Likkutei Sichos vol. 9 Ekev 1
A. Absolute Kindness, Or Earned Reward?
• The question: The verse states, “And it will be, because you will heed … that G-d will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He promised to your forefathers.”
This presents an apparent contradiction. How can the Divine blessing described as representing absolute love and a gift that does not depend on our merits be conditional upon the fulfillment of mitzvot (“because you will heed”)?
B. “Bread of Shame”
• The answer: G-d wants to grant us the most perfect form of Divine blessing. However, if we were to receive it entirely as a gift, we would experience the shame of receiving a handout (“bread of shame”). We must therefore create a “vessel” to receive this blessing through our own effort and actions.
Our efforts are in no way proportionate to the infinite Divine blessing we ultimately receive. Nevertheless, our effort is necessary so that we can receive that blessing with dignity.
But what kind of Divine service can serve as the appropriate vessel for such an infinite blessing?
C. “Head” or “Heel”: Where Is True Self-Nullification Found?
• To become a vessel for an infinite Divine revelation—stemming from G-d’s very Essence—we must transcend the limitations of the self and the ego.
• A person who serves G-d through intellectual understanding and spiritual enjoyment—the service of the “head”—still retains an element of personal interest and may distinguish between mitzvot based on their perceived importance.
• By contrast, a person who observes even seemingly simple mitzvot—the “heel”—with the same commitment as the most important mitzvot, simply out of acceptance of G-d’s will and without seeking personal satisfaction, achieves complete self-nullification. This makes the person a fitting vessel for the Infinite.
• Therefore, it is specifically through the service of the “heel,” which represents self-nullification, that we become receptive to the infinite Divine blessing that comes from G-d’s very Essence.
D. The Age of the Heel
• There is another interpretation of the word ekev, “heel”: it refers to ikveta d’Meshicha, the period immediately preceding the coming of Moshiach, the “footsteps” of Moshiach.
• The Rebbe explains that these two interpretations are deeply connected. During exile, we do not experience revealed spiritual pleasure—the illumination associated with the “head.” Yet this very deficiency becomes our advantage: it enables and compels us to observe the mitzvot solely with self-sacrifice and pure acceptance of G-d’s will, the service of the “heel.”
It is precisely this service performed amid the darkness of exile that creates the conditions for the Redemption and for receiving the promised covenant and kindness.
