What does God require of me?

The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States Government, emphasize the importance of parents imparting clear instructions to their children so that they can develop healthily in their lives[1]. It states that having clear instructions will teach them what behaviour is expected of them; it will reinforce their independence by teaching them limits and boundaries in their daily activities. This will prevent the poor behaviour that is harmful to themselves and society.

This is exactly what Parashat Ekev is about. It addresses the connection between sowing and reaping, origin and destination, cause and effect, and actions and results.

I would like to focus on Deuteronomy 10, verses 12-13: “And now, O Israel, what does God, your God, require of you…?  וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ, Ve-atah Yisrael mah Adonai Eloheicha…”. It is interesting that in the Torah, there are very few questions; more often than not, there are sentences, paragraphs, phrases or statements, but very few questions. Therefore, as our sages say, sometimes the questions are deeper than the answers.

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does God want from me?” We spend time inventing so many answers without ever asking this question. Some spend their lives working, others sculpting their bodies in gyms, or wasting it on a cell phone, or even spending hours studying religious books. But is this really what God wants from us? If we don’t have a clear answer, we will be like those children who don’t receive instruction at home and whose behaviour on the street is far from the best.

The answers to Moses’ question, “What does your God require of you, are very concrete:

One: Only that you have reverence for Him (i.e., fear Him); two: that you walk in all His ways; three: that you love Him and four: that you serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Berachot 33b says concerning Rabbi Hanina: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except the fear of Heaven. Man has free will to serve God or not… The LORD asks man to fulfill these duties because, ultimately, the decision is in his hands.” Mishlei 1:7 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

Respect, i.e., the reverence to which Deuteronomy refers, is one of the values that, for the most part, humanity has lost today. For example, when I was a child, we were required to go to bed early; we could not participate in adult conversations unless we were called upon to do so, much less treat an older person or someone with a higher rank as an equal. Today, the popular idea of “equality” has led to a lack of respect in society.

We must nurture within ourselves the belief that we are not equal; we have the same value before God and man, but we are not equal. The idea of equality has caused all communist systems to fail, because, although we are communal beings, God first created us uniquely. What, then, is fearing God, Yirat Adonai (יראת יהוה)? It is a profound respect, admiration, and reverence for God. It is recognizing God’s power, His authority, and His holiness, i.e. His being separate from all other gods, and it is aligning our lives with His will.

Tehillim 128:1 says, “Praiseworthy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.” The Hebrew word for “praiseworthy” is  ַשְׁרֵי Ashrei, which means “happy” – a deep, ongoing feeling of well-being and blessing, not momentary joy. Walking in His ways refers to following God’s commandments and moral guidance. Our well-being is linked to living our lives with the intention of continually pleasing God.

The Rambam (Maimonides) in Sefer haMitzvot (Mitzvah 8) says: “The eighth mitzvah is that we are commanded to emulate God, blessed be He, to the best of our ability.” How can this be explained practically? Man is infinitely distant from the Creator, yet Ekev states that: “God is merciful, so we must act with mercy.” “God calls Himself pious, so we must act piously,” “God is just, so we must act justly.” While it is true that we can fall into the trap of believing that we cannot be equal to the Eternal, we must still emulate Him, that is, manifest His Divine qualities in this limited world. This brings the infinite into the finite. What do we learn from this parashah? That God is good; He is compassionate; He is slow to anger, and He is abounding in mercy. He repays each person according to his deeds. He loves the sinner but hates sin. His kindness is infinite. Do we emulate God in our daily activities?

Then he says, “Love God, Ahavat Hashem”. To love God is a verb that is too extensive for definition. However, I quote Rabbi Noah Weinberg: “Loving God is a constant mitzvah. In one respect, this is easy to do, since everything related to God is virtuous. However, the challenge is that it all depends upon the degree of knowledge we have.” We read in Deuteronomy 6 that God is love on three levels: First, with your soul (i.e., your energy, your talents); second, with your possessions (your material goods); third, with your heart (your intention, will, knowledge). The expression “ahava” (love) invites a person to become echad, one, with God. The words “ahava” (love) and “echad” (one) share the same numerical value of thirteen on Gematria. Therefore, to love God is to be one with the Creator. It is that intense feeling we have for someone; it is meditating on Him and getting to know Him. It’s when your deepest desire is to fulfill His will.

Finally, that you serve God. Serving God isn’t about filling my time with liturgical activities or performing a series of actions that I must do each day. Service or Avodah is joyfully living the commandments, prayer, Torah study, and kindness toward others. Regarding kindness, it applies to any human activity (work, dedication to family, etc.) that is done with the right spiritual motivation and doing it with joy. For example, I work because I love it, and I get paid for it. What would it mean to serve God with my work? Well, it means helping others when it’s the just thing to do and showing God’s goodness through my choices. How does Ekev teach us about serving God? Here are just three examples, although there are many: First, “love the ger, the stranger for we were strangers in Egypt” (10:19); Second, we should not derive benefit out of the ornamentation of an idol (7:25); Third, “bless and give thanks for our food” (8:10). I could cite many more, but I don’t want to focus on this aspect.

As we see, what God is asking of us are actions for the living, not the dead. Furthermore, He frequently warns us about the evil that holds us back from adequately answering the following question: What is God asking of me? What keeps us away is our short memory (forgetfulness) and a proud heart (8:14). I am the first one to forget God’s goodness. I worry too much when I forget that God has brought me through far worse situations than the one that I’m in. I often think that what is getting me through is my money, my knowledge, my strength, my power, when the true source is God.

I would like to close with this very profound passage. Deuteronomy 11:6 says, “And what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households, their tents, and all their money that sustained them, in the midst of all Israel.” The source of Abiram’s courage, as Moses describes it, was his money. How many people think that with their money they can buy will, the law, and obtain benefits over others! To God, Aviram’s money was worthless; it was buried with all his possessions because of his arrogance and intolerance. Let us beware of seeking idols made of clay and iron, for we will surely fall.

My prayer is that we ask ourselves the question: What does God require of me? And that we act with reverence, and live our lives with the desire to emulate Him, love Him, and serve Him.

Shabbat Shalom

Mauricio Quintero

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/parents/spanish/essentials/directions/important.html