וְהָיָה  עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם וְשָׁמַר ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ לְךָ אֶת־הַבְּרִית וְאֶת־הַחֶסֶד אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ׃

And the result will be when you will listen to all these laws and guard and perform them, that Hashem, your G-d, will guard for you the covenant and the kindness that he made an oath with your forefathers.

The Hebrew word eikev is translated here to mean result. It also means heel as in the heel of one’s foot. Rashi cites the following explanation as to what the Torah is alluding to by choosing to use eikev in this context–this word that means heel.

It means even the “lighter” commandments which people metaphorically tend to tread on with their heels (i.e. which people are inclined to treat lightly), you will listen to. There are mitzvot (or details of mitzvot) that people tend to deem insignificant. We are told that if we are meticulous to keep those mitzvot, Hashem will shower us with his kindness as a reward.

What kind of mitzvah would a person “tread upon with his heels”? The commentaries explain that this is referring to mitzvot that people think that there will be little reward for them. For example, people might think that the mitzvah of tzitzit doesn’t carry much reward because all you do is wear them. Therefore the Torah teaches us that for the fulfillment of every mitzvah, even the ones people deem insignificant, there will be reward in its fullest, which is the degree of reward promised to our forefathers.

Another example of a mitzvah that people might “tread upon” comes from Talmud Brachot 6b which mentions, “things that stand at the pinnacle of the world but which people treat lightly.” Rashi explains that this is referring to tefilah (prayer) that goes up to Heaven, the pinnacle of the world. Why would people treat prayer lightly? The Baal Shem tov explained that people pray with all their heart for something they need and not be answered. It appears then that prayer is an exercise in futility.

The truth is though that every sincere prayer never goes unanswered. Hashem knows what’s best for us and therefore he may respond to our prayers differently than what we may have requested. Sometimes we ask for ourselves and Hashem decides our prayers won’t help us but will help our children or grandchildren. Sometimes we ask for one thing but we’re answered for something else. This is why the Talmud calls prayer things that stand at the pinnacle of the world because that’s where our prayers reach and are heard. It’s just that we make one request and Hashem may respond in a different way.

I’d like to offer another explanation to “lighter” commandments which people tend to tread upon.

Let’s go back to Noah and all the animals he tended to in the Ark. It was non-stop feeding. As animals do, they let Noah know when they were hungry through growls, roars, and an assortment of other noises. The Midrash tells of one bird called Orsheina that remained silent. When Noah discovered this he asked the bird why it remained silent when it needed to eat. It responded that it would rather go hungry than add to Noah’s burdens. Noah was so touched that he blessed the bird with eternal life for its kindness and sensitivity.

The Orsheina was truly considerate. But why did it deserve such a special reward? Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser answered that in the Ark the animals were being animals- completely absorbed in themselves and demanding their needs. The Orsheina was bucking the tide. In an environment of self-centeredness it was being selfless. Practicing goodness when everyone else around you is just concerned with themselves is extremely difficult and therefore carries a much greater degree of merit and reward when done.

The importance of what the Orshiena did is metaphorically expressed in a halacha (law) found in the Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law). Before Shechita (ritual slaughter) can be performed, an animal has to be tested for broken limbs. Broken limbs is considered a sign of an internal fatal wound that renders the animal unkosher. The test is to allow it to walk or swim and if it does so properly it is considered to be of sound body. The swimming test is only valid if the animal swims against the current because even a lame and dying animal can be carried along with the flow.

The lesson here is that if in life you’re ready to buck the tide and swim against the current you’re spiritually healthy and truly able to live life. If you just follow the lead of others, life in its truest sense will just slip away.

When people tread on a mitzvah with their heels, this creates the same situation the Orsheina bird found itself in. If people are lax in the performance of a mitzvah or in its details that creates an environment of laxity towards that mitzvah. But if you buck the tide you will be handsomely rewarded for the extra effort involved in performing it.

It will show that you are truly alive!

Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak