Dependence on G-d for Sustenance in the Land....Parshat Ekev (inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Liebtag of Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem)

Many years ago, my father used to take UNL students from the department of agronomy to Israel to study irrigation systems.  Oddly enough, that topic is also one of the major themes in this week’s parasha, Ekev.

In Ekev, we are told that we will be entering a good land which lacks nothing.  Yet we are also told that this land, Eretz Yisrael, is not like the land of Egypt.  In Egypt when the land was planted, it was watered with one’s foot.  That is not the case in Eretz Yisrael, it will be watered from the rains (matar) of the heavens.

That being said, it is important to understand how a land, namely Egypt, could be watered with one’s foot.  Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile River.  “The Egyptians developed a sophisticated irrigation system by digging ditches from the Nile to their fields.” (Menachem Liebtag). An Egyptian would open the ditch by kicking away the dirt with his foot, thus supplying water to his own field.  When the field was adequately watered, he would close the ditch by kicking dirt back again.

Israel, as you know, lacks rivers like the Nile. It does have the Jordan River but it is 300 meters below sea level and until recent times its water was not helpful in terms of irrigating the country. Instead it has always had to rely on rains to supply the proper growing conditions.  You might be familiar with the prayer we recite during the amidah asking for rain in due seasons.  I know that two years ago when I traveled to the Judean wilderness to visit a Talmudic village, it was evident that our ancient ancestors had developed a system of cisterns to collect the water that fell during the winter months so it would last them for an entire year.

The Torah connects the rainfall in the Land of Israel to the theme of Yirat HaShem…the fear of G-d.  How can the source of water for a country be connected to that theme?  In chapter 11:12 it says, “It is a land which the Lord your G-d looks after, on which HaShem always keeps his eye, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”  We are also told that G-d has made demands of us.  We are told that we must “fear G-d, walk in His ways, love Him, and keep his mitzvoth.” (10:12-14)

So the connection spelled out in this portion is that if we are going to survive in the land of Israel, we must depend on the rains that are dependent on G-d’s will.  Having such a dependence should according to Rabbi Menachem Liebtag, “reinforce one’s fear of G-d.”

The concept is developed further.  If there is a lack of observance of the mitzvoth or if the people follow other gods, the skies will be shut up and there will be no rain (11:13-16).  This paragraph spells out that national behaviors affect our environment. (Think about what we know about global warming today) You probably recognize this section as the 2^nd paragraph of the Shema that we recite three times a day.  Even though this paragraph has been left out of the Reform liturgy, we recognize its centrality in Jewish theology.

When we look at the word used for rain, matar, it is interesting to note that its root (l’hamtir) relates to anything that falls from heaven to the Earth.  There is a midrash that asks why it had not rained (Ki lo himtir?) when the Earth was created.  Rain did not appear until after human beings were created; because until human beings were created, there was no one to work the fields, no one to recognize the significance of rain.  “And when man was created and recognized its importance, he prayed for rain.  Then the rain fell and the trees and the grass grew.” (Rashi 2:5)

So let’s review the progression of this thought.  G-d created human beings for a purpose and part of that purpose was to recognize G-d and all of G-d’s creations.  Matar then came forth from the heavens as a result of this recognition.  Matar (which we call rain) is a symbol of our connection to G-d, of our bridging the gap with the Divine.  It is significant that the Land of Israel is part of this equation, unlike any other land.  In Torah, the People of Israel, by living in Israel, have the potential to create the perfect spiritual environment for life.  Life in Egypt might have been more certain physically, but life in Israel is definitely seen as good because it requires us to establish and maintain a relationship with G-d.

Shabbat Shalom.