Parashat Eikev 5785-16 August 2025 / 22 Av 5785

Mr. Murthy Gaddi
Aug 14, 2025
7 min read

“Eikev: The Heel and the Heart — Where Faith Meets Responsibility”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB_JuVgV6Dg

“WHAT IS ON A HEEL? – THE LIGHT OF REDEMPTION HIDDEN IN THE LOWEST GENERATION”

✨ The Heels of Mashiach — Ikveta d'Meshicha

📖 Deuteronomy 7:12“Eikev tishme’un…” – “Because [on the heel] you will listen to these judgments…”The sages interpret “eikev” not only causally (“because”), but spiritually — pointing to the “heels of history”, or the final generation before the coming of Mashiach.📚 Talmud (Sanhedrin 98b): The era before Mashiach is called "Ikveta d'Meshicha" — the footsteps (heels) of the Messiah, a time of spiritual decline, increased suffering, and moral confusion, but also deep redemptive potential.

🦶 Two Faces of the Heel – Teachings from Chassidut

🧱 1. The Heel as the Lowest and Least SensitiveThe heel has the least spiritual sensitivity — it lacks direct awareness like the head or heart.This generation is described by the Baal Shem Tov and Rebbe Nachman of Breslov as being:

Spiritually coarsened
Plagued by confusion and secularism
Lacking the overt prophecy and miracles seen by earlier generations

Yet this very coarseness is part of the spiritual test of ikveta d’meshicha — when faith must emerge from darkness.

Rebbe Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin: “The further one is from the light, the greater the reward and transformation when one returns.”

🚶‍♂️ 2. The Heel as the Foundation and Enabler of MovementThe heel supports the entire body and makes all forward movement possible.Rebbe Shneur Zalman of Liadi(Tanya): The heel corresponds to action, the lowest of the soul’s faculties — yet only action fulfills mitzvot.“In the generation of Mashiach, simple actions and faith will accomplish what generations of spiritual giants could not.”Ohr HaTorah(Lubavitcher Rebbe, Parshat Eikev):“At the end, in the heel era, Israel will return to God and God will guard the covenant.”

🐍 Bruise of the Snake and the Heel of Redemption

📖 Genesis 3:15"He [the seed of woman] will bruise your head, and you [the snake] will bruise his heel."This is seen by the sages as a messianic prophecy. The heel is wounded — symbolic of suffering, exile, and confusion in the final generation.But ultimately, the heel crushes the head of the serpent — representing the overcoming of evil and the final redemption.🔥 Zohar and Kabbalah: The heel generation contains “the most hidden sparks of holiness.”According to the AriZal, the final elevation and tikkun of the world must come through the lowest realms — where the divine sparks are buried deep within physicality.

📖 The Torah of the Heel – The Torah of Mashiach

“The same Torah will be revealed in a totally new light.” – Zohar Chadash, Ruth 31bIn earlier generations, we understood Torah through the lens of Yirah (awe) and prophetic light.But in the era of the heel:

We receive Torah through emunah peshutah (simple faith).
We reveal new dimensions of Torah previously concealed — as described by Rabbi Chaim Vital and the Ramchal.

This is the Torah of Mashiach — not a new law, but a deeper unveiling of the same eternal truth, perceived through the clarity that follows darkness.

🌅 Final Reflection: The Heel That Ushers the Light

Even though we are in the heel generation — spiritually numb, bruised, and confused — this is the very generation that will bring the Geulah (redemption).Rebbe Nachman teaches: “There’s no descent without ascent.”And the Baal Shem Tov says: “The greater the concealment, the greater the light hidden inside.”

🔑 Summary

“What is on the heel?” Everything. The weight of the generations, the bruises of exile, and the secret of redemption — for only the heel can carry the body to the end of the journey.

“THE FOOTSTEPS OF MASHIACH BEN YOSEF: UNVEILING THE HIDDEN REDEEMER IN THE HEEL GENERATION AND THE FINAL STRUGGLE FOR REDEMPTION”

📖 1. Yosef Recognizes – But is Not Recognized (Genesis 42:8)

“וַיַּכֵּר יוֹסֵף אֶת-אֶחָיו, וְהֵם לֹא הִכִּרֻהוּ” – "Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not

recognize him." This moment is deeply symbolic and prophetic in Jewish thought.

🔹 Midrash and Zohar (Sod / Mystical Interpretation): The Zohar (Vayeshev 184b) teaches that Yosef represents the hidden tzaddik, whose true identity is masked in exile.

He appears to the world dressed like an Egyptian – externally indistinguishable – but inwardly remains entirely devoted to Hashem and his mission.

🕯 2. Mashiach ben Yosef – The Hidden Redeemer

📘 Kol HaTor (The Voice of the Turtledove) – Written by R’ Hillel of Shklov, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon, this work extensively outlines the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef.

“The main function of Mashiach ben Yosef is the beginning of the redemption... the gathering of exiles, the physical rebuilding of the Land of Israel, and the preparation for Mashiach ben David.”

Yet: “One of the traits of Mashiach ben Yosef is that he is not recognized by his brothers… just as Yosef’s identity was hidden from the tribes...”

This concealment is not accidental. According to the Kol HaTor:

The Satan (the spiritual prosecutor) specifically works to hide the light of Mashiach ben Yosef.
He is belittled, dismissed, even rejected — “due to our many sins.”
This is why the redemption is delayed — because Israel has not yet recognized ‘Yosef’.

🌪 3. The Suffering of Mashiach ben Yosef

📖 Talmud (Sukkah 52a): “They shall look upon him whom they pierced and mourn for him” – The sages explain this refers to Mashiach ben Yosef, who is killed in the process of preparing the redemption.

Rabbi Dosa says: “It is for Mashiach ben Yosef who is killed in battle.”

This death is not final, but a metaphor for concealment, rejection, and suffering.

Some kabbalists (e.g., the Gra and Ramchal) interpret this "death" as spiritual exile, where his mission is misunderstood or seen as failure.

🧩 4. The Hidden Tzaddik and the Masking of Redemption

📘 Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin(Resisei Laila): “Before the redemption, the redeemer will be among us, but we will not recognize him.”

He will be treated like a “stranger”.
His message will be veiled.
Only those with a deep inner vision (da’at and emunah) will begin to awaken to him.

“Yosef is alive, but hidden.”

🕊 5. The Teshuvah of the Brothers – Recognition is the Key

“If Israel would only recognize Yosef — i.e., the footsteps of Mashiach ben Yosef — then we would already be redeemed.” (Kol HaTor, ch. 2)

Recognition is not simply knowing a name — it is:

Understanding the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef.
Accepting the redemptive process that begins from below —building the land,gathering the exiles,restoring Torah, even amid secular garments.
Being able to see holinesswhere it’s concealed.

As the Sfat Emet writes: “Redemption comes not by changing the world, but by uncovering the sparks hidden within it.”

🌄 6. The Final Revelation – “Ani Yosef”

When Yosef finally reveals himself (Genesis 45:3): “I am Yosef — is my father still alive?” The brothers are speechless, shocked into silence.

This parallels the future moment when:

Mashiach ben Yosef is revealed.
The nation collectively realizes that the redeemer was with us all along.

Zohar (Vayigash 208a): “Great will be the shame and also the joy when the tzaddik is revealed.”

🔥 Summary Thought

"The tragedy of exile is not only that we are far from redemption — but that we do not recognize the redeemer who walks among us.”

Just as Yosef wore Egyptian garb, Mashiach ben Yosef’s mission is hidden beneath worldly appearances. The sooner we recognize him, the sooner the process of geulah shleimah — complete redemption — will unfold.

This stage of redemption is called Ikveta d’Meshicha — the "footsteps" or "heels" of the

Mashiach, where faith is tested amid spiritual darkness and confusion. Yet it is in this era, the sages teach, that even the smallest act of Torah and emunah (faith) has enormous redemptive power.

As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught: “Mashiach will be revealed through the lowest levels — through the heel — because that is where the greatest sparks are hidden.”

Thus, the final struggle is not through foreign ideologies or the false spiritualities of Egypt or Edom, but through the faithful steps of Israel, rooted in Torah, embodied in the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef, and culminating in the complete redemption through

Mashiach ben David.

The Role of Mashiach ben Yosef in the Preparation

📘 Kol HaTor (Vilna Gaon, ch. 2): The redemption unfolds in stages:

Mashiach ben Yosef prepares the infrastructure — physical, spiritual, national.
He is often not recognized, suffers opposition, and works under concealment.
His mission is gathering the exiles, building the Land, and fighting spiritual Amalek.
Recognition of his mission is key to unlocking Mashiach ben David.

EIKEV - – The Heel of the Mitzvah:

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