Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
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What to Expect in the Land of Israel
Moshe informs them that if they are careful to observe the minor commandments, G-d will keep His promise to them.
*Side note: This verse begins with the phrase "And it will be", written in Hebrew as עֵקֶב which holds another meaning of "heel", alluding to those commandments which are so minor that one usually tramples them with one's heels.
Moshe now specifies the various ways in which G-d will bless them in the Land of Israel, beginning by saying that G-d will love, bless and multiply them. Specifically, G-d will bless them in regards to:
Having children
Their soil, specifying their grain, wine and oil
Their herd's offspring
The choicest of flock, which will enrich them.
Furthermore, the Israelites will be more blessed than anyone else and that none of their men, women nor livestock will be sterile nor infertile.
G-d will remove all illness from them, and inflict whatever diseases they knew in Egypt upon their enemies.
Moshe now tells them that they are to devour all the nations which G-d delivers to them, without mercy. And they are not to worship their gods, which will serve as a trap for them.
Moshe hypothesizes that perhaps they will doubt their ability to drive out the other nations, due to the Israelites not being as numerous. Nevertheless, they are not to fear, for they must remember what G-d did to Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
Moshe reminds them of the various events they witnessed in Egypt which displayed G-d's greatness, namely:
The tests of G-d's abilities - for example when Moshe challenged Pharaoh to specify an exact time for G-d to halt the plague of the frogs (see Shmos 8:5 and Rashi there).
Signs - These were things which demonstrated that Moshe was G-d's messenger - for example Moshe's staff turning into a snake and the water into blood.
Wonders - These are the plagues
G-d's "Mighty Hand"* - i.e. the pestilence
G-d's "Outstretched arm"* - this is an allusion to the plague of the firstborn son, which was a sword to them in the form of G-d's "arm".
*Side note: Only the plagues of pestilence and of the firstborn son are listed separately as they were the only two who's focus was on killing the Egyptians, whereas the other eight were focused on making them suffer.
Moshe says that just as G-d demonstrated all of this with the Egyptians, so will He with all those they fear. G-d will also send a certain type of insect upon them called a Tzir'ah. This was a flying insect that would inject poison into the Ca'aanites, causing them to be impotent and blind.
Moshe reiterates that they are not to be scared of them, as G-d is a Great and Awesome.
Moshe then says that G-d will drive out the enemy nations from Israel, bit by bit. It won't happen too fast, so that the Israelites won't be outnumbered by the beast who might endanger them. This is an allusion to the time when they conquered the land in which the Israelites were righteous enough to be protected from enemy nations, but not so righteous as to be protected from beasts (who would not have been a threat to them had they been perfectly righteous, as alluded to in Iyov 5:23 regarding the beasts of the field being at peace with them).
G-d will confuse these nations to the point of destruction, deliver their kings to them, and destroy their names.
The Israelites are to burn the idols of these nations and not covet the silver or gold on the idols so as not to be trapped by it, nor bring an abomination into their home, so as not to be destroyed (or banned) as it is. Rather they are to totally hate it.
Moshe tells them that they are to complete any mitzvah they begin, as the fulfillment of a mitzvah is attributed to the one who finishes it. Rashi cites the burial of Yosef's bones as an example of this, in that while Moshe was the one who brought them up to Shechem from Egypt, it was not he, but rather the Israelites who buried him, and thereby they and not he got credit for it.
Moshe tells them that they must remember how G-d led them through the desert all these years and thus not test Him nor question His ways.
Moshe reminds them how G-d first made them be hungry and then gave them the manna so as to teach them that it is G-d, and not bread alone which sustains us.
He also reminds them how the clouds of glory would miraculously clean their clothes while they traveled, and how their clothes would grow along with them, similar to a snail's shell. Also, their feet didn't swell, despite them walking barefoot.
Moshe tells them to know that G-d chastises them the way a man chastises his son and that they are to keep G-d's commandments, go in His ways and fear Him. This is because G-d is bringing them to a good land that contains brooks of water, fountains, valleys and mountains. The land is filled with wheat, barely, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives that produce oil and honey.
Within this land they can eat bread without worrying about it being scarce and within which they will lack nothing. The land will have iron stones and mountains from which they will hew copper.
Moshe concludes this section by telling them that they will eat and be sated and will bless G-d for the good land He gave them.
Eikev, 1st Aliya