Eikev by Yoram Raanan
This week in Parashah Eikev, Moses teaches and shares his Ethical Will. He admonishes us to live a full life and to do that we need to remember and embrace the precepts that have brought us to this time and place, the edge of the Promised Land. Moses’ is concerned that we are able to remain fully present in the moment and not become numbed by either the harshness of past experience or the privileged good life once in the Land.
Numbing acts as a shell. It is hard and impenetrable and it is indiscriminate. In difficult times, this shell protects us from pain and suffering, but it also keeps us from fully experiencing the good things that will also happen. And conversely, once we are in the Promised Land, we can develop an exterior of lethargy and apathy. Moses warns us to remain true to ourselves we must continually embrace our core values and principles.
Moses exhorts the people to “Circumcise your heart.” Peel back the layers of that ossified shell in order to make true feeling and connection possible once again by constantly reaffirming allegiance and adherence to Torah, the Way of God. As we read Moses’ words, perhaps the following subtext helps to understand what he says:
“As an old man, I look back on my life now that it draws to a close. I recall the excitement of my youth, the heroic call to purpose a vision of what might be if only we would follow our dreams. But along the way that youthful idealism and energy has been lost. And then somehow in a moment, I acted in a way that betrays the very thing I believed in (the incident at Meribah). Don’t make the mistake that I made. For although it is now too late for me until your final decree is set, you can reinvigorate yourself and remember what was. Older and wiser you can become rejuvenated.”
This might be Moses’ unspoken internal monologue as he urges the people to Circumcise their hearts. “I recall what it was like to be summoned to a mission of greatness and purpose remembering it is not for my glory, I am the vehicle. But I lost that somehow and when your thirst caused you to complain, my ego took over. I struck the rock and said I would give you water. At that moment I forgot it was my privilege to serve as the vehicle to bring you water and ultimately to a land of God’s promise and possibilities. I mistakenly came to believe it was my right. In doing this I forfeited the opportunity to lead you into the Land. It was necessary for someone new to serve as the leader of our people.”
So, as Moses might continue: “ I caution you as I look back and understand what happened to me not to do as I have done, to move from a place of privilege to a place of entitlement. Keep your hearts open, be fully present in the present. What you have done is important, but where you go from here is what will matter. Circumcise your hearts and stiffen your necks no more (Deut. 10:16).”Moses teaches the essence of Conversations for Life and Legacy. Moses’ self-reflection gives him a chance to review his life to understand its meaning; share blessings and caution his people with an intimate knowledge of their particular challenges; he continues to teach as the sage of his people. We watch Moses craft his Ethical Will, a document we revere even to this day.
