It’s really hot in Israel right now. The temperature is breaking records.
Truth is summer in Israel is often a scorcher.
A few years ago I was in Israel during the summer with a few friends.
We were there to support a friend in need.
Hopefully we were successful.
When we finished our job we started walking towards our hotel.
It was a really hot day and we were not in the greatest neighborhood.
We were walking as quickly as possible.
All of a sudden, one of the group decided we really needed to hail a cab.
We had been so anxious about our surroundings that this obvious solution eluded us.
How did it come about?
It turned out, I was the unwitting catalyst.
I was wearing a newish pair of shoes. They were supposed to be comfortable, but after being on my feet and running around for many hours, my heel was starting to bleed.
One of the women in our group was walking behind me.
She noticed.
I was bearing the pain due to circumstances, but when I got into the cab, I must admit I was very relieved.
My heels were a bloody mess.
But I experience something else as well.
I felt so seen.

I couldn’t believe someone was so sensitive and noticed the discomfort I was ignoring myself.
It was such a small thing, but at the same time, it held huge import for me.
This week’s Torah portion is called Eikev, which literally translates to the word heel in Hebrew.
It is the only Parsha that is named for a body part.
The Sages explain that just as the heel connects to the rest of the body, the word Eikev can mean as a result of or because.
Moshe starts the Parsha with the word Eikev Asher Tisha’s, because you listened.
It’s talking about the relationship that results between ourselves and Gd when we listen to and perform Gd’s commandments.
Pay attention to what Gd is commanding you to do via the mitzvot. “Because” you listen to what Hashem tells you to do there will be loving kindness and multitude of blessings.
It’s a choice to engage.
Why is the word which also has the meaning heel used in this context?
The heel is the lowest part of the body.
It is the part of us that directly interacts with the dirt, which can be the most basic part of creation.
Calling someone a heel is a pejorative.
Yet Eikev also belies connection. The heel is the connection to the rest of the body.
It’s the basis that connects us from our base to our potential.
In that it reflects a duality.
The heel can be base or the base.
The Messianic times which we are waiting for with great anticipation are called Ikvesa dMasicha, the footsteps of the Messiah. The Aramaic word Ikvesa is from the same root as Eikev. Those footsteps which tread the earth can also have an other worldly component.
And even more interestingly, our Sages tell us that as we near these Messianic days we become hardened due to the challenges we face in our lives.
They say that one of the ways we can awaken our souls is through the tickling of the heels.
The heel symbolizes our thick skin which is a barrier to our growth. We need to “tickle” that hard shell so we can make a chink in our self imposed armor and allow access to our inner selves. That will allow us to be in the growth mode and via the mitzvot continue to develop our best selves to be people of kindness and to awaken our hearts and souls.
That is exactly what my friend did.
When she noticed my bleeding heel she quietly and sensitively took care of me.
That’s the ultimate version of lifting a heel to bring us one step closer to greeting the times of Redemption!
May it be speedily in our times.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!!