Eikev: The Actions of One Person

By Ethan Dalva

We say the שמע at least three times a day, but we often contemplate only the simple meaning of the words (or space out and maybe aren’t יוצא the חיוב – not so פשוט), and unfortunately overlook the deeper messages that are hidden in the text. One of these inspirational messages is revealed by the משך חכמה.

The משך חכמה, in his very last commentary on פרשת עקב, teaches an incredible lesson. For those of us who are behind in שנים מקרא, our פרשה culminates with the text that we say as the second paragraph of שמע. Interestingly, the משך חכמה points out, the entire paragraph is written in the plural form, except for one commandment – וכתבתם על מזוזות ביתך ובשעריך – the commandment to put a מזוזה on our doorposts. Why is this ציווי alone given to us in the singular?

The הלכה dictates that when a city is deemed to be an עיר הנדחת, all of the people who live in the city are חייב סקילה, their money is destroyed, and they have no חלק in עולם הבא. The גמרא in סנהדרין קיג, however, learns that if in the entire city there is one מזוזה, the city cannot be considered an עיר הנדחת, based on a לימוד from לא תעשון כן לד׳ אלוקיכם – that we are commanded to destroy the gods of the goyim, and not a מזוזה that is found in an otherwise-would-be עיר הנדחת. Just as one מזוזה saves an entire population from being נסקל, so too it saves their חלק in עולם הבא.

This is the exact reason the פסוק teaches the commandment of מזוזה in the singular form. The תורה is hinting to us that just one person who fulfills the מצוה of putting up a מזוזה on his doorpost, saves his entire city’s עולם הזה and עולם הבא. The actions of one person can have a positive effect on an entire community.

We don’t fully comprehend the incredible ability – and therefore responsibility (@RavTaragin) – we have through the מצוות we do and תורה we learn. It’s critical to internalize that every action we do can have a tremendous effect on others around us, both physically and metaphysically. Too many members of כלל ישראלhave been going through unimaginable pain and hardship for too long, and could use our זכויות now more than ever. We should focus on this power we have in every mitzvah we do, and reflect on this lesson as we read the Shema every day.