Our Torah for this week (i.e., parashat Eikev) appeals to our need to forgive: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer hardened” (Deut. 10:16). The metaphor of a “circumcised heart” (ברית מילה של הלב) symbolizes cutting away the outer covering of the heart so that it is “opened up” to feel once again. God wants us to let go of “hard feelings” so we can experience compassion (i.e., com+passion: “feeling-with”) and sympathy for other people… Heart circumcision represents a radical turning away from the insular realm of the self toward the emotional realm of others and God. When our hearts are open, we are able to receive the flow of the Spirit of God and obey the “law of the Messiah” (תּוֹרַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ) to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).
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Physical circumcision represents a sign or mark of inclusion; it is a token that you are one of God’s family, a Jew, though it is only a sign or token. “Spiritual circumcision” is an inner operation of the heart that marks you a true child of heaven. It is about your identity and purpose. Therefore we see the paradox that some physical Jews are not spiritual Jews, and some spiritual Jews are not physical Jews (though some are both), as the Apostle Paul said: For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God (Rom. 2:28-29).
Spiritually speaking, a heart that is insensitive, indifferent, unfeeling, and callous toward the needs of others is regarded as “hard.” Sometimes such hardness comes as a result of living in a fallen world. Many wounded people live with “scar tissue” that surrounds their heart, making them feel numb and unwilling to open up and trust others. Their affections have become disordered and their ego rationalizes blaming others or seeking various forms of entitlement. “Turning off your heart” can mean suppressing any positive regard for others (empathy) while nurturing anger and self-righteousness, or it may mean withdrawing from others as a lifeless shell (both approaches vainly attempt to defend the heart from hurt). Although Yeshua always showed great compassion, especially to the wounded and broken in spirit (Isa. 42:3), He regularly condemned the “hardness of heart” (“sclero-cardia,” σκληροκαρδία) of those who opposed his message of healing and love.
A hard heart is closed off and impermeable to love from others, and especially from God. It is a “difficult” (קָשֶׁה) heart, inflexible and even cruel. Scripture uses various images to picture this condition, including a “heart of stone” (Ezek. 36:26, Zech. 7:12), an “uncircumcised heart” (Jer. 9:26), a “stiff neck” (Deut. 31:27), and so on. Stubbornness is really a form of idolatry, an exaltation of self-will that refuses to surrender to God. If you are wounded and afraid to open your heart in trust to others, ask God for healing…
Hardness of heart is something all of us deal with, even those who trust in Yeshua. After all, New Covenant believers are commanded to “put off the old self with its practices” (Col. 3:9) and are urged not to harden their hearts (μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας) through unbelief (Heb. 3:8,15, 4:7). May God’s love help us keep our hearts soft and open toward others… May He give us a new heart, and put a new spirit within us. May He remove the heart of stone (לֵב הָאֶבֶן) from us and give us a heart of flesh (לֵב בָּשָׂר). May we be lev echad – “one heart” – with one another and with the Father (Ezek. 11:19). May we be so sensitized to the Presence of God that we detect the slightest touch from His hand upon us. Amen.
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