When I was a little girl I had a fear. 

When my parents went out in the evening, I was afraid they wouldn’t come home. 

I can’t explain the root of this paranoia, perhaps it’s a symptom of second generation post Holocaust trauma. 

But it was very real. 

I would stand by the window and cry bitterly. 

Only when I would hear the footsteps of my parents in the hallway outside of my apartment could I finally calm down. 

The quiet footfalls consoled me. 

Then I could come to myself. 

This week’s Torah portion is called Eikev which means heel. 

You may recall that root of Eikev in the name of our forefather Yaakov or Jacob, who was named so because he held onto the heel of his brother Esau as he was born. 

We also find the root word Eikev when we refer to the pre-messianic time, called in the ancient Aramaic language, 

Ikvesa DMeshica, the footsteps of the Messiah.  

The Torah portion begins with an exhortation to listen, to the do the commandments to preserve the connection with Gd. 

But why use the esoteric word Eikev in our portion? 

It is actually superfluous. 

Why not just say “listen”?

Rashi, the main Torah commentary, focuses on the word Eikev, heel, and understands it allegorically. 

What should we be listening for, paying attention to in order to preserve our connection with Gd?

We should focus on all manners of connection, even the small, seemingly insignificant mitzvot that we may feel are insignificant so we figuratively step on them with our heel. 

We may perceive a mitzva as lacking import  and we walk all over it, so to speak. By doing so, we lose a possibility of a deeper connection, one which will ensure the covenant is kept between Gd and the Jewish people, and ultimately bring us to the end of days, the Messianic times. 

In life, we tend to focus on the big stuff and may overlook the small things. 

But this is a mistake. 

It is the small things, the nuances, which actually keep our feet on the ground. 

Rashi is saying if we don’t step on the small commandments, but rather cherish them, they can propel us forward on our journey to connection. 

Rabbi Dovid Kronglas, teacher of Torah in America, in the previous generation, would often say 

“small people do big things, big people do small things.”

We are in difficult times. 

Actually we have been in this difficult time for thousands of years. 

We need to hear the footfalls of the events that swirl around us as reminders that we can bring this world to a better place with our small actions. 

If we can listen to each other’s hearts and needs, we will not only be able to hear the footsteps of Moshiach, we can actually hasten them. 

We can do so with small, positive and by no means insignificant messages of hope and encouragement. 

These can help us resolve to improve ourselves and bring us one step closer to the Messianic era. 

The seven weeks from Tisha BAv until Rosh Hashana are called the weeks of consolation. 

They remind us that there is hope and the darkness will end. 

Our task to quell that darkness is to exercise the small actions of love and caring, which will be our contribution to bring those ultimately calming footfalls one step closer. 

Shabbat Shalom and so much love!