Ekev

Ekev

Bli Ayin Harah, Often times, living in Jerusalem, I feel that I am living a prophecy:

Zecharia 8 – 4

Thus says the G-d of Hosts, it will happen that old men and Women will sit in the squares of Jerusalem, and each man is with his cane because of age. And the squares of the city will be filled with boys and girls who are playing in the squares.

Near were I live I often see elderly people sitting around socializing while tens of children play games, ride their bicycles and slide into the sand box.

Our Perasha has similar guaranties from G-d:

Devarim 7 – 13

He (G-d) will love you, and bless you, and make you great and he will bless your offspring, and the fruit of you land, your wheat, and your wine, and your olive oil, your many oxen and your flocks on the land which the Lord your G-d promised your forefathers to give them.

Are we living such prophecies? The Jewish people are now living on their land. Although things are far from completely perfect it has not been this good for the Jewish people for some two thousand years.

The Prophecy foretold by Zecharia was stated under very similar circumstances. The Jews had returned from a seventy year exile and were in the middle of rebuilding the whole land and the Temple in Jerusalem. They came to the Prophet and asked him if it would be all right for them to stop fasting and mourning over the destruction of the Temple which was now almost built.

Zecharia did not give them a straight answer. For almost two chapters he lectured them about the reasons for the previous destruction and exile. The reason for which were a disdain for justice and oppression of the lower classes and taking advantage of defenseless single mothers and their children. (This is the first time I have interpreted the popular Tanach’s defenseless “Widows and Orphans” term as single mothers and their children. It is based rabbinic explanations that a person is considered an Orphan if his father is no longer but his mother is around)

He then told the elders:

Zecharia 8 – 16

These are the things which you should do, a man should speak truth to his peer, truth and justice should be judged within your gates. And a man should not think in his heart evil against his peer, and do not love to swear falsely because those are the things which I really hate says G-d.

This is followed by a declaration that the fasts and mourning for the Temple will become happy holidays.

I ask again are we living this prophecy?

Clearly the answer is no! Modern Israeli society is based on lies and half truths of politicians and advertising. (America is of course much worse) Justice is not to be even discussed when it comes to people who do not have the money to hire a lawyer. (Only when many years in jail are in question is a lawyer hired for a defendant) Hatred is also a very popular pastime.

Our Perasha also starts out saying:

Devarim 7 – 12

And if you will listen to these Judgments and watch them and do them, and G-d will watch…

The only noticeable difference between the conditions and blessing in the Perasha and those found in Zecharia is that Zecharia was living during a time when G-d had guarantied that Israel would be built and that continued blessing would be contingent upon being righteous while the Perasha makes any blessing contingent on following the Torah.

Another of Zecharia’s prophecy is discussed at length at http://www.milknhoney.co.il/chanukah/