Parshat Eikev

The Torah portion of Eikev does begin,
With the words, "If you will listen,"
To say "If," why does the Torah choose,
A unique word like Eikev, to use?

The word Eikev does contain,
A second meaning, Rashi does explain,
Eikev is a heel, in our bodies it is the lowest part,
We use it to trample over things that we don't take to heart.

If the Mitzvot that we trample with our feet, we will keep,
The rewards and benefits, from Hashem, we will reap,
What type of Mitzvah would seem insignificant to you and me,
That would go into the "heel" category?

There are some Mitzvot that we can understand,
Our intellect motivates us to fulfill this type of command,
There are other Mitzvot that make us feel good,
We fulfill them because our heart tells us that we should.

Lastly, there are Mitzvot of a different kind,
We don't do them because of our heart or mind,
We fulfill them because they are the will of Hashem,
Even though our mind and heart tell us to trample over them.

How can we fulfill these Mitzvot you may ask,
To make ourselves humble before Hashem is our task,
As humble as a person might be,
An animal has total humility.

On Rosh Hashana, the Shofar we blow,
Our total humility to Hashem we show,
Therefore although a different horn may sound nice,
Only a ram's horn does suffice.

Souvenir: