“The whole commandment that I am commanding you this day you shall observe and do, so that you may live…” (Deut. 8:1). The Hebrew phrase kol ha’mitzvah (כל־המצוה), here translated as “the whole commandment,” refers to the heart attitude, or the inner passion of the soul. Some have linked the word “commandment” (מצוה) with the word “connection” (צוותא), suggesting that God’s commandments are the means by which we cleave to Him, as is written: “this is the love of God (אהבת אלהים), that we hold fast to his commandments” (1 John 5:3). The commandments are “for life” (Lev. 18:5), which means they serve as the call of the Beloved to rise to something far greater…

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Our Torah reading for this week is called “Eikev” (עֵקֶב), a word often translated “because,” though it literally means “heel,” and therefore recalls Jacob (יעקב) the “heel-holder” who wrestled with the pain of his past to learn to bear the name Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל), the “prince of God” (Gen. 32:28)… Like Jacob, we must grapple to believe that the covenant of God’s love and acceptance is meant for us, too… Read more “Grappling with Faith”