WRJ Voices: Eikev

“And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the Eternal your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers,” (Deuteronomy 7:12) Moses tells the Israelites a series of commands from God. He tells them that if they follow God's laws, the nations who now dwell across the Jordan River will not harm them. (7:12–26)

He reminds the people of the virtues of keeping God's commandments. He also tells them that they will dispossess those who now live in the Land only because they are idolatrous, not because the Israelites are uncommonly virtuous. Thereupon, Moses reviews all of the trespasses of the Israelites against God. (8:1–10:11)

Moses says that the Land of Israel will overflow with milk and honey if the people obey God's commandments and teach them to their children. (10:12–11:25)

As Moses is preparing the children of Israel for their entry into the Promised Land and for the end of his leadership, he gives them important advice. One of his key teachings in Eikev is in Chapter 8, In verses 2-10, Moses calls upon the people to remember two of God’s major gifts: guiding the people through the wilderness and giving them the good land. Then in verses 11-20, Moses warns the people that once they settle in the land, human arrogance and idol worship- the results of forgetting God- will lead to their annihilation.

I find this portion with Moses commanding his people to be very meaningful to us in our 21st-century lives and on our own Jewish journeys.

“For your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and fountains issuing from plain and hill; ‘a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; “a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing… Take care lest you forget your God and fail to keep the divine commandments, rules and laws which I enjoin upon you today. “When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses to live in and your herds and flocks have multiplied…., beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget your God…. Remember it is your God who gives you the power to get wealth in fulfillment of the covenant…. If you forget your God, you shall perish because you did not heed your God.”

As we live our lives and measure ourselves by our wealth, credentials, and material worth, it is so easy to get caught up in this competition, to grow haughty and to lose sight of the blessings that God bestows on us each day.

How do we keep our blessings alive and our spiritual connection and stay in a state of blessing and gratitude? Through my journey over the past 25 years in Women of Reform Judaism, I continue to connect to my community of WRJ sisters who live as Jewish women with warm hearts, with values that make a difference and action that heals our broken world. It is through our WRJ community that we raise our voices together and put into action the beautiful teachings of Moses- through our WRJ leaders, our resolutions, our advocacy, and our connection to Torah.

As we march and organize for justice, as we gather together at district conventions and at Fried Leadership Conferences to sing, worship and celebrate together, as we create lasting bonds of friendship, and love to help each other throughout our lives… that is why WRJ is the community that keeps us together to live out the important teachings of Eikev.

Paulette Black is a WRJ Board Member and a past president of Beth El Temple Center Sisterhood in Belmont, MA.