Parashat Ekev
Empowering Fear
Moshe teaches the
people that their achievement of true fear of God will allow them to not fear
any enemy.
By Rabbi Avraham Fischer
The following article
is reprinted with permission from the Orthodox
Union.
In preparing the Children of Israel for the conquest of the
land of Canaan, Moshe anticipates the people's trepidation, and he promises
Hashem's ongoing support:
Perhaps you might say in your heart, "These nations are
more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?" You shall not be afraid
(lo tira) of them. You shall surely
remember that which Hashem, your G-d, did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt: The
great tests which your eyes saw, and the signs and the wonders, and the strong
hand, and the outstretched arm whereby Hashem, your G-d, brought you out--so
will Hashem, your G-d, do to all the nations before whom you are afraid (yarei). Furthermore, Hashem, your G-d,
will release the hornet against them, until the destruction of those who are
left and those who hide themselves before you. You shall not be
intimidated/frightened (lo ta'arotz)
before them, because (ki) Hashem,
your G-d, is in your midst, a G-d Who is mighty and feared (nora) (Devarim 7:17-21).
Moshe is trying to assure the people that they have no
reason to fear the inhabitants of the land in the upcoming wars, because Hashem
will defend them just as He did in Egypt. So, why is He described as "a
G-d Who is mighty and feared?" Would it not have been more comforting to
hear that Hashem is caring and protective?
Haketav V'hakabbalah (R. Yaakov Tzvi
Meklenburg, 1785-1865), quoting Rabbi Yehudah Leib Margaliot (1747-1811), head
of the bet din (rabbinic court) in
his birthplace Lesslau, explains that fear of Hashem is different from any
other feeling we have towards Him. For example, one may fully honor, love and
be grateful to other people, with no diminution of the honor, love and
gratitude that are due to Hashem. This is not, however, the case when it comes
to fear of Hashem, which is lessened by the fear of others, as we shall
elucidate.
(Of course, the Torah teaches us to revere our parents and
our teachers, and it uses the same word, yir'ah,
for both. However, these are forms of reverence that are commanded precisely
because they develop one's fear of Heaven; they certainly do not compete with
it.)
The idea of the preeminence of the fear of Hashem is demonstrated in the
exchange cited in the Talmud (Berachot
28b) between Rabbi Yochanan ben-Zakkai and his students while the sage lay on
his deathbed. The students asked their teacher to bless them, and his blessing
was: "May it be His will, that your fear of Heaven be as much as your fear
of flesh-and-blood." And when his students asked, "No more than
that?" he replied, "Would that it were as much as that! For you know
that when a person is about to sin, he first thinks, 'I hope no person sees
me.' One's awe of Hashem must supersede all else."
What does it truly mean to "fear" Hashem? It denotes being aware
constantly of His greatness, and of the fact that nothing escapes His sight. It
means that our awe and fear of Hashem should supersede all other apprehension
and nothing else--neither embarrassment nor power, neither pain nor
death--should frighten us. Thus, the fear of anyone or anything other than
Hashem detracts from the fear one ought to have for the Almighty.
Actually, the essence of this observation of Haketav V'hakabbalah is to be
found in the brief comment of the Ibn
Ezra (12th century Spain) on the words, "You shall not be
intimidated/frightened before them":
Be frightened only of Hashem, Who is "a G-d Who is mighty and
feared." Only the fear of the
Almighty is a fear to be cultivated.
Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush, 19th
century) develops this idea still further. First, it is important to note the
different words for fear used in this passage: y-r-a and 'a-r-tz.
Earlier in Devarim (1:29), Malbim differentiates between these two terms. He
states that: y-r-a is fear that
focuses on the other's power; while 'a-r-tz
is fear generated by a feeling of one's own weakness and inadequacy.
We can apply this distinction to our passage, as well. At
first, the people might be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the nations,
which would result in yir'ah. But,
they are told, do not be awestruck by their prowess: Perhaps you might say in
your heart, "These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess
them?" You shall not be afraid (lo
tira) of them.
After all, Egypt's superior numbers and might were no match
for Hashem. In the same manner, "so, will Hashem, your G-d, do to all the
nations before whom you are afraid" (yarei). When
you call this to mind, not only will you not be terrified by them (y-r-a); you will not even feel inferior
to them: You shall not be intimidated/frightened (lo ta'arotz) before them.
Finally, it would seem that Malbim has a different
understanding of the word ki in verse
21, translating it as "when" instead of "because": You
will not be intimidated/ frightened before them,--ki--when [you realize that] Hashem, your G-d, [Who] is in your
midst, [is] a G-d Who is mighty and feared.
Your fear of Hashem will enable you to overcome your fear of them. By way of
analogy, Malbim explains that if a person is pursued by a lion, he is not
concerned about a bee that might sting him! A great and powerful fear
extinguishes a lesser fear. Similarly, Moshe instructs the Children of Israel
to immerse themselves in the fear of Hashem so that that fear will overpower
their apprehension and anxiety vis-a-vis the nations.
Moshe's message to the People of Israel, therefore, is actually the greatest
comfort: Your awe of Hashem will elevate you above mundane concerns. It will
ennoble and empower you.
