Dedicated by Naftali Zelman (Spring Valley, NY)
L’zecher nishmas habachur Mattisyahu ben Meshulam Zishe haLevi ybltch”a
Parshas Eikev 5786
At the beginning of Parshas Eikev, Hashem paints a remarkable picture of the blessings that await Klal Yisrael if they remain faithful to His Torah. The promises are immense—abundant prosperity, good health, children, success, and Hashem’s constant protection.
Then, just three pesukim into the parshah, the Torah adds another blessing:
בָּרוּךְ תִּהְיֶה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים, לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ עָקָר וַעֲקָרָה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ.
You shall be blessed above all the nations; there shall be no barren male or female among you or among your livestock.
A BLESSING BEYOND PROSPERITY
At first glance, the pasuk is blessing our livestock. In an agricultural society, that was enormous. Healthy sheep meant wool, healthy cows meant milk, healthy oxen provided the strength to plow the fields, and healthy goats meant food and livelihood. Your animals were your business, your transportation, your workforce, and, in many ways, your survival.
But the Midrash reveals a blessing even greater than healthy cattle. More valuable than milk or eggs. More essential than strong oxen to work your fields. It is a blessing that outweighs all material prosperity.
The Midrash relates:
דָּבָר אַחֵר, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ עָקָר וַעֲקָרָה, מִן הַתְּשׁוּבָה. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי יוֹנָתָן שֶׁהָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ אֵצֶל נַפּוֹלִין שֶׁל כּוּתִים, וְהָיָה רוֹכֵב עַל הַחֲמוֹר וְהַבֶּהָם עִמּוֹ, נִתְלַוֶּה לָהֶם כּוּתִי אֶחָד, הִגִּיעוּ אֵצֶל הַר גְּרִיזִים אָמַר אוֹתוֹ כּוּתִי לְרַבִּי יוֹנָתָן, רַבִּי, מַהוּ דִּין דְּהָדֵין טוּרָא קַדִּישׁ, אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן, לָמָּה הוּא קַדִּישׁ, אָמַר לוֹ אוֹתוֹ הַכּוּתִי שֶׁלֹא לָקָה בְּמֵי הַמַּבּוּל. אָמַר לֵיהּ מִנַיִן לָךְ, אָמַר לֵיהּ לֹא כָךְ כְּתִיב בֶּן אָדָם אֱמָר לָהּ אַתְּ אֶרֶץ לֹא מְטֹהָרָה הִיא לֹא גֻשְׁמָהּ בְּיוֹם זָעַם. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן אִם כֵּן הָיָה לוֹ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לוֹמַר לְנֹחַ לַעֲלוֹת לְהַר וְלֹא לַעֲשׂוֹת תֵּבָה. אָמַר לוֹ לֹא עָשָׂה אֶלָּא לְנַסּוֹתוֹ, שָׁתַק רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן, אָמַר לוֹ הַבֶּהָם תֵּן לִי רְשׁוּת לוֹמַר לוֹ דָּבָר אֶחָד, אָמַר לוֹ אֱמֹר, אָמַר לוֹ אוֹתוֹ הַבֶּהָם אֵין הָהָר הַזֶּה תַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם, אָמַר לוֹ אוֹתוֹ הַכּוּתִי אֶלָּא חוּץ לַשָּׁמַיִם, אָמַר לוֹ אֵין כְּתִיב חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה גָבְרוּ הַמַּיִם וַיְכֻסּוּ כָּל הֶהָרִים הַגְּבֹהִים אֲשֶׁר תַּחַת כָּל הַשָּׁמָיִם, מִיָּד יָרַד רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן מִן הַחֲמוֹר וְהִרְכִּיבוֹ אַרְבָּעָה מִילִין, וְקָרָא עָלָיו הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה וְכָל לָשׁוֹן תָּקוּם אִתָּךְ לַמִּשְׁפָּט תַּרְשִׁיעִי, הֱוֵי לֹא יִהְיֶה בְךָ עָקָר וַעֲקָרָה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ, מַהוּ וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וּבַבֶּהָמִין שֶׁלָּךְ.
R’ Yonasan was traveling with his donkey driver when a Samaritan joined them. As they approached Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan turned to R’ Yonasan and said, “Rabbi, do you know why this mountain is holy?”
R’ Yonasan asked, “Why?”
The Samaritan replied, “Because it was never covered by the waters of the Flood.”
“How do you know that?” R’ Yonasan asked. The Samaritan quoted a verse in Yechezkel as proof.
R’ Yonasan responded, “If that is true, then Hashem could have simply told Noach to climb Mount Gerizim instead of spending 120 years building an ark.”
The Samaritan was not convinced. “No,” he replied. “Hashem only had Noach build the ark to test him.”
At that point, R’ Yonasan remained silent.
The donkey driver then asked his rebbi, “May I answer him?”
“Go ahead,” R’ Yonasan replied.
The driver turned to the Samaritan and asked, “Is Mount Gerizim under the heavens?”
“Of course,” the Samaritan answered. “Where else would it be?”
The driver then quoted the Torah: “All the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered by the waters of the Flood.”
“If Mount Gerizim is under the heavens,” he said, “then it too was covered.”
The Samaritan had no response.
R’ Yonasan was so impressed that he immediately got off his donkey, had the driver ride instead, and walked alongside him for four mil in honor of the Torah wisdom displayed by this seemingly ordinary Jew.
NO JEW BARREN OF TORAH
The Midrash concludes that this is the deeper meaning of the verse, “There shall not be a barren man or woman among you or among your livestock.”
Chazal explain that the phrase “among your livestock” can also be read as “among your animal drivers.” In other words, even the simplest members of Klal Yisrael—even a donkey driver—should not be barren of Torah.
The verse is not speaking only about physical children. It is also teaching that no Jew should be barren of Torah.
The Torah is not the exclusive inheritance of great scholars. Every Jew is capable of acquiring Torah and making it part of his very being. That is why the Midrash specifically has the donkey driver, rather than R’ Yonasan himself, answer the Samaritan. Even a person whose occupation appears ordinary can possess remarkable Torah wisdom when he has devoted himself to learning.
R’ Yonasan recognized that the driver’s response was not merely a clever argument. It was evidence that the Torah had become ingrained within him. For that reason, he honored the driver publicly by stepping off his own donkey and allowing the driver to ride while he walked. His honor was directed toward the Torah that the driver embodied.
TORAH THAT BECOMES PART OF US
The Midrash is teaching that every Jew has the potential to become a living repository of Torah. A person need not hold a distinguished title or occupy a position of prominence. Through sincere and consistent Torah study, the Torah becomes part of his character, shapes the way he thinks, and equips him to respond with truth and wisdom when the moment demands it.
In this way, the verse promises that there should never be spiritual barrenness among Klal Yisrael. Every Jew has the ability to bear the fruits of Torah and reveal its wisdom in everyday life.
Perhaps this is one of the greatest blessings in the Torah. Wealth can be lost, health can change, and success can be fleeting. But when a person fills himself with Torah, he carries with him something that no one can ever take away. The Torah becomes the lens through which he thinks, speaks, and lives.
That is the blessing of “לא יהיה בך עקר”—that no Jew should ever be spiritually barren. Every one of us, regardless of our profession, background, or title, has the ability to become a vessel for Hashem’s wisdom.
The question is not whether we are capable of greatness, but whether we will consistently plant the seeds of Torah within ourselves until they bear fruit.
That is a blessing that surpasses all others. •
