Eikev - Raising Future Generations
Shalom,
As we continue to stand on the bank of the Jordan River listening to Moses’ farewell speech (which is almost the entirety of the Book of Deuteronomy) we come to our parasha for this week: Eikev. We continue to learn about the blessings and curses resulting from our response to the Mitzvoth - the Commandments. We discover lessons about learning to recognize the good, hakarat hatov our tradition calls it, it is a Jewish take on gratitude. We gain insight into the balance of our spiritual and physical needs when we learn to bless our sustenance and take note of the material items we journeyed with in the wilderness. Yet, there is a verse in this week’s portion that helps us see deeper into the mitzvoth as educational tools. It is about raising up future generations!
We are familiar with the charge that we recite in the V’ahavta prayer - V’Shinantam L’Vanecha - and you (singular) shall teach your children (Deut. 6:7) which appeared in last week’s portion; this week we learn - V’limadetem Otam - and you (plural) shall teach them (Deut. 11:19). While these phrases ring in similar ways, our tradition teaches us that there is more to this pair of verses. We can dig into the different in the two verbs, both translated here as “teach”, yet they are different words. In Deut. 6, V’Shinantam is sometimes understood as to “whet” an appetite or to “sharpen” and arrow. While V’limadetem in Deut. 11 is more closely related to teaching in the traditional sense.
In the Babylonian Talmud, this second verse is discussed and juxtaposed to the first on numerous occasions. We learn that we are to understand them in similar ways, but the second is broader in its command. This second verse expands the responsibility to not only one’s biological children, but also to the children in the community. It is a two pronged approach, one that we are charged to inspire our own children (Deut. 6) and ensure we build up the structures of our communities to teach and instruct all children (Deut. 11).
We can learn from this, that we must continue imparting the mitzvot, our tradition, to each subsequent generation, but also share our tradition at large and ensure we support learning environments and moments for all our young people.
In a world in which we take in so much information, it is becoming more and more complex to sift the information. How much more so is this true for the way our young people learn. We are all always modeling for others.
As we engage in parashat Eikev this week, may we all recognize the responsibility we have to teach, whether overtly in the form of lessons or covertly through our modeling, the younger generations in our communities and our world. May we work towards being role models in every place and space we find ourselves. May we also take to heart the responsibility to help our children, our own and those within our community, sift and discern the lessons that ought to be gleaned from what they experience, see and hear throughout life.
Shavua Tov,
Rabbi Evon
