Tafsiran Ulangan 7:12: Tiferet Shlomo, Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi & Chizkuni

Deuteronomy 7:12: The word 'eikev' appears earlier in the Torah: "because [eikev] Avraham listened to My voice...". We find that 'eikav' means 'because', and that's why Avraham was blessed. 'Eikev' also means 'heel,' which is attributed to tsaddikim since they're the level of heel--they don't consider themselves anything at all [heel is a symbol of humility]. This is what King David meant "...forever to the last": [he meant that] "I [King David] am always at the level of a heel because what I am and what is my life" [as in, he is humble like a heel]. This is also the level of Avraham Avinu since "I [Avraham] am dust and ashes"-- he didn't consider himself to be important. G-d praises Avraham due to his humility, "because [eikev] Avraham listened to My voice...". Even though Avraham considered himself to be a "heel", he guarded the mitzvot and chukot. We also find the same sentiment with R Yochanan ben Zaki. He praised his five students. Why only 5 [of all his thousands of students]? Why he did he count his praise? These 5 pupils always considered themselves as mere students--they didn't consider themselves as important at all. They were like a student who needs his teacher all the time. That's why he had to list their praise-- they were unaware it. So that's why Hashem praised Abraham: he was a level of heel. This is the meaning of verse [from the beginning]: "if you will listen"-- if you will be at the level of a heel and listen to Hashem-- He will give you brachot. This is the meaning of the Jewish people's utterance "I'm black and beautiful" (Shir HaShirim): I am beautiful _because_ I am black [to paraphrase: "I'm aware of my position and that makes me beautiful"].

“If you will heed” [7:12]. Our sages said that the verse teaches us that the commandments that we fulfill with our feet, that one goes to the synagogue, or to a sermon, or visiting the sick, to someone who is sick, or to attend a funeral, or console the mourners; all of these commandments have great merit. Even on the Sabbath, one may run or walk quickly to go to the synagogue. Whoever does not fulfill the commandments, after his death the commandments will complain about him on the Day of Judgment, as the verse says, “the encompassing evil of those who would supplant me” [Psalms, 49:6]. This means, the sins that he commits with his feet will surround him. Similarly, when he is arrogant with his feet or he runs to commit sins, he will be punished. In particular, the one who engages in arrogance with his footsteps will be punished, as we find regarding the daughter of Rabbi Haninah, who was forced into a brothel because of the sin of arrogance she engaged in with her haughty walk. She said herself: I have sinned in that I walked haughtily with my feet. The Holy One is punctilious with the steps of the people. Therefore, the portion begins with “If you will heed” [7:12]. This means, when you will keep the commandments that one does with one’s feet, then the Holy One will give you the land, and everything that the Holy One promised you. Another explanation is that the reward for the commandments is at the end, in the next world. The reward of the evildoer for the few commandments that he fulfilled is in this world. Concerning this the verse said, “If you will heed” [7:12]. This means, when you will hear the commandments. Thus, God will repay you the reward in the end, in the next world.¹Bahya, Deuteronomy, 7:12.

The word, ekev, means the bottom, like the heel of the person’s foot is the bottom part of the person. So too, the reward will be paid in the end. Another explanation is that the verse teaches us that the commandments that one holds insignificant and easy to fulfill, like something that one steps on with his foot, since he considers them as nothing. So too are some commandments that the person considers ordinary and easy. You should keep these commandments. You should not say that this commandment is good and the other one is not good. Rabbi Aha said in Sefer Tanhuma: a parable. A king puts some workers in a garden to plant all sorts of trees and he does not tell them what their payment will be. If he would tell them the payment then each one would work on the good trees in the garden and would receive a good payment. Nobody would work on the ordinary trees and the garden would not be properly made. So too, the Holy One did not make explicit what the reward is for the commandments, expecting that the person should not choose which commandments to do. Rather, he should do what comes to hand. Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai said: The Holy One made explicit the reward for two commandments. One is a very easy commandment. When someone comes across a nest in which there are birds, he must send away the mother from the children and then he may take the children. The Holy One wrote here that when the person will do this, his reward would be that he would live long. The Holy One also wrote about the reward for the most difficult commandment. This is “honor your father and your mother” [5:16], expecting that you will live long. The Holy One compared the easiest commandment to the most difficult commandment, to give the same reward. As great as the reward is, so too, the punishment is as great for the one who does not honor father and mother. The ravens and birds will peck at him and the eagle will eat him. The Holy One pays everything, measure for measure. Therefore, the raven is not compassionate to its children, since its children are born white and it is black. The male says to the female. You exchanged with another bird and therefore your children are white, and they leave their children. The Holy One makes them food; flies are created from their spittle until they are grown and strong. Afterwards, they become black. Since ravens are not compassionate, that is why the Holy One sends the ravens to the person who is not compassionate to his father and mother, and they pick out his eyes and peck at his flesh. However, they do not eat his flesh. The Holy One sends the eagle, who is compassionate to its children, and who eats the flesh of the person who does not honor his father or his mother. The eagle carried its children on its wings. It is afraid that someone would shoot at its children. However, other birds that carry their children with their feet are afraid of other birds. When the eagle comes to its nest, it flaps its wings. It does not want to frighten its children.²Tanhuma, Ekev, 2.

והיה עקב תשמעון AND THE CONSEQUENCE WILL BE, IF YE HEARKEN (The Hebrew text may be taken to signify if you will hear the heel, עקב) — If, even the lighter commands which a person usually treads on with his heels (i.e. which a person is inclined to treat lightly), ye will hearken to,