Ekev: Constant Contact

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמֶּךָּ עָרִים גְּדֹלֹת וּבְצֻרֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם

לֹא תִהְיוּ סְבוּרִין כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר וִהְיִיתֶם חוֹטְאִים וְהָיִיתִי מְבַקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם רַחֲמִים

Parshas Ekev continues to relate the words of Moshe Rabbeinu as he stood ready to take leave of Klal Yisroel. Some of these Pessukim speak about the past, relating to the years in the Midbar. For example, Moshe speaks about the way we were sustained during those years, וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת־הַמָּן אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ, reminding us where our sustenance ultimately comes from. Further, Moshe refers to the Nissim that occurred daily, שִׂמְלָתְךָ לֹא בָלְתָה מֵעָלֶיךָ וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא בָצֵקָה זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, reminding us that during our time in the Midbar, the elements did not affect us.

Other Pessukim, however, are forward-looking, as Moshe speaks to Klal Yisroel about what awaits them as they move forward. One section focused on these ideas begins with the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן, as Moshe speaks about the beginning of the next phase in our nationhood. The Passuk continues, speaking about the purpose of crossing the Yarden and entering Eretz Yisroel: לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמֶּךָּ עָרִים גְּדֹלֹת וּבְצֻרֹת בַּשָּׁמָיִם. Immediately upon entering Eretz Yisroel, says Moshe, we will encounter great and mighty nations who inhabit well-fortified cities. As Moshe continues, he describes the inhabitants of these cities as עַם־גָּדוֹל וָרָם בְּנֵי עֲנָקִים, warning Bnei Yisroel that formidable opponents await them.

If one were to read these Pessukim on their own, there might be an assumption that Moshe spoke about these eventualities to put fear in the hearts of Bnei Yisroel—to ensure that they are adequately prepared for the travails that will befall them after crossing the Yarden. The next Passuk, however, dispels this notion: וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ הוּא־הָעֹבֵר לְפָנֶיךָ אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה הוּא יַשְׁמִידֵם וְהוּא יַכְנִיעֵם לְפָנֶיךָ. Moshe, in fact, reassures his beloved nation, promising that HKBH will stand before them as he had until then, dispatching their enemies with finality.

It seems that the purpose of these words was to comfort and calm Bnei Yisroel, to make their transition from the leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu a bit easier. If this is the case, however, there is a Medrash that we must understand.

The Medrash, on the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן tells us that Moshe Rabbeinu told Bnei Yisroel: כְּשֶׁתַּעַבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים יִתְחַדְּשׁוּ, when they crossed the Yarden, a new reality would take hold, לֹא תִהְיוּ סְבוּרִין כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר וִהְיִיתֶם חוֹטְאִים וְהָיִיתִי מְבַקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם רַחֲמִים. During the forty years in the Midbar, whenever there was a misstep on the part of Bnei Yisroel, the Teffilos of Moshe Rabbeinu were our lifeline. Whether at the time of the מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל , the חֵטְא הַמְּרַגְּלִים, or any of the other incidents during those years, Moshe would intercede of behalf of Klal Yisroel and they would be spared destruction. Now, said Moshe Rabbeinu, this would no longer be the case—he would no longer be there to be Mispallel on their behalf.

The Medrash continues, speaking at length about the Teffilos that Moshe Rabbeinu offered at the time of the מַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, and then concludes with the following Memra: כְּשֶׁבָּאוּ לַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן הִזְכִּיר לָהֶן כָּל מַה שֶּׁבִּקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיהֶן סָנֵגוֹרְיָא, שֶׁהָיָה סָבוּר שֶׁהֵם מְבַקְּשִׁים עָלָיו רַחֲמִים שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס עִמָּהֶם. When Bnei Yisroel came to cross the Yarden, Moshe Rabbeinu reminded them of the times that he had been Mispallel for them in the hopes that Bnei Yisroel would in turn be Mispallel for him so that he may enter Eretz Yisroel.

How can we understand this Medrash? Bnei Yisroel knew that Moshe Rabbeinu would not be entering Eretz Yisroel with them—why then would they assume that Moshe would be able to be Mispallel for them if they committed further missteps? Why did Moshe have to say כְּשֶׁתַּעַבְרוּ אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים יִתְחַדְּשׁוּ? Was this not obvious? What was his message to Klal Yisroel with these words?

The end of the Medrash is, in a way, even more difficult to understand. Moshe had been told by HKBH that he would not be Zoche to enter Eretz Yisroel, and as we see at the beginning of Parshas V’Eschanan, all the Teffilos he offered to reverse the Gezeirah were unsuccessful. Why, then, did he think the Teffilos of Bnei Yisroel would be effective? And, if it was the כֹּחַ הָרַבִּים that Moshe sought, why did he not ask Klal Yisroel to Daven for him? We cannot possibly imagine that Moshe Rabbeinu meant to hold the times that he saved Bnei Yisroel over them, and he was certainly not engaining in passive-aggressive behavior—we cannot project our human emotions onto the אִישׁ הָאֱלוֹקִים. Rather, we must assume that there was a reason that Moshe Rabbeinu chose to hint in this way, to see if Klal Yisroel would in fact be מְבַקְּשִׁים עָלָיו רַחֲמִים שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס עִמָּהֶם. What might that reason be? What was the intention of Moshe Rabbeinu conveyed by the Medrash?

Further, we must understand the reaction, or lack thereof, of Bnei Yisroel. If Moshe was, in fact, suggesting that they Daven on his behalf, why did they ignore this request? The Medrash brings another Memra that suggests that Bnei Yisroel didn’t understand Moshe’s intention with these words, שֶׁמָּא יָבִינוּ וִיבַקְּשׁוּ עָלָיו רַחֲמִים וְלֹא הָיוּ מְבִינִין, but the first Memra does not say that Bnei Yisroel didn’t understand. Why, then, were they not Mispallel on behalf of Moshe Rabbeinu?

How can we understand the events related by this Medrash?

Perhaps we can gain a new understanding into the intentions of Moshe Rabbeinu based on the way he introduced his words here: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן. The entire Sefer Devarim relates the words of Moshe Rabbeinu said to Bnei Yisroel at that time—why did he have to say שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל at this juncture? What do these words add?

On one hand, we can answer this question based on a Medrash found in the Pesikta Zutrasa: בְּשָׂכָר שָׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עוֹבֵר הַיּוֹם. The words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל are meant to hint that it is the Zechus of the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל that we say each day that allow us to enter Eretz Yisroel.

While this explains the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן, we must understand why these words were said here. Why did Moshe tell Bnei Yisroel that they are entering Eretz Yisroel in the Zechus of שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל as an introduction to the message he intended to give: לֹא תִהְיוּ סְבוּרִין כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר וִהְיִיתֶם חוֹטְאִים וְהָיִיתִי מְבַקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם רַחֲמִים? In what way are the two related? In all of Sefer Devarim there must have been other opportunities to tell Bnei Yisroel בְּשָׂכָר שָׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עוֹבֵר הַיּוֹם, why did Moshe Rabbeinu say this here?

The truth is that there is a Memra in the Medrash Rabba that addresses this words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן in a different way. The Medrash relates a Mashal of a king who married his wife using two precious gems, only for her to lose one. When that occurred, the king said: אִבַּדְתְּ אַחַת שִׁמְרִי אֶת הַשְּׁנִיָּה, exhorting her to keep a keen eye on the remaining jewel. The Medrash explains: כָּךְ קִדֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע, we too became connected to HKBH using two words, נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמַע, but one was lost, אִבְּדוּ אֶת נַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁעָשׂוּ אֶת הָעֵגֶל. Therefore, אָמַר לָהֶן משֶׁה אִבַּדְתֶּם נַעֲשֶׂה שִׁמְרוּ נִשְׁמַע. Moshe used the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל as a way of telling Bnei Yisroel to ensure that the נִשְׁמַע did not get lost.

This Medrash also explains the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל as used here, but leaves us with two important questions. First, why did Moshe add these words, with the message of אִבַּדְתֶּם נַעֲשֶׂה שִׁמְרוּ נִשְׁמַע here? In what way is this idea connected to the message that Moshe intended to relay, לֹא תִהְיוּ סְבוּרִין כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר וִהְיִיתֶם חוֹטְאִים וְהָיִיתִי מְבַקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיכֶם רַחֲמִים? Second, and perhaps even more pressing, how do we in fact live up to this demand? How are we to be שִׁמְרוּ נִשְׁמַע, as Moshe Rabbeinu instructed?

Perhaps, we can answer all these questions, and better understand the words of the Medrash, based on another occurance of the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל.

In Parshas Ki Savo, when Moshe describes the events that would occur on הַר גְּרִזִים and הַר עֵיבָל, he begins with the words הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַהּ׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ. The Gemara in Brachos asks what seems to be an obvious question on these words: וְכִי אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם נִתְּנָה תּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וַהֲלֹא אוֹתוֹ יוֹם סוֹף אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה הָיָה. The words הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַהּ׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ seem to indicate that we became the nation of HKBH on that day, which was at the end of the forty years in the Midbar, when in fact, as the Gemara points out, we had in fact become the עָם לַהּ׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ much earlier, at the time of מַתַּן תּוֹרָה. The Gemara answers: לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁחֲבִיבָה תּוֹרָה עַל לוֹמְדֶיהָ בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי. These words teach us that those learn Torah have a relationship with the Torah that makes every day akin to the יּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי.

The Arugas Habosem, in Parshas Devarim points out that Chazal seem to place a significant emphasis on a sense of הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת. For example, Rashi, in Parshas Ki Savo tells us בְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ חֲדָשִׁים, highlighting the need to see the Torah a with a sense of הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת. Similarly, the Gemara in Brachos praises the לוֹמְדֵי תּוֹרָה who relate to the Torah בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי. This, explains the Arugas Habosem, is appropriate as something new and novel is much more impactful than that which is tried and familiar. The edict issued by a newly crowned king is therefore much more impactful than one promulgated by a monarch who has long been in power—this is just part of human nature. This is why Chazal highlight the importance of הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת and seeing the Torah each day כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי.

If this is true, asks the Arugas Habosem, how are we to understand the very first Rema in Shulchan Aruch: שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד? If we place HBKH before us at all times and act as though we are before a king, as the Rema suggests, will it not become familiar? If we live each moment of our lives as though HKBH is before us, do we not risk losing the element of הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת? How are we to live by the dictate of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד and still maintain a relationship of הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַהּ׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ?

The Arugas Habosem explains that the answer lies in the difference between a human king and HKBH. A human has limitations—his power is limited by time and place, and he maintains a human condition regardless of his rank or authority. Those who are more familiar with the king are therefore more familiar with his limitations: they see his moments of humanity and those goals that he does not achieve. As a result, those who see the king more often are less likely to hold him in the same stature as those who do not. This is why the sheen wears off when it comes to human rulers: the more familiar we become with them, the lower our regard.

When it comes to HKBH, however, the opposite is true. There are no limitations when it comes to the מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, no time or place that His reign is not supreme and no moment that is not orchestrated with absolute perfection. As a result, a person’s relationship with HKBH is actually the opposite of one he might maintain with a מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וְדָם: the closer a person is to HKBH, the greater his recognition of the boundless nature of Hashgachas Hashem, and the limitless Hatava from which we all benefit.

The Arugas Habosem explains that the dictate of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד and the reality of בְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ חֲדָשִׁים therefore actually go hand in hand. If a person lives with HKBH every second of every day, then his recognition of HKBH will also grow every day, and he will therefore be able to live a life marked by a sense of הִתְחַדְּשׁוּת, reaching a level of חֲבִיבָה תּוֹרָה עַל לוֹמְדֶיהָ בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי.

With this in mind we can understand the Medrashim on the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן.

Moshe Rabbeinu wished to give Klal Yisroel a message: absent his leadership, they may feel helpless. If they were to make an error, if they were to commit a misstep, they may be lost. If Moshe Rabbeinu was not there to protect them, how might they survive? He therefore told them that things would be different, דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים יִתְחַדְּשׁוּ, and explained what would change with the words שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּן. Yes, they were to enter Eretz Yisroel, but there was a Zechus that allowed them to do so: בְּשָׂכָר שָׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה עוֹבֵר הַיּוֹם. The Zechus of שָׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל represents a constant connection to HKBH: בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ וּבְשׇׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ. No matter when, no matter what, we have the opportunity to place HKBH before us.

It is this Mitzvah that Moshe Rabbeinu referred to with the instruction of אִבַּדְתֶּם נַעֲשֶׂה שִׁמְרוּ נִשְׁמַע: by maintaining a constant connection to HKBH, living a life of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד, we will be counted among those who are referred to by Chazal with the words חֲבִיבָה תּוֹרָה עַל לוֹמְדֶיהָ בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם כַּיּוֹם שֶׁנִּתְּנָה מֵהַר סִינַי. Our recognition of HKBH will grow with each day, and we will lead lives of הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִהְיֵיתָ לְעָם לַהּ׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ.

If we can do so, Moshe Rabbeinu said, then we won’t need the interference of a leader; we will not need his Teffilos, because we will have the connection to HKBH that allows us to seek Rachmei Shamayim for ourselves. Indeed, דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים יִתְחַדְּשׁוּ.

Based on this, we can explain the end of the Medrash in a different light: Moshe was testing Klal Yisroel to see if they subsumed his message and had the confidence that they could lead lives of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד. If so, they would understand that they would not need the Tefilos of Moshe Rabbeinu, and would not be Mispallel that he lead them into Eretz Yisroel. In passing on this important lesson, Moshe taught us that we could stand on our own, that the דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים יִתְחַדְּשׁוּ would lead to an opportunity for us to lead lives of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד and reach the pinnacle of בְּכָל יוֹם יִהְיוּ בְעֵינֶיךָ חֲדָשִׁים.