Shalom Chaverym;

This week’s parasha is:
Eiqev – עקב – “Because”
Torah reading: D’varym (Deuteronomy) 7:12-11:25
Haftarah reading: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 49:14-51:3
Ketuvym Hatalmidym reading: Mattithyahu 4:1-11

Shalom aleykhem, achym, b’shem YHWH Avinu ~ Peace to you, my brothers and sisters, in the name of YHWH, our Father.

V’Zakarta eth kal haderek ashser holiyka YHWH Eloheyka zeh arbeyim shanah bamidbar, l’ma’an anothka, l’nast’ka, lada’ath eth asher bil’vavka, hatishmore mitzvotav, im lo ~ “And thou shalt remember all The Way that YHWH Eloheyka led thee this forty years in the wilderness, in accordance that He might afflict thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldst keep His commandments, or not.”

“Or not…” Some people when confronted with the commands to strictly obey Him will point out that, “YHWH knows my heart,” and that He needn’t put anyone to the test with these. This is true, YHWH knows all things. He does know every person’s heart. He also knows the entire future – The end from the beginning. So then, these things considered, what is the point in His putting anyone to the test? Truly, He has already stated His reason, and it is not for us to challenge His authority and ask for more. In faith, we should only accept what He says, then do and obey. But, if it must be asked, the test of His commands not only proves our heart to Him, it also stands as a witness to the world, to the heavenly court, and to ourselves that we belong to Him. Talk is cheap – anyone can say they are His, but to keep His commands is proof. And it is the proof He has said He wants and requires of us.

Unlike YHWH, men are full of deceit – especially self-deceit. A man can never really know himself, who he truly is and what he will do in a given situation, until he is tried. When trials come, the truth about a man becomes known through how he responds to them, both to himself and to others.

Please, notice that our pesuk does not even say YHWH Himself needs to know what’s in a man’s heart. As has previously been pointed out, He already does. The verse simply says, to know. In fact, the verse which immediately follows our pesuk provides and clarifies the answer, which is, “that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by all that proceeds from the mouth of YHWH doth man live.”

May you all come to know Him, and to truly know yourselves.

B’Shalom, Ovadyah Ben Yisrael