.”
Dan 12:1 …..And there shall be a
time of distress, such as never was since there was a nation, until that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written
in the book…(The Torah has been called the Book of Life)
Dan 12:7 ….And when they have ended scattering the
power of the set-apart people, then all these shall be completed.
End time prophecy can only be understood in the light of
a covenant people in complete obedience to all of the Torah.
Deu 8:4 “Your
garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Deu 8:5 “Thus you
shall know in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so יהוה your Elohim disciplines you,
Deu 8:6 therefore
you shall guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim,
to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
Deu 8:7 “For יהוה your Elohim is bringing you into a good land,
a land of streams of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys
and hills,
Deu 8:8 a land of
wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil
and honey,
and honey,
Deu 8:9 a land in
which you eat bread without scarcity, in which you do not lack at all, a land
whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you dig copper.
Deu 8:10 “And you
shall eat and be satisfied, and shall bless יהוה your Elohim
for the good land which He has given you.
Deu 8:11 “Be on
guard, lest you forget יהוה your Elohim by
not guarding His commands, and His right-rulings, and His laws which I command
you today,
Deu 8:12 lest you
eat and shall be satisfied, and build lovely houses and shall dwell in them,
Deu 8:13 and your
herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and your gold are increased,
and all that you have is increased,
Deu 8:14 that your
heart then becomes lifted up, and you forget יהוה your Elohim
who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage,
Deu 8:15 who led
you through that great and awesome wilderness – fiery serpents and scorpions
and thirst – where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty
rock,
Deu 8:16 who fed
you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, in order to
humble you and to try you, to do you good in the end,
Deu 8:17 you then
shall say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand have made for me
this wealth!’
Deu 8:18 “But you
shall remember יהוה your Elohim,
for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, in order to establish His
covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.
Deu 8:19 “And it
shall be, if you by any means forget יהוה your Elohim,
and follow other mighty ones, and serve them and bow yourself to them, I have
warned you this day that you shall certainly perish.
Deu 8:20 “Like the
nations which יהוה is destroying
before you, so you are to perish, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.
Conclusion:
Religion, including Christianity and Judaism has taught
us to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This has been our
natural inclination since Adam and Chavah (Eve). We have deceived ourselves to think
that that ha satan is not able to deceive us as well. The tree of the knowledge
of good and evil has taken us away from the tree of life – the Torah – and has
subtlety turned the truth on its head. Religion is very enticing and sounds like
the truth but in reality it nullifies the very essence of YHVH’s covenant with
Yisrael – it nullifies the very essence of His Oneness. For this reason total
annihilation will take place to all that opposes the real truth of YHVH.
Only a small remnant will preserve and be preserved by
His truth in the last days.
Eze 6:8 “But I shall leave a remnant, in that some of
you shall escape the sword among the gentiles, when you are scattered
throughout the lands.
Eze 6:9 “And those of you who escape shall remember
Me among the gentiles where they have been taken captive, because I have been
broken by their adulterous heart which has turned away from Me, and by their
eyes which whored after their idols. And they shall loathe themselves for the
evils which they have done in all their abominations.
Isa 10:22 For though your people, O Yisra’ĕl, be as the
sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return – a decisive end,
overflowing with righteousness.
Isa 10:23 For the Master יהוה of hosts is
making a complete end, as decided, in the midst of all the earth.
YHVH has a word for this remnant.
Isa 45:3 ‘And I shall give you the treasures of
darkness and hoarded wealth of secret places, so that you know that I, יהוה, who are
calling you by your name, am the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.
Isa 45:4 ‘For the sake of Yaʽaqoḇ My servant, and of
Yisra’ĕl My chosen, I also call you by your name, I give you a title, though
you have not known Me.
Isa 45:5 ‘I am יהוה, and there is
none else – there is no Elohim besides Me. I gird you, though you have not
known Me,
Isa 45:6 so that
they know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none but Me.
I am יהוה, and there is none else,
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu,
Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu.
Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting
life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn
Please
note these notes are under construction and are subject to correction and are
in no way a final authority on any subject