20 Aug PARASHAT EKEV: BECOMING WORTHY OF HASHEM’S UNLIMITED KINDNESS

The Or Ha’haim (Rav
Haim Ben-Attar,
1696-1743) notes what
appears to be a glaring
contradiction between
two verses in Parashat Ekeb. In the opening
verse of this Parasha, Moshe promises
Beneh Yisrael that in reward for their
observance of the Misvot, “G-d shall fulfill
for you the covenant and kindness which
He promised to your forefathers.” Meaning,
G-d’s fulfillment of the promises He made
to Abraham, Yishak and Yaakob depended
on the people’s faithful obedience. Later
(9:4-5), however, Moshe explicitly tells
the people not to think when they take
possession of Eretz Yisrael that this occurred
in the merit of their righteousness. Rather,
G-d vanquished the enemy nations and
had Beneh Yisrael reside in the land due
to the sinfulness of those enemy nations,
and in fulfillment of the promise made
to the patriarchs. Here, Moshe states that
G-d would fulfill His promise to the Abot
(patriarchs) irrespective of the people’s
conduct, even if they are unworthy.
The Or Ha’haim offers two possible
approaches to reconciling these conflicting
verses. First, he suggests a distinction

between the privilege of taking possession
of Eretz Yisrael, and remaining on the
land. G-d was going to bring Beneh Yisrael
into Eretz Yisrael regardless of their
behavior, in fulfillment of His promise to
the patriarchs. However, once they entered
the land, they would need to earn the
right to continue living there in peace and
prosperity. The opening verse of Parashat
Ekeb says that in reward for Beneh Yisrael’s
obedience, “Ve’shamar Hashem” – Hashem
will “guard” and preserve their residence
in the Land of Israel. Later, Moshe informs
the people that their initial settlement in the
land does not depend on their worthiness,
but will occur unconditionally, in fulfillment
of Hashem’s promises to the Abot.
The Or Ha’haim then advances a second
theory. He notes that in the first verse,
Moshe speaks of Hashem fulfilling “Et
Ha’berit Ve’et Ha’hesed” – “the covenant
and the kindness” which He promised to
the Abot. Later, Moshe tells the people
that regardless of their conduct, G-d would
fulfill the “Shebu’a” – the “oath” he made
with the patriarchs. The Or Ha’haim
proposes that there is a distinction between
G-d’s “Shebu’a” and His “Berit.” When
G-d spoke to Abraham Abinu, He promised

on oath to deliver Abraham’s descendants
from oppression and bring them “Hena”
– “here,” to the Land of Israel (Bereshit
15:15). Then, in addition, G-d made a
“Berit” with Abraham, promising to give
his descendants all the territory “from the
river of Egypt until the large river – the
Euphrates River” (Bereshit 15:18). G-d’s
“oath” to Abraham was limited to Eretz
Yisrael; His “Berit” with Abraham
encompassed far more territory, extending
from the Nile River all the way to the
Euphrates in Mesopotamia. This distinction,
the Or Ha’haim writes, easily resolves
the conflicting verses here in Parashat
Ekeb. Later in the Parasha, Moshe assures
Beneh Yisrael that G-d would, regardless
of their conduct, bring them to the Land
of Israel in fulfillment of the promise He
made to Abraham. But in the opening verse,
Moshe tells the people that the fulfillment of
the “Berit,” which foresees Beneh Yisrael’s
expansion well beyond the borders of the
Land of Israel, is contingent upon their
faithful observance of the Misvot.
The Or Ha’haim adds that this is why Moshe
mentions both “Ha’berit” (the covenant)
and “Ha’hesed” (the “kindness”). In His
infinite kindness, G-d is prepared to give

Beneh Yisrael dominion over not only the
Land of Israel, but far beyond. In fact, the
Or Ha’haim writes, the territory between the
Nile and the Euphrates includes the nation of
Edom, which would later exert control over
much of the world – and all these lands, too,
are part of the “Berit” and the “Hesed” that
G-d promised. There is an endless amount
of Hesed which Hashem is prepared to grant
to us, but only if we earn it. He is ready and
willing to shower us with infinite blessings,
but demands that we make ourselves worthy
of these blessings through our faithful and
devoted obedience to His laws.