The Journey of the Sole

A thought for Parashas Ekev

The Parashah opens and closes with an intriguing focus on our feet. At the beginning of the parashah, the Torah tells us:

והיה עקב תשמעון: אם המצוות הקלות שאדם דש בעקביו תשמעון

"In the future, as a consequence of your listening—even the lesser commandments, which a person sometimes treads upon with his heels, you will listen to."¹

Here, the Torah emphasizes the importance of the “lesser” mitzvos—those that might be metaphorically trampled underfoot, overlooked in the rush of daily life.

As the Parashah progresses, it culminates with a powerful promise regarding the conquest of Eretz Yisrael:

כל המקום אשר תדרך כף רגלכם לכם נתתי. 

"Everywhere your foot shall walk upon is yours..."²

At first glance, these pesukim seem to address vastly different themes: one focuses on the careful observance of mitzvos, while the other promises dominion over the land of Israel. Yet, a deeper understanding reveals a profound connection between them.

Several questions can be raised here:

1. What is the connection between these two seemingly different pesukim?

2. Why do we need to walk in Eretz Yisrael for it to be ours? If it is a gift, isn’t it enough to know the borders, which are detailed in the very next pasuk? Why is it necessary to step on it?

3. What is the significance of the כף רגל (sole of the foot)?

The Torah’s focus on the feet—the עקב (heel) and the כף רגל (sole of the foot)—is not coincidental. The term כף רגל recurs in Sefer Yehoshua³, where Hashem instructs Yehoshua to conquer Eretz Yisrael with the assurance that wherever their feet tread, the land will become theirs. We also see this term earlier in Parashas Devarim, where it states that even if Bnei Yisrael walk in Seir, the land belongs to Esav.⁴

Interestingly, the first appearance of the term כף רגל in the Torah is found in Parashas Noach, when the Yonah (dove) returned to the Teivah after not finding a place to rest its כף רגל⁵. The meforshim explain that the land was still considered רע (evil) at that time⁶. This gives us a clue that there is a connection between the כף רגל and the spiritual state of the land.

When the land is רע or belongs to Esav, it is not suitable for the כף רגל of the Jewish people. However, when the land is good and holy, our כף רגל is what sanctifies it and makes it ours.

The Sifri explains the necessity of physically walking the land. While the land had to be captured within the borders specified by Hashem, the act of setting foot on the land, even outside its pre-ordained borders, extends its sanctity and ownership beyond those borders—with the notable exception of Seir. The mitzvos that pertain to Eretz Yisrael would apply in these newly acquired areas as well⁷.

The Malbim⁸ adds a fascinating dimension to this idea. He explains that had Moshe led the conquest, there would have been no need for war; instead, wherever the Bnei Yisrael set their feet, their enemies would have fallen by the wayside — without conflict. This promise was reiterated to Yehoshua: although war would now be necessary, miracles would accompany the Bnei Yisrael wherever they walked—provided they conquered the entirety of Eretz Yisrael.

This leads us to an important conclusion: we cannot surrender parts of Eretz Yisrael and expect peace to follow. Complete peace will only be achieved when the land is completely ours.

Rav Avraham Azoulai, the great-grandfather of the Chida, in his sefer Chesed Le'Avraham⁹, draws a parallel between the completeness of the Shechinah and the completeness of Eretz Yisrael. He writes:

"Just as the Shechinah is not בשלימות (complete) as long as the Makom HaMikdash is not fully restored to its proper place, so too, the Shechinah is not בשלימות as long as Eretz Yisrael is not שלם (whole) within all its borders—from the Nile to the Euphrates—and the Bnei Yisrael are not each dwelling in their allotted חלק (portion) according to its true גבול (boundary)."

This idea emphasizes the intrinsic connection between the land and the spiritual wholeness of the Jewish people. The sanctity and completeness of Eretz Yisrael are directly tied to our spiritual mission and destiny.

The sifrei Chassidus¹⁰ suggest a different,  but complementary, approach. Although the land is a gift from Hashem,  our act of walking upon it must be done with the consciousness that this is the רצון השם (will of Hashem). When we traverse the land with the awareness that we are walking here because Hashem gave us this land and He wants us to be here, then this land will be ours forever. Every step we take in life and whatever we do, we must remember that it is all from Hashem.

The Midrash Lekach Tov¹¹ teaches us that the land will only be ours בשלימות—from the Nile to the Euphrates—in the times of Mashiach. Perhaps, based on this, we can understand the connection between the עקב and the כף רגל.

As mentioned, the Parashah begins with והיה עקב תשמעון. All the meforshim explain that the word והיה is a term for שמחה (joy), and the word עקב signifies the end, as in עקבתא דמשיחא—the "heels" of Mashiach. We will only experience true שמחה when the תיקון is complete; we will only have true peace when our land is complete. When we value each mitzvah and each step we take, we will merit the times of Mashiach when the land will fully be ours.

This comes full circle, with deep significance, as Chazal tell us that at the end of times Bnei Yisrael will go to Har Tzion to pass judgment against Esav, and we will prevail. This event will signify the final triumph of holiness over evil, completing the process that began with every step we took in Eretz Yisrael, every mitzvah we observed, and every moment we recognized Hashem’s hand in our lives.

Rav Yehuda Halevi poetically describes¹² that on that great day when Mashiach will reveal himself, the Yonah (Knesses Yisrael) will finally find a place to rest its weary legs, just as the Yonah of Noach was only able to rest on Shabbos in Gan Eden¹³. The ultimate Geula will be marked by our return to a complete and peaceful Eretz Yisrael, and by our ability to fully connect with Hashem’s will.

Perhaps one of the lessons of the Parashah is that just as every step in Eretz Yisrael sanctifies the land and brings us closer to the geula, so too can every mitzvah, performed with intention and awareness, that we are doing the ratzon Hashem, bring us closer to spiritual wholeness.

May we merit to see that great day soon, when our land is complete, our people are one, and our connection to Hashem is fully realized.

1

Devarim 7:12 - Rashi

2

Devarim 11:24

3. Yehoshua 1:3

4. Devarim 2:5

5. Bereishis 8:9

6. Ramdu, Noach

7. Ramban

8. Yehoshua 1:3

9. Maayan Gimel, Nahar Zayin

10. Ohr Lashamayim, Behar 7, and Mei HaShiloach, Devarim

11. Shemos 23:31

12. Zemiros: Yom Shabbason

13. Etz Yosef, see also Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 6, 22b