Ekev 5771 - English

Rabbi Claudio Jodorkovsky 
Asociación Israelita Montefiore - Bogota 

I’d like to invite you to join me in the study of one of the most well-known texts of the Torah, which is part of Parashat Ekev, the Torah portion we read this week.  It is the second paragraph of the Shema, which we know well because we Jews recite it twice daily.

Perhaps, like me, this paragraph has made you feel uncomfortable.  And this is because, in general terms, this second part of the Shema says that if we do good, everything will be well, but if we behave badly, then everything will go badly.  The Torah specifically refers to rewards and punishments, related with economic prosperity:  rain and wealth as a consequence of fulfilling the precepts, and shortages in the opposite case.  In conclusion, we are faced with an equation, simple in principle:  Behave and you will be fine; misbehave and you will suffer.

The faithful cannot face this theological affirmation without wondering if what we are told contradicts reality.  Haven’t we heard about people who have behaved well and, nevertheless, their lives have not been so good?  And on the other hand:  Would it be hard to find a person who has not acted well and, nevertheless, unlike what is written in the Torah, has flourished and never lacked anything?  Then, how can we possibly accept and understand what the Torah says?

Jewish philosophy has tried to answer this ancient question from the beginning, and the answers are very different.  Some argue that this theology of reward and punishment should be understood from a purely literal perspective, and others maintain that it is an educational practice to instill respect toward the fulfillment of the Mitzvot.  There are Jews who keep the precepts fearing they will make a mistake and be punished, and there are those who decided to ignore that paragraph in the Siddur, simply because they consider it a false theological statement.

A few months ago, I found a new interpretation that I believe can help us understand this complex text of the Shema.  Jack Riemer, a North American rabbi, holds that the key to understanding this section of the Torah is to pay attention to whom it was directed.  It is written: 
“And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments (…) I will give the rain of your land in its season (…)” (Deut. 11:13-14).  What is interesting here is that the Torah speaks in the plural.  God addresses the entire nation and speaks to the entire community.  But if we pay attention, for instance, to the first paragraph of the Shema, the Torah will say, “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart”, using the singular (Deut. 6:5).  Thus, we learn that when it deals with faith and love of God, the Torah speaks to each one of us separately, but when it refers to rewarding our actions and how our lives are going to be (whether we will flourish or suffer shortages), the Torah speaks to all of us as a group, as a community.

I believe this message offers us an in-depth and wise teaching for our times:  living together in society and being part of a community means that we have shared responsibilities; what we do affects others and, in this manner, however well some behave in their lives, they may be harmed by what I do in my own, even when I don’t have any evil intention and only act seeking my personal wellbeing.

And it is with this understanding that this second paragraph of the Shema becomes more relevant than ever:  it uses the plural to remind us that our choices have consequences, not just for us but for others as well.  Like the story of the man who shared a boat with other passengers, and made holes underneath his seat; the man claimed he had the right because that was his place, and didn’t understand that he would end up sinking everyone else just because of his blindness.

The responsibility of being part of a society and belonging to a community implies that, before I act, I must think about the consequences that my actions may have for others: damage the environment, an unkind answer, or lack of solidarity towards other people.  God tells us:  Care and guard each other, and if you do so and act with righteousness, you will never lack anything and you will enjoy all My blessings.

Shabbat Shalom u’Meborah!