בס"ד

EEN GEDACHTE OVER PARSHAT EIKEV 5786

“And now, O Israel, what does the L-rd your G-d ask of you? Only this: to fear the L-rd your G-d, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, and to serve the L-rd your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(Deuteronomy 10:12)

Parashat Eikev contains one of the most fundamental questions in the Torah: What does Hashem ask of mankind? Although Moses addresses these words to Israel, the question also speaks to every Noahide who desires to serve the G-d of Israel. Remarkably, Moses does not begin with love, but with yirah—fear, reverence, or awe of G-d.

Yirah as the Beginning

De Of HaChaim (on Deuteronomy 10:12) explains that the Torah distinguishes between two levels of avodat Hashem (serving G-d): serving Him out of yirah and serving Him out of ahavah (love). Hashem first asks for yirah, not because it is the highest level, but because it is the foundation upon which love can grow.

This is why the verse begins with the word ve’atah—”and now.” For now, Hashem asks us to fear Him; later that fear can mature into love. In this way, the Of HaChaim answers the question raised in Megillah 25a: Is the fear of Heaven really such a small matter? In itself, it is a tremendous spiritual achievement. Yet once a person comes to serve Hashem out of love, he realizes that yirah was only the first step toward an even higher level of service.

Why Is Yirah Indispensable?

Isaiah calls the fear of G-d His greatest treasure:

“The fear of the L-rd is His treasure.”
(Isaiah 33:6)

De Tikkunei Zohar expands on this idea with a well-known analogy. Torah knowledge without yirah is like valuable goods without a warehouse: no matter how precious they are, they have nowhere secure to be stored.

This is easy to recognize in daily life. A person may know perfectly well that stealing is forbidden, yet without the living awareness that Hashem sees everything, that knowledge can remain merely theoretical. Why not take that one pen from work? It is yirah that ensures Torah is not only studied, but also lived.

Two Forms of Yirah

We now understand why yirah is the starting point, but what exactly does it mean to fear or revere G-d?

The Zohar, as cited by the Nesivos Shalom (Eikev, pp. 158–159), distinguishes between two forms of yirah.

The first is fear of punishment. This is a legitimate starting point. It corresponds with the eleventh of the Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith, namely that Hashem rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.

The second, higher form is awe of G-d’s exalted greatness. Just as a person behaves differently in the presence of an earthly king, so too does someone who is constantly aware that he stands before the King of kings. King David expresses this beautifully:

“I have set the L-rd always before me.”
(Psalm 16:8)

This form of yirah changes not only what we refrain from doing, but also why we act. We observe Hashem’s commandments not merely because we have to, but because we desire to live close to Him. Even permissible things are viewed through the question of whether they strengthen our relationship with Him. We do not eat merely because food tastes good, but because our bodies need strength to serve Hashem.

Serving Without Self-Interest

If this higher form of yirah already transforms a person’s entire outlook, the Nesivos Shalom teaches that the journey still does not end there.

The highest level of avodat Hashem is to serve Him solely to fulfill His will, without hidden self-interest. Not out of fear of punishment, not in hope of reward, and not even for one’s own spiritual advancement. The only motivation is to bring pleasure to Hashem.

Eikev as Preparation for Elul

De Nesivos Shalom points out that Parashat Eikev is read each year around Tu B’Av. From Tu B’Av onward begins the preparation for the month of Elul, the month of introspection and repentance, culminating in Rosh Hashanah, the day on which the world is judged by Hashem.

For this reason, yirah occupies such a central place in this parashah. Reverence for Hashem is not the destination but the beginning of a journey. As a person becomes increasingly aware of G-d’s presence and greatness, he naturally desires to draw closer to Him. That desire becomes the fertile ground from which teshuvah—returning to Hashem—grows.

Teshuvah Follows the Same Pattern

This same pattern of spiritual growth does not only apply to avodat Hashem in general, but also specifically to teshuvah.

De Of HaChaim offers a second explanation of the word ve’atah. Based on Bereishit Rabbah 21:6, he explains that this word often serves as an invitation to teshuvah. A person who wishes to return to Hashem does not need to understand everything immediately; the first step is to develop yirah. Once that attitude is present, Hashem makes the path back to Him accessible.

De Nesivos Shalom (pp. 145–146) teaches that teshuvah itself also has different levels. He cites the Divrei Shmuel, who interprets the phrase v’rachatzu mayim (“they shall wash with water”) symbolically: water represents teshuvah as a process of cleansing and renewal. Yet even this “water” must itself be refined. In other words, the motivations that drive a person to repent can also become purer over time. A person may sincerely return to Hashem because he fears punishment, longs for relief from suffering, or hopes to receive blessing. Such repentance is genuine and valuable, but it is not yet its highest form. As a person’s relationship with Hashem deepens, his repentance itself becomes more refined, flowing increasingly from love of Hashem and a desire to draw close to Him.

The goal is a complete return to Hashem. This concept is reflected within Jewish prayer as well. In the Shemoneh Esrei, Jews do not simply ask for repentance, but for a complete return to Hashem. This expresses that repentance is not a single moment, but a process that can deepen and be refined.

This does not mean that earlier stages are rejected, but rather that they are elevated. Even repentance can grow: from fear of consequences, to awareness of Hashem’s greatness, and ultimately to a return motivated purely by closeness to Him.

This leads to the classic distinction between repentance motivated by fear en repentance motivated by love. Repentance born from reverence is already meaningful, but repentance born from love transforms the past into merit. The Kuzari (p. 147) adds yet another dimension: the highest expression of avodat Hashem is ultimately vreugde—serving Hashem with gladness.

Seen this way, repentance is not a single act but a process—one that mirrors the same spiritual ladder described earlier: beginning with awareness and fear, deepening into awe, and ultimately becoming love and joyful devotion to Hashem.

The Message of Eikev

The message of Parashat Eikev is that spiritual growth is a process.

It begins with fear of punishment, the awareness that Hashem judges righteously. It then develops into awe of His greatness. From that awe grows ahavah—love for Hashem, leading us to fulfill His will without self-interest. Ultimately, that love leads to a complete return to Hashem: returning to Him not out of fear of punishment or desire for reward, but out of love for Him alone.

Perhaps this is the deepest meaning of Moses’ words:

“And now, O Israel, what does Hashem ask of you?”

Begin with the small steps that are within your reach: first fear of punishment, then awe of G-d’s greatness, and strive ultimately for true love of Hashem.

Door Angelique Sijbolts
Met dank aan Rabbi Tani Burton


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