Once We Grew Into Our Shoes; We Told Them Where To Go (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia: "Days Between ")

           One of the indicators that summer is drawing towards its inevitable conclusion is the return of my wife and children from summer camp. My wife, our twenty-year-old daughter, and eighteen-year-old son returned this week. I have lost track of loads of laundry we have done and the loads of laundry that still need to be done. While my daughter was unpacking and we were loading the washer, she began to unpack all her shoes and showed me a pair of sneakers that were falling apart. She smiled and said that she needs to a new pair of sneakers; I smiled and wondered aloud why she had brought the old ruined ones home in the first place.  Seven weeks of camp and he had completely destroyed a new pair of sneakers. 

           This Shabbat we read from Parshat Eikev. This week’s Parsha is Eikev. Here in his second discourse, Moshe explains to the new generation how the second set of tablets that contain the Aseret Dibrot (Ten Commandments) came into being. He describes how God forgave their parents for their idolatrous behavior in regards to the Eigel Zahav (Golden Calf), Moshe explains that B’nai Yisroel’s essential task is to refrain from Idolatry, serve God, worship God, and the nation will be rewarded with water, grass and quality lives. Moshe also reminds B’nai Yisroel that they have nothing to fear when they enter Canaan and conquer the land even though they may be outnumbered. God has already and will continue to protect his people. He did so during the Yetziat Mitzrayim (Exodus from Egypt). He did so when B’nai Yisroel defeated Og and Bashan. As long as B’nai Yisroel keeps its side of the Brit, God will continue to protect his people.

           While Moshe recounts the experience at Mt. Sinai, now known as Mt. Horeb, he explains that the misfortunes that befell B’nai Yisroel were L’Nastocha LD’aat et Asher Bilvavecha HaTishmor Mitzvotav Im Lo – tests, to know what is in your heart whether you would observe His commandments or not (Deut. 8:2). While Moshe explains B’nai Yisroel’s recent history in terms of a Divine Test, he makes an odd statement as he cites some of the miracles that B’nai Yisroel may have overlooked or taken for granted. Simlatcha lo Valtah Mei’Alecha, V’Raglecha Lo VaTzeika Zeh Arbaim Shana- Your garments did not wear out upon you and your foot did not swell these forty years (Deut.8:4). Forty years of living in the Wilderness and no one outgrew their clothing nor wore out their clothing or their sandals. Certainly, their clothing and sandals were not made with the same high-quality material as our daughter’s.  Rashi, the great 11th-century French commentator, offers an explanation base on a literal understanding of the verse. Anenei Kavod Hayu SHafin Bichsutam –The Clouds of Glory would rub their clothes U’MGaHaTzim Otam- and press them, Kmin Keilim M’Guhatzim – like freshly pressed garments. V’Af Ketaneihem Kmo Hayu Gdeilim Haya Gadeil Levushan Imahem – and their young too, as they would grow, their clothing grew with them, K’Lvush HaZeh shel Chomet Sh’Gdeil Imo – like the clothing (shell) of a snail which grows with it. This is not the kind of miracle that one notices and has an awe-inspiring moment. Rather this is the type of miracle that one becomes aware of after the fact. Maybe this type of miracle is unnoticeable on a day-to-day basis but over the course of years and decades, looking back, one realizes what took place.  However, a more figurative way to understand Moshe’s statement is that the clothes are God’s teachings, God’s commandments, and God’s Torah. Torah, and Moshe’s teachings, by design, are supposed to grow with the person and never become old, worn out, or obsolete.

           I suppose sneaker manufacturers and brands would hate the idea that a pair of tennis, running, or basketball sneakers are synonymous with Torah. After all, Torah is designed to withstand time and space. Clothing manufacturers need children to outgrow their clothes and wear out their shoes. Otherwise, there would be no need to buy more sneakers and jeans. I became very aware of this as I closely inspected our daughter’s shredded sneaker.  As we drove back to Toronto, we passed an outlet mall on the New York State Thruway and bought him another pair of sneakers. I know that his foot hasn’t stopped growing, so we will have to buy more sneakers in another 9-12 months. I told him that I did not want to buy him another pair because he wore them out so quickly but rather because he outgrew them. Maybe he should read and study more since one doesn’t outgrow or wear out his knowledge base like he does with his clothes and his sneakers.

Peace,
Rav Yitz