Parashat Ekev~ Striving for the Moon

V’hayah eikev tish’m’un eit hamishpatim haeileh ush’martem va’asitem otam v’shamar A-donai Elohekha l’kha et habrit v’et hachesed asher nishba la’avotekha. Va’aheivkha uveira’kh’kha v’hirbekha uveirakh pri vit’n’kha u’fri admatekha d’gan’kha v’tir’sh’kha v’yitz’harekha shgar-alafekha v’ash’t’rot tzonekha al ha’adamah asher nishba la’avotekha latet lakh.

And it shall come to pass if you observe these ordinances, and keep and do them A-donai your God will keep the covenant with you and the mercy that [God] swore to your ancestors. And [God] will love you and bless you and multiply you, and [God] will bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land, and your wine and your oil, and the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock on the land, which [God] swore to your ancestors to give to you.

Throughout our history people have speculated about our relationship with God. As a people, we are the bride of God. We are the children of God. God is our judge. God is our saviour. God loves us and we are to love God. What we do not have is unconditional love. To most of us, God is omnipotent. God is benevolent, and God is omniscient. We expect a wholly loving God, one who knows all and cares for us. But the question is what does it mean to love us. Bride/groom, children/parent, judged/judge, saved/saviour, none of these relationships are unconditional. The important relationships in our lives are ones where actions matter.  In Judaism, faith alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by action. God’s love alone is not enough. It too much be accompanied by action.

In last week’s parasha, we read the Shema and V’ahavta. How are we to love God? We are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might. We show this by teaching our children. We show this by placing God’s word as a sign around us, both physically and spiritually- in time.  This sign reminds us to live a life with purpose, a life with direction. That direction emanates from God’s law. This week’s parasha tells us how God loves us. God shows us how He loves us through the blessings He provides. We are blessed in our longevity as a people, in our wealth, not the wealth of money, but rather, the wealth of sustenance as a people and our connection to the land of Israel.

Together, our love and God’s, represent the brit, the covenant we honour everyday. Like all meaningful relationships, this one takes effort and energy. Whether a marriage or a parent/child relationship, meaningful relationships take a 100% effort every day. We may not always hit as high as we want, but if we always aim for the stars, even when we miss we land on the moon. This is one more lesson our relationship with God teaches us daily.