Torah Portion of the Week

Eikev עקב

Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25

Parshat Eikev ('If you follow') is Moses' grand promise and warning about the land the Israelites are about to enter. If they keep God's commandments, they will be blessed with fertility, health, and victory over their enemies. Moses describes the land of Israel in lyrical detail — a land of wheat, barley, vines, figs, and pomegranates, of olive oil and honey, where bread will not be scarce and nothing will be lacking. He commands them to bless God after eating (the source of Birkat Hamazon, the Grace After Meals). He sternly warns against the arrogance of attributing their success to their own power — 'My strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth' — and reminds them at length of the Golden Calf, the broken tablets, the second set of tablets, and God's essential demand: 'What does the Lord your God ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.' The parsha contains the second paragraph of the Shema prayer, linking rainfall in the land to the observance of commandments.

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1 of 7

The Blessings of Obedience

ברכות השמיעה

Deuteronomy 7:12–8:10

Moses promises: 'If you hearken to these ordinances and observe and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the lovingkindness that He swore to your fathers. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you — He will bless the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your land, your grain, wine, and oil, the offspring of your cattle and flocks.' No one will be barren; God will remove all sickness and impose the diseases of Egypt on their enemies instead. He describes the land of Israel: 'A land of wheat, barley, grapevines, figs, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat bread without scarcity and lack nothing in it; a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper.' He then gives the command that becomes the basis for Birkat Hamazon: 'You shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.'

2 of 7

Warning Against Forgetting God

אזהרה מפני שכחת ה'

Deuteronomy 8:11–9:3

Moses warns: 'Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments. Lest when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and lived in them, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and all you have has prospered — lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.' The critical danger is self-attribution: 'You may say in your heart: My own power and the might of my own hand have won me this wealth. Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the strength to prosper.' If they forget and follow other gods, they will perish like the nations God is driving out before them. Moses then tells them: 'Know today that the Lord your God is the One who crosses over before you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you.'

3 of 7

Not by Your Righteousness — The Golden Calf

לא בצדקתך — חטא העגל

Deuteronomy 9:4–9:29

Moses demolishes any notion of entitlement: 'Do not say in your heart when the Lord drives them out before you: Because of my righteousness the Lord brought me in to possess this land. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of those nations, and because of the oath the Lord swore to your fathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Know that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord is giving you this good land, for you are a stiff-necked people.' He then recounts in painful detail the sin of the Golden Calf: his forty days and nights on the mountain, the two tablets of the covenant, God's fury — 'Let Me destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven' — Moses shattering the tablets, his second forty-day intercession, lying prostrate before God. He mentions their provocations at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaavah. Moses prayed: 'O Lord God, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your greatness... Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness, and their sin.'

4 of 7

The Second Tablets and the Ark

הלוחות השניים והארון

Deuteronomy 10:1–10:11

Moses recounts: 'At that time the Lord said to me: Carve two tablets of stone like the first and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke, and you shall place them in the ark.' Moses made an ark of acacia wood, carved two tablets, went up the mountain, and God wrote on the tablets — the same Ten Commandments He had spoken from the fire on the day of the assembly. Moses descended and placed the tablets in the ark. At that time God set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve Him, and to bless in His name — 'therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance.' Moses remained on the mountain another forty days and nights; God listened and agreed not to destroy the people. 'And the Lord said to me: Arise, go on the journey before the people, that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.'

5 of 7

What Does God Ask of You?

מה ה' אלהיך שואל מעמך

Deuteronomy 10:12–11:9

Moses distills the essence of the covenant: 'And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul — to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord which I am commanding you today, for your good.' He expounds on God's impartial justice: 'The Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who shows no partiality and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing — so you too shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.' He reminds them: 'Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.' He recalls God's mighty acts — the signs in Egypt, the swallowing of Dathan and Abiram — urging: 'Your own eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord.'

6 of 7

The Second Paragraph of the Shema

פרשה שנייה של שמע

Deuteronomy 11:10–11:21

Moses contrasts the Promised Land with Egypt: 'The land you are about to enter and possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot like a vegetable garden. The land you are crossing into to possess is a land of hills and valleys; it drinks water from the rain of heaven — a land the Lord your God looks after, on which the Lord your God always keeps His eye, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.' Then comes the second paragraph of the Shema, read daily in Jewish liturgy: 'If you will earnestly hearken to My commandments that I command you today — to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul — then I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early rain and the late rain, and you will gather your grain, wine, and oil.' But: 'Take care lest your heart be deceived and you turn aside and serve other gods — then the Lord's anger will flare against you and He will shut the heavens so there will be no rain, and the ground will not yield its produce.' The commandments of tefillin and mezuzah are reiterated: 'Place these words upon your heart... bind them as a sign on your hand... write them on the doorposts of your house.'

7 of 7

The Promise of the Land

הבטחת הארץ

Deuteronomy 11:22–11:25

Moses concludes with an expansive promise: 'If you will carefully observe all this commandment that I command you to do — to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him — then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness to the Lebanon, from the river — the River Euphrates — to the western sea shall be your territory. No man shall stand up against you; the Lord your God will lay the fear and the dread of you upon all the land on which you tread, as He has spoken to you.'

Prophetic Reading

Haftarah הפטרה

Isaiah 49:14–51:3

ישעיהו

Isaiah reassures Zion — 'The Lord has comforted His people' — the second of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation. God's faithfulness to His promises echoes Moses' reminder of God's covenant in the parsha.

Full Text

Parshat Eikev

Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25 · 111 verses

First Aliyah

ראשוןDeuteronomy 7:12–8:10

Chapter 7

פרק 7

Layout

Language

Layout

Language

12 וְהָיָה עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְשָׁמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ אֶֽת הַבְּרִית וְאֶת הַחֶסֶד אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ

13 וַאֲהֵבְךָ וּבֵרַכְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ וּבֵרַךְ פְּרִֽי בִטְנְךָ וּפְרִֽי אַדְמָתֶךָ דְּגָנְךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ שְׁגַר אֲלָפֶיךָ וְעַשְׁתְּרֹת צֹאנֶךָ עַל הָֽאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לָתֶת לָֽךְ

14 בָּרוּךְ תִּֽהְיֶה מִכׇּל הָעַמִּים לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ עָקָר וַֽעֲקָרָה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ

15 וְהֵסִיר יְהֹוָה מִמְּךָ כׇּל חֹלִי וְכׇל מַדְוֵי מִצְרַיִם הָרָעִים אֲשֶׁר יָדַעְתָּ לֹא יְשִׂימָם בָּךְ וּנְתָנָם בְּכׇל שֹׂנְאֶֽיךָ

16 וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת כׇּל הָֽעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ לֹא תָחוֹס עֵֽינְךָ עֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא תַעֲבֹד אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כִּֽי מוֹקֵשׁ הוּא לָֽךְ

17 כִּי תֹאמַר בִּלְבָבְךָ רַבִּים הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה מִמֶּנִּי אֵיכָה אוּכַל לְהוֹרִישָֽׁם

18 לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם זָכֹר תִּזְכֹּר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכׇל מִצְרָֽיִם

19 הַמַּסֹּת הַגְּדֹלֹת אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ וְהָאֹתֹת וְהַמֹּֽפְתִים וְהַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה וְהַזְּרֹעַ הַנְּטוּיָה אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִֽאֲךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כֵּֽן יַעֲשֶׂה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְכׇל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה יָרֵא מִפְּנֵיהֶֽם

20 וְגַם אֶת הַצִּרְעָה יְשַׁלַּח יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּם עַד אֲבֹד הַנִּשְׁאָרִים וְהַנִּסְתָּרִים מִפָּנֶֽיךָ

21 לֹא תַעֲרֹץ מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּֽי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּקִרְבֶּךָ אֵל גָּדוֹל וְנוֹרָֽא

22 וְנָשַׁל יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵל מִפָּנֶיךָ מְעַט מְעָט לֹא תוּכַל כַּלֹּתָם מַהֵר פֶּן תִּרְבֶּה עָלֶיךָ חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶֽה

23 וּנְתָנָם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָמָם מְהוּמָה גְדֹלָה עַד הִשָּׁמְדָֽם

24 וְנָתַן מַלְכֵיהֶם בְּיָדֶךָ וְהַאֲבַדְתָּ אֶת שְׁמָם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם לֹֽא יִתְיַצֵּב אִישׁ בְּפָנֶיךָ עַד הִשְׁמִֽדְךָ אֹתָֽם

25 פְּסִילֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ לֹֽא תַחְמֹד כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב עֲלֵיהֶם וְלָקַחְתָּ לָךְ פֶּן תִּוָּקֵשׁ בּוֹ כִּי תוֹעֲבַת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ הֽוּא

26 וְלֹא תָבִיא תֽוֹעֵבָה אֶל בֵּיתֶךָ וְהָיִיתָ חֵרֶם כָּמֹהוּ שַׁקֵּץ תְּשַׁקְּצֶנּוּ וְתַעֵב תְּֽתַעֲבֶנּוּ כִּי חֵרֶם הֽוּא

12 And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the ETERNAL your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers:

13 [God] will favor you and bless you and multiply you—blessing your issue from the womb and your produce from the soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land sworn to your fathers to be assigned to you.

14 You shall be blessed above all other peoples: there shall be no sterile male or female among you or among your livestock.

15 GOD will ward off from you all sickness—and will not bring upon you any of the dreadful diseases of Egypt, about which you know, but will inflict them upon all your enemies.

16 You shall destroy all the peoples that the ETERNAL your God delivers to you, showing them no pity. And you shall not worship their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

17 Should you say to yourselves, “These nations are more numerous than we; how can we dispossess them?”

18 You need have no fear of them. You have but to bear in mind what the ETERNAL your God did to Pharaoh and all the Egyptians:

19 The wondrous acts that you saw with your own eyes, the signs and the portents, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which the ETERNAL your God liberated you. Thus will the ETERNAL your God do to all the peoples you now fear.

20 The ETERNAL your God will also send a plague uncertain. 23.28 . against them, until those who are left in hiding perish before you.

21 Do not stand in dread of them, for the ETERNAL your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

22 The ETERNAL your God will dislodge those peoples before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them at once, else the wild beasts would multiply to your hurt.

23 The ETERNAL your God will deliver them up to you, throwing them into utter panic until they are wiped out.

24 Their kings will be delivered into your hand, and you shall obliterate their name from under the heavens; no one shall stand up to you, until you have wiped them out.

25 You shall consign the images of their gods to the fire; you shall not covet the silver and gold on them and keep it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared thereby; for that is abhorrent to the ETERNAL your God.

26 You must not bring an abhorrent thing into your house, or you will be proscribed like it; you must reject it as abominable and abhorrent, for it is proscribed.