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Batyah's Blog | on
July, 26, 2013 | by
Ministry Team
Shalom mishpachah veh chaverim!
Our Torah portion this week is from D’varim/Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25 is (eh-kehv) Ekev, meaning “because” and also means “heel”. My first thought was, “Weird!!!” because my mind went to the back part of my foot, the heel, and it just didn’t seem to fit. When I started contemplating the word “because” and how it might tie in with “heel”, it began to fit. When something happens “because of” a situation, it could have happened as “a result of” a situation or “on the heel of” a situation. So now I can make some sense of it meaning “heel” also. Hope I didn’t make this as clear as mud to you!
This Parashah is a continuation of Moshe encouraging (Ahm Yis-rah-el) Am Yisra’el/people of Israel/ to not only keep Torah in their hearts but to obey the mitzvot which Yehovah, their God gave to them.
Chapter 7, verse 12 says “Because you are listening to these rulings, keeping and obeying them” or “. . . if you harken . . . observe and perform them” (depending on your translation). The word “harken”, as most of us know, comes from the Hebrew word Shema, which means to hear, to listen, to obey. It isn’t enough for us to just hear them. We must also listen to them and we must also obey them.
The word “keep” is from the Hebrew word (show-mehr) shomer, which means “to keep”, ”to guard”. We should guard these instructions and keep them from being profaned. These are not merely regulations for the Hebrews, but are directives for all peoples from our Heavenly Father and should be considered holy and treated as such. Remember, a mixed multitude came out of (Mitz-rah-yeem) Mitzrayim/Egypt! For that matter, Revelation 7:9 indicates there will be a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. Sounds like a mixed multitude in the last days as well! Also, Yirme’yahu/Jeremiah 16:14-15 tells us there will be a Greater Exodus in the last days. According to our Creator, the day will come when people will no longer talk about the exodus from Egypt but will, instead, expound on those who will be going to The Promised Land, in the End Times.
May we be diligently faithful to SHEMA the instructions from our loving Father as we prepare for the (ah-kha-reet hah-yah-meem) acharit-hayamim / the end of the days (the last days).
Shavuah tov, Batyah
