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Parashat Eikev â Erev Shabbat
Week 24-30 August 2019
Torah portion: Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14-51:3
Parashat Eikev consists of three speeches given by Moses as a farewell to the people of Israel, reminding them of Godâs Covenant with their ancestors to bring them to âa land flowing with milk and honeyâ. Their side of the Covenant was to obey and observe all the rules and precepts laid down for them. The three speeches are headed as follows in The Torah: A Womenâs Commentary. The first speech concerns the faithfulness of God and Israel to the covenant (7:12-8:20). In the second speech Moses addresses the principles of reverence: What does God demand of Israel? (9:1-10:22). The third speech concerns the entrance and eventual occupation of the land promised by the Lord, as a reward for obedience and observance. Moses also spells out what will happen if the people do not keep their side of the Covenant by disobedience and non-observance of rules (11:1-25). âGottwald summarizes the message of the Book of Deuteronomy in these words: âthe indivisible unity of one God for one people in one land observing one cultââ (Fox, 845).
The problem arising from Gottwaldâs statement is that the âindivisible unityâ of the three areas depends on the unity between one God and the one people which throughout the history of the Israelites is precarious from their side. How does the first speech point to this precariousness? âIf you heed these ordinances, by diligently observing them, the LORD your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors; he will love you, bless you, and multiply youâ (7:12-13a). Similarly, âIf you do forget the LORD your God and follow other gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD is destroying before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your Godâ (8:19-20).
In the second speech Moses calls to the people: âHear, O Israel!â (9:1) and reminds them of why God is faithful to them: âIt is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to occupy their land; but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you, in order to fulfill the promise that the LORD made on oath to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacobâ (9:5). Godâs continued faithfulness is demonstrated: âYour ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heavenâ (10:22).
In the third speech Moses shows the people how to keep the covenant with the Lord God: âYou shall love the LORD your God, therefore, and keep his charge, his decrees, his ordinances, and his commandments alwaysâ (11:1). The Lord promises to give to the people, âland that the LORD your God looks after. The eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the yearâ (11:12). Moses
assures the people of Godâs faithfulness and protection: âNo one will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you on all the land on which you set foot, as he promised youâ (11:25).
Reflection: The Haftarah from Isaiah 49:14-51:3 shows the cycle of the relationship of Israel with the Lord: they/we say: âThe LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me;â (49:14) while the Lord keeps telling them/ us: âEven these may forget, yet I will not forget youâ (49:15b). What is your experience of this in your relationship with God?
Bibliography: Eskenazi, T. C. Weiss, A.L. A Womenâs Commentary (New York: 2008); Fox, E. The Five Books of Moses (New York: 1997); NRSV translation of the Bible.
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