Ekev
Shining in the Dark Night
by Chava Lion
Ekev includes a discussion about the covenant of
circumcision. First, though, let’s look at what also seems to be central to the
parshah. It seems if we follow the mitzvot as God asks, we will receive
abundant blessings. Our wombs, our land, grain, wine, oil, our calves and lambs
will all be blessed. On the one hand, it seems almost too good to be true. And
on the other, it seems conditional. If God loves us, we wonder, why can’t He
love us if we don’t smite our enemies? Why can’t He love us if we even,
God forbid, pray to other gods? Does our most sacred construct need to be built
upon a scale of weights and judgments? It feels, in a way, like kindergarten.
Help clean up and you get a star.
Sometimes however there are things we do with obvious results. Press the button on the camera and get a snapshot. Smile and (hopefully) get a smile in return. Turn on the ignition and we’re on the road. Here’s a big one. Inhale and exhale. Breathe in and breathe out. All day and night we..our bodies… take part in this process. It seals our very existence on this earth. And while appreciating it every moment is hard, any attempt to go against it is absurd, and obviously, fatal.
Now, let’s look at the inhale and exhale of the soul. The inhale can be seen as God’s blessings. The exhale can be seen as the mitzvot. Inhale the blessings, exhale the mitzvot. Inhale, exhale. To appreciate this process every moment is hard given everything we do in a given day. To attempt to go against it though is absurd, and fatal for our souls.
So what do we do? How do we remember to allow our souls to inhale and exhale?
Well, in terms of the inhale we certainly get a wake-up call if we are out of breath or can’t catch it or find it or if we hold it too long. In other words we get that wake-up call when we can’t bring in love, really feel the love from God and His blessings. If life starts feeling routine or if a friend threatens to leave…these are wake-up calls. If the doctor says our blood pressure is too high…this is a wake-up call. We might want to change our thought process, slow down, feel the blessings all around us, breathe them in.
In terms of the exhale, the only wake-up call sometimes comes too late. We stop doing the mitzvot and our behavior can lack all boundaries. It can go chaotic. It goes into a downward spiral. One piece of gossip adds to another. One lie leads to another. Soon we aren’t exhaling the purity of the soul anymore but something dark.
Sometimes however there are things we do with obvious results. Press the button on the camera and get a snapshot. Smile and (hopefully) get a smile in return. Turn on the ignition and we’re on the road. Here’s a big one. Inhale and exhale. Breathe in and breathe out. All day and night we..our bodies… take part in this process. It seals our very existence on this earth. And while appreciating it every moment is hard, any attempt to go against it is absurd, and obviously, fatal.
Now, let’s look at the inhale and exhale of the soul. The inhale can be seen as God’s blessings. The exhale can be seen as the mitzvot. Inhale the blessings, exhale the mitzvot. Inhale, exhale. To appreciate this process every moment is hard given everything we do in a given day. To attempt to go against it though is absurd, and fatal for our souls.
So what do we do? How do we remember to allow our souls to inhale and exhale?
Well, in terms of the inhale we certainly get a wake-up call if we are out of breath or can’t catch it or find it or if we hold it too long. In other words we get that wake-up call when we can’t bring in love, really feel the love from God and His blessings. If life starts feeling routine or if a friend threatens to leave…these are wake-up calls. If the doctor says our blood pressure is too high…this is a wake-up call. We might want to change our thought process, slow down, feel the blessings all around us, breathe them in.
In terms of the exhale, the only wake-up call sometimes comes too late. We stop doing the mitzvot and our behavior can lack all boundaries. It can go chaotic. It goes into a downward spiral. One piece of gossip adds to another. One lie leads to another. Soon we aren’t exhaling the purity of the soul anymore but something dark.
We need therefore to seal the inhale/exhale of the soul,
make it real, natural. The way we can do this is through the symbol of our
heart. In short, we want to (metaphorically) cut any growth from our hearts
that is obstructing the soul breathe. As Rashi says we want to get rid of the
blockage. We want to circumcise the foreskin of our heart.
And this is what we read in 10:16: umaltem ayt awrlat levavkhem v’arp’khem lo takshu od. Circumcise the foreskin of your heart and do not remain so stubborn anymore.
There’s more. In terms of our physical breath, doctors say that what blocks it is dangerous or unhealthy. In terms of our spiritual breath rabbis of Talmud (Sukkah 52a) refer to the Evil Inclination. What blocks the heart is called evil by the Holy One (Gen 8:21). It’s called the Uncircumcised by Moses (Deut 10:16) the Unclean by King David (Psalm 51:12). The rabbis of Talmud say that the Evil Inclination has seven names, a number representing completion. Abbaye says the greater the man, the greater the Evil Inclination…and therefore (it seems) the greater the foreskin that needs to be circumcised.
In the end, therefore, the blessings flow if we act to cut away the enemy within us, the idol within us. This means we don’t jump to kill others. It means seeing that a blessing, by its very definition, is natural and that the mitzvot are necessary for the holy cycle to continue. The mitzvot are the work and the reflection of our same ability to receive love.
So may we take a deep breath. May we give food and clothing to those holding signs on the hot streets. May we feel. May we circumcise our hearts quickly and artfully, focus on the inhale and exhale as we funnel the light of Torah towards clear and concise actions that will create a world of peace for all people. May we walk in God's ways for God and allow ourselves to shine in the dark night.
And this is what we read in 10:16: umaltem ayt awrlat levavkhem v’arp’khem lo takshu od. Circumcise the foreskin of your heart and do not remain so stubborn anymore.
There’s more. In terms of our physical breath, doctors say that what blocks it is dangerous or unhealthy. In terms of our spiritual breath rabbis of Talmud (Sukkah 52a) refer to the Evil Inclination. What blocks the heart is called evil by the Holy One (Gen 8:21). It’s called the Uncircumcised by Moses (Deut 10:16) the Unclean by King David (Psalm 51:12). The rabbis of Talmud say that the Evil Inclination has seven names, a number representing completion. Abbaye says the greater the man, the greater the Evil Inclination…and therefore (it seems) the greater the foreskin that needs to be circumcised.
In the end, therefore, the blessings flow if we act to cut away the enemy within us, the idol within us. This means we don’t jump to kill others. It means seeing that a blessing, by its very definition, is natural and that the mitzvot are necessary for the holy cycle to continue. The mitzvot are the work and the reflection of our same ability to receive love.
So may we take a deep breath. May we give food and clothing to those holding signs on the hot streets. May we feel. May we circumcise our hearts quickly and artfully, focus on the inhale and exhale as we funnel the light of Torah towards clear and concise actions that will create a world of peace for all people. May we walk in God's ways for God and allow ourselves to shine in the dark night.
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