I recall attending a lovely wedding where the singer concluded singing, “Im Eshkachech,” and the glass was placed under the chosson’s foot to break. As I readied myself to run up to the chuppah to wish mazel tov, I saw that the glass rolled out from beneath his foot. It didn’t break!! So they repositioned the glass under his heel, and he promptly stomped down, this time breaking the glass. Lesson of the day: The trick to breaking the glass is to stomp down on the glass with your heel. Stepping on the glass with the front of the foot many times will cause it to roll out.

Parshas Eikev opens with the words “V’haya eikev tishma’un….” (And when you will listen). The word eikev means heel but in the context of this pasuk, it is being translated as “when.” The use of this word is seemingly unnecessary. The Torah could have just said “V’haya im tishma’un”—And it will be if (when) you will listen. Rashi explains the use of the word eikev: the Midrash indicates that the word eikev teaches us that the reward the Torah promises is for being careful with the mitzvos of “the heel.” A mitzvah of the heel is one that people tend to tread upon and neglect—mitzvos that aren’t taken so seriously.

Still, why is the “stepping on with the heel” language used? The Slonimer Rebbe quotes the Ruzhiner Rebbe who explains that the generations of the Jewish nation correspond to different parts of the human body. The Avos (patriarchs) are compared to the head. Bilam referred to Klal Yisrael as “Me’rosh tzurim” (from their origins, they were like rocks [meaning they had a solid foundation based on following the Avos]). Rosh means head. The generation preceding Moshiach is compared to the heel. This is expressed in the title of the era preceding Moshiach as “Ikvesa moshiach”—the footsteps of Moshiach, which are produced by the heel stepping down on the ground.

Which specific mitzvos is the pasuk referring to that the generation corresponding to the heel needs to focus on? The Mishna describes the decadence, depravity and corruption that will occur during the generation preceding Moshiach. The Galil and border cities in Eretz Yisrael will be desolate. The government will be composed of heretics. Inflation will soar. People will act with chutzpah—impudence. There will be increased promiscuity. The Mishna concludes with the prophecy that all ideologies, world beliefs and markets will fail. The only source of salvation will be Hashem. The Mishna is thus teaching us that the generation prior to Moshiach needs to focus on developing their emunah in Hashem.

The Torah refers to emunah as a mitzvah that is treated lightly. Many feel that they believe in Hashem, so there’s no need to work on this area. However, there are levels of emunah and it takes focus and effort to strengthen our emunah. In this light, the pasuk is promising reward to the “heel” generation that increases their emunah, something neglected by so many, yet which need increased focus.

A few years ago, Rabbi Dovid Ashear started giving a daily Chizuk shiur in emunah. He has a large following because people feel this is an area of life that needs strengthening.

But why refer to the heel as opposed to any other part of the foot? The heel is the part of the foot which allows a person to walk. It is the first part of the body that touches the ground and because of its rounded shape, it helps propel a person forward with its rolling motion. The first part of a person’s shoe to get worn out…is the heel. The generation compared to the heel will be what causes Moshiach to come.

The Chofetz Chaim said, 100 years ago, that we are in the period of “ikvesa d’moshiach.” Our generation must be the heel that propels us forward. We are the generation that will cause the Jewish nation and the world to move forward to the next phase—Moshiach!

Some people think: If prior generations, which were greater than ours, were not worthy of Moshiach, how could our generation merit to bring Moshiach? The Torah is teaching us it’s precisely our generation, that is compared to the heel—“ikvesa d’moshiach,” that will bring Moshiach by focusing on emunah in Hashem. May it be so speedily in our time!

Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the associate rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at [email protected]. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com