August 14, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen
Eikev 5785 (2025)
Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 (Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14-51:3)
Eikev, the name of this Torah portion means “Because.” This refers to Moses exhorting the children of Israel that if they obey God, they will succeed in what they do. Sadly, he also recalls all their failings. God’s forgiveness is emphasized though.
God’s Care
God always took care of the nation even giving them manna in the desert. The portion begins with Moses speaking:
“If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people…” (Deuteronomy 7: 12-14 NIV)
Moses emphasized the importance of remembering what God had done for the nation in the past.
“You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. (Deuteronomy 7:17-19 NIV)
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV)
Sadly, there were past situations where the nation had complained or gone astray, and Moses had to intervene. But it is important to note that every time God relented from his anger.
“I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me.” (Deuteronomy 9:19 NIV)
The Land
Moses described the land they were going to inherit, as the land that was “not like the land of Egypt”. This was a land where God would have his eyes continuously. So it was not just a rich land, but a land where -if they observed God’s commandments- they would dwell under the gaze of His very eyes.
“Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land the Lord swore to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” (Deuteronomy 11:8-12 NIV)
Speaking Comfort
This Sabath is the second of the Sabaths of Consolation, Nachamu, which always follow Tisha b’Av, which is a day of mourning. Here we have a beautiful description of how God will never forget Jerusalem and consequently his people who dwell there.
“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49: 14 NIV)
Return from Exile
The prophet foresaw sin and an exile.
Would there be an end to their exile? Yes.
He also described a situation where Gentile nations and their leaders would be helping the Jewish people come back to their land.
This certainly is applicable not just to the Biblical times but to what happened after WWII.
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner to the peoples;
they will bring your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.
Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49: 22-23 NIV)
God also wanted those, who feared Him to have light.
“Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on their God.” (Isaiah 50:10 NIV)
The Holocaust
During the Holocaust something happened each day. Some of those things had a direct bearing on children. One such event took place on August 18.
On August 18th, 1933, something extremely evil began. The Reich (German) Ministry of Interior ordered doctors and medical professionals in Germany to report children and toddlers with physical or mental disabilities. This way authorities registered children with disabilities in Nazi Germany.
This registration may sound like an administrative procedure without larger significance. It may sound just like a singular event.
This was the beginning of a program to murder children and adults deemed unfit to live. It is important to understand that the so-called Euthanasia Program took place years before the Holocaust. It is one step to the direction of the mass murder of the Jews of Europe. The registration ordered on August 18th was a step and its consequences were huge.
The Wilderness
Jesus was a Jew and everything He experienced took place in the Promised Land. I find it interesting to think about the role of wilderness in our Torah portion as well as in His life.
Moses said: “…the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you…” (Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV)
What happened at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry?
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:1-4 NIV)
Jesus was tempted by three different things all of which he countered with the Word of God. He never gave in and was left in peace, but the Word says that was only until another opportunity would present itself.
And so it is in the life of the Jewish people whether in wilderness or in their own land that these things came -and come- against them – repeatedly. They could only win by the Word of God. And so it is today.
On this second Sabbath of Consolation we need to speak Word of God over the situation they and we are facing.
*For an explanation of the terms see the first Pearls of The Torah Portion Blog.
| Coral and crystal cannot be mentioned, and the striving for wisdom [is more precious] than pearls. | רָאמ֣וֹת וְ֖גָבִישׁ לֹ֣א יִזָּכֵ֑ר וּמֶ֥שֶׁךְ חָ֜כְמָ֗ה מִפְּנִינִֽים: |
Job 28:18 (NKJV)
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46 (NKJV)
Torah Scrolls were attacked and desecrated during the Holocaust. The enduring images of the Kristallnacht (November 9-10,1938) are those of synagogues on fire and Torah Scrolls burning. Some of these desecrated Torah Scrolls disappeared, others were buried. Some were lovingly rescued and are on display in museums in various locations.
[author] [author_image timthumb='on']https://irw.duv.temporary.site/website_047320a9/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dr-Sussanna-K-Round.png[/author_image] [author_info]Dr. Susanna Kokkonen received her Ph.D. in Holocaust Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For ten years Dr. Kokkonen was the Director of the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. Dr. Kokkonen has authored several books about the Holocaust and antisemitism. She educates Christian audiences worldwide including about the Jewish roots of their faith. Dr. Kokkonen is the author of the exhibits for the Holocaust Garden of Hope and serves the Holocaust Remembrance Association as Educational Advisor. [/author_info] [/author]
