Eikev

📜 The Story

Moses keeps speaking to the Israelites before they enter the land. He tells them that if they keep the mitzvot (commandments) and follow God's ways, they will have blessing, health and peace in the Land of Israel. Again and again he reminds them to remember God, even when life is easy and good.

Moses reminds the people of their forty years in the desert. God fed them manna from heaven to teach them something important: people do not live on bread alone, but on everything that comes from God. Moses also reminds them of the golden calf and the broken tablets, and how he prayed for God to forgive the people until he received a second set of tablets.

This parsha has a paragraph many Jews say every day: 'V'haya im shamoa,' the second paragraph of the Shema. It teaches us to love God with all our heart, to wear tefillin, and to put a mezuzah on the doorposts of our homes.

Moses calls the Land of Israel a good land, with streams and springs, wheat and barley, grapes, figs and pomegranates, olive oil and honey. These are the famous seven species of the Land of Israel. Moses also says, 'You will eat and be full, and you will bless the Lord your God.' This is where the mitzvah to say Birkat Hamazon, the blessing after meals, comes from.

At the end of the parsha, Moses warns the people not to serve idols and not to forget God. If they stay on the right path, God will fight for them and help them take the land. Even when things are going well, we should stay humble and remember who gave us everything.