“V’hayah eikev tishme’un (This shall be the reward when you hearken…).”# See Rashi# that “eikev” means “im” (if). However, why does the posuk (verse) use “eikev” instead of “im.” This hints that if a person

will keep those mitzvos that one tends to tread on with his heel.# See Genesis 25:26 “and his (Yaakov’s) hand was grasping the (eikev) heel of Eisav.”

Shrewdness
The Ramban brings one understanding – shrewdness from “Vaya’akveini zeh pa’amayim (he has tricked me two times).”# # The Ramban adds, “Therefore he was later called Yeshurun (from the word yoshor – straight) because ‘hofach he’okov l’mishor’ (he changed the crooked to straight).”# #

Okov Yaakov
From the haftorah of Tisha B’Av morning – “Ki kol och okov yaakov (for every brother [kinsman] acts perversely)…”# The Radak translates “okov” shrewdly, deceptively.

Emes
The question is – the midah (main character trait) of Yaakov was “emes” truth. How does all this fit in with this very midah?#

Like a spring
See Brachos,# “One should always be orum (shrewd) in attempting to work on his fear of Heaven.”# One should not battle his inclinations toe to toe, so to speak. See Michtav M’Eliyahu,# “The more one forces back his bad inclinations, the more it becomes like a spring against him. The more force, the more resistance.# This is why so many of our pledges on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur do not last; because we try to force the issues. This does not mean that one should give in either, but to try and head off the issue as follows.

Ormah
Rav Dessler states that one should rather fight his inclinations with ormah (just as the serpent enticed with ormah). For example, someone has been learning in the Beis Hamedrash (study hall) for two hours. His inclination tells him it’s time for a coffee and Danish break. These may sometimes extend into a shmoozing break if the right shmoozers are around. Don’t say, “No, I will not go out now.” Rather, “It’s an idea. I’ll think about it in ten minutes.” In ten minutes repeat the process. This can be used to push off temptations also. Don’t say no. Say, a little later. There are other ways of using ormah also.

The Steipler
There is a story about the Steipler that occurred when he was in the Russian army. He had guard duty one Friday night. The Russian army could not afford a warm coat for every sentry. There was only one coat for all the sentries who worked two or three hour shifts. When one guard’s shift was over he would leave the coat for the next sentry. The previous guard had left the coat in such a way that there was a question of it being muktzah.# Of course, in the sub zero Russian night it would have been permitted because of danger to one’s life. The Steipler however, wanted to push it off as long as possible. He decided to wait ten minutes without the coat and see how he felt. After ten minutes he felt he could go another ten minutes without harm. This went on for the whole shift and he, indeed, never put it on.

Bechirah Here and Now
Of course, there are times when one doesn’t have the luxury of pushing something off for ten minutes. Someone unknowingly drops a $100 bill in front of you. The bechirah (freedom of choice) is immediate. Either you call out to him to return it or put your foot on top of it. Yosef and Potifar’s wife is another example. At those times it’s an either or situation. Then if one has to press on a spring, he has to press on a spring. However, in many cases where the bechirah can be pushed off in one way or another it might be advisable to do so.

Eisav’s Heel
In this way we can get a new understanding in that at their births Yaakov was grasping Eisav’s heel.# It is known from Chazal and seforim that Eisav embodies the force of evil in the world, and that his intrinsic malach (angel) is the soton himself.# # # If so, the battle with Eisav should not be toe to toe, but rather by holding on to the eikev, non-confrontational, and in a shrewd, clever manner.

Yaakov
It is for this reason that Yaakov’s name now is, indeed, Yaakov, connoting ormah. Only in this way can he survive among the forces of evil. However, at the same time he must be true to the midah of emes – no mean feat. That is to say that it must be for Hashem# not for his own advantage. This is how Yaakov also merited to the names Yisroel and Yeshurun, both having the word yoshor (straight) in them.# That is why Yaakov held on to the heel of Eisav, to show that with this brother, whose sar is the soton, one must handle in this way.

Odom Ubeheimah
“Odom ubeheimah toshi’a Hashem (Man and beast You save, Hashem).”# “These are people who are very shrewd in mind but who give the impression that they are no more clever than an animal.”# See the Maharal# that a beast is a simple animal which has no shrewdness. Simplicity goes straight with no deviations. “Simplicity extends to the source of blessings.” These people are actually not simple in mind like an actual beast but instead very shrewd. However, in their character traits they are simple without trying to outsmart others.# #

The Serpent.
“And the serpent was more cunning beyond any beast of the field.”# It is known in seforim (books) that the soton (evil inclination) was “riding on the serpent.”# Therefore, as before, man must also be cunning regarding implementing fear of Hashem. When one is successful in doing so, when implementing eikev tishme’un, which is through ormah as before, then “hu yeshufoch rosh”# he (man) “will pound your head” (of the nochosh). A man pounds the head of a snake by using his heel (eikev). If not “atoh teshufenu okeiv (you [the nochosh] “will bite his heel” [okeiv]).”#

Moshiach
See Rav Tzodok,# “Moshiach will completely correct the sin of the original nochosh. Moshiach in gematria (numerical value of Hebrew letters) is nochosh.” It should therefore be noted that this is an understanding of the expression , “ikvesa demeshicha” (the heel of Moshiach) – he will pound your head.#

[1] Deuteronomy 7:12

[1] Ibid that “eikev” means “‘if’ you will follow the mitzvos which people tend to tread on with their heel.” They don’t give them importance.

[1] Medrash Tanchuma and Ohr Hachaim Hakodosh.

[1] Although see Targum there, “He has outwitted me two times.” Indeed it would seem that the first time, the selling of the bechor (rights of the firstborn) was not trickery at all. Eisav knew the score and what the deal entailed.

[1] Genesis 27:36

[1] Isaiah 40:4

[1] Indeed there is a seeming contradiction here. The posuk (Genesis 2:27) states, “V’Yaakov ish tam.” See Rashi ibid, “He was not learned in trickery, rather his heart and mouth were one. (What he said he meant.) One who is not sharp in trickery is called a tam.” Yet see Rashi (Genesis 29:12), when Rochel warned Yaakov that her father, Lovon, would try to trick him, Yaakov answered, “I am his brother in trickery” (Bava Basra 123a). Evidently Yaakov knew well how to trick (I am his brother) but was never interested in doing so (Ish Tam) except for self preservation. (See Note 24.)

[1] Jeremiah 9:3

[1] A midah is something to work on constantly even if in certain instances it cannot be carried out fully. Two examples. Rivka commanded Yaakov to get the brachos from Yitzchok who had meant to give them to Eisav. Yitzchok, who was blind, asked Yaakov “Who are you my son?” (Genesis 27:18) Yaakov answered “It is I, Eisav your first born.” Rashi ibid explains, “It is I – I am who I am. Eisav is your first born.” Now there is no way that such a statement is permitted. So what did Yaakov gain by this subterfuge? Yaakov was in an impossible bind. He was commanded by his mother, through her prophetic vision, that this is what had to be done. On the other hand his midah was emes. He, therefore, endeavored, as much as possible, to minimize the non-truth. Another less pronounced example. When Shchem and his father Chamor came to ask for Dina’s hand in marriage (Genesis 34:6-19) it was the shevatim who answered them that they must first circumcise. Yaakov remained silent. Yaakov was the family head. Why didn’t he answer them? Because it was a lie. There was never a plan to intermarry with them. It had to be done in order to save Dina. However, Yaakov’s midah was emes. (This does not mean that everyone else can lie but that Yaakov’s special and specific trait was emes much as Avrohom’s was chesed (kindness) and Yitzchok’s was din (judgment).) He, therefore, let the sons speak on his behalf. Yaakov did not know that Shimon and Levi planned to wipe out the town. Yaakov’s idea was to take Dina and leave.

[1] 17a

[1] We once wrote about the significance in Hebrew of the same word having opposite meanings. See Rav Tzodok (Machshavos Chorutz 34b) “All roots of Hebrew teach us about its own meaning and its opposite.” As an example, “And they both (Odom and Chavah) were orum (without clothing)” (Genesis 2:25). In the very next posuk (ibid 3:1), “And the serpent was orum (shrewd) more than all the other animals of the field.” The word orum here has opposite meanings. In the first case of Odom and Chavah it means open and revealed. In the second case, of the serpent, it means concealed, a hidden agenda. What is said is not what is meant. Another example – “lekalais” (end of Nishmas on Shabbos) “to praise”; “la’ag vokeles” (near end of Monday and Thursday Tachanun) – “scorn and derision.”

[1] Book 1 p. 235 (see there also p. 225).

[1] See also Horav Yehuda Leib Bloch, Shi’urei Da’as book 2, p. 200.

[1] There are various categories of muktzah prohibited by the Rabbonon (Rabbis) which cannot be moved on Shabbos.

[1] Genesis 25:26 which in fact gave Yaakov his name.

[1] We once wrote about how, if so, he had freedom of choice.

[1] Every nation has a sar – a malach that embodies the intrinsic essence of that nation.

[1] See Rashi Genesis 32:25 regarding the “man” who wrestled with Yaakov “Chazal state that he was the sar of Eisav.”

[1] This of course has its own dangers. A person can convince himself that what he is doing is for Hashem’s sake when it is anything but.

[1] V’hayah ho’okov lemishor as the Ramban stated. The okov from Yaakov will become altogether straight.

[1] Psalms 36:7

[1] Chulin 5b. This is a positive statement. They act simply as if there was nothing special about them.

[1] Nesivos Olom, Nesiv Hatemimus chp. 2

[1] With this we can understand our previous question (see note 7) regarding Yaakov. The Torah says he was an Ish Tam (a simple person) yet he was able to tell Rochel that he was a brother of her father in shrewdness and trickery.

[1] See the Ba’al Haturim here. “Eikev anavah yiras Hashem (The result of humility is fear of Hashem).” (Proverbs 22:4) “The heel of humility” – learn from the heel which follows the foot in the way of humility. Therefore, it doesn’t get stubbed like the toes “that jump into the lead.” It is modest and thereby shrewd. It doesn’t get stubbed.

[1] Genesis 3:1

[1] I’m not sure exactly what that means. Was the nochosh (serpent) responsible for this? If not, how could he be punished?

[1] Genesis 3:15

[1] Ibid

[1] Yisroel Kedoshim 9b

[1] See Rav Moshe Shapiro shlita, Sefer Mima’amakim, Genesis p. 94. “Before Moshiach arrives Yisroel will be on the lowest level, that of the eikev (heel), the lowest part of man.”

[1] Deuteronomy 9:2

[1] Genesis 14:5

[1] Ibid :13

[1] Deuteronomy 2:10-11

The Children of the Giant
“… Who can stand up against the children of the giant?”# The connotation here is that without Hashem’s help the enemy would have been unbeatable, because no one can stand up to the children of the giant. Yet the four kings# wiped out the Refa’im (of which only Og survived)# and the Eimim.

“The Eimim dwelled there previously … tall as the giants. They too were considered Refa’im like the giants …”# #
If so we need to understand the meaning of the previous posuk (verse), “Who can stand up to the children of the giant”? They were stood up against and indeed beaten.