a. The Parsha begins with the words “Vehaya Eikev Tishmiun.” Chazal teach that the Mitzvos that a person treads upon with his Eikev--with his heel, i.e., the Mitzvos that a person deems “relatively unimportant” will surround him after 120 years at the time of judgment. It may be these Mitzvos that surround him that ultimately determine his fate--and his level in Gan Eden (or chas veshalom elsewhere). In honor of the Parsha, perhaps we can select one of these Mitzvos in our daily routine and remove it from under our heel, and elevate it to a high position in our head!
b. The second parsha of Kriyas Shema, Vehaya Im Shomoa Tishmiu, which is found in this week’s Parsha teaches us that we must first feed our animals before we ourselves eat, based on the Pasuk--”VeNosati Esev...Levhemtecha VeAchalta VeSovata...”--first the Beheimos eat--and then we eat. HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, likewise rules that fish have to be fed first, as well, so that if breakfast or dinner is around your aquarium’s feeding time, the fish must be fed first. By analogy, anyone who is dependent on you should be taken care of first as well--after all isn’t Hashem taking care of you?
c. The mitzvah of Tefillah is also found in the second parsha of Shema--with the words “Ul’Avdo BeChol Levavchem”. HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, was asked the following question by friends of a young man who was seriously ill: They have gotten together several times to recite Tehillim and daven for him. He is unfortunately still ill. Is there something else they should do--perhaps take upon themselves a special Mitzvah together? If so, what should they do? HaRav Kanievsky answered that Chazal teach: “Im Ro’eh Adam SheHispallel Velo Ne’eneh, Yachzor VeYispallel--if a person sees that he prayed and that his prayers were not seemingly answered, he should pray again (Brachos 32A).” He thus advised the friends that, ahead of all else, to make another Kinus of Tefillah on their friend’s behalf. From this P’sak we should grow in our appreciation of the utter potency of Tefillah. As Chazal teach, Moshe Rabbeinu davened 515 times to enter Eretz Yisroel and Hashem did not let him daven again, for on that 516th time he would have been answered!
d. Yet another mitzvah in the Parsha is the Mitzvah of Yiras Hashem. Rabbi Elias Schwartz, Shlita, notes that very often we refer to fearing Hashem not as “Yiras Hashem,” but as “Yiras Shomayim”--Fear of the Heavens. Rabbi Schwartz explains that this may be so because the heavens have never moved nor changed since the very beginning of creation--the heavens today are the very same heavens of the first and second days of creation! We must demonstrate that our service of Hashem is also immutable--without faltering or compromise, without being pliable to the winds of time, without being affected by the problems of modern civilization. Yiras Shomayim means that we will follow the path that Hashem has set for us in this world--and will not deviate, diverge, swerve or sway from our life’s mission. From time to time, you can look up at the sky and remind yourself that you, too, are blessed with Yiras Shomayim!
Important Numbers
