15 Aug Parshas Eikev; A Stiff-Necked People, A Blessing and a Curse

Parshas Eikev; A Stiff-Necked People, A Blessing and a Curse…The Power of Opposites

G-d refers to the Jews as ‘a stiff necked people’ a number of times in the Torah. In Parshas Eikev the Jews are once again referred to as a stiff necked people;

Eikev 9.6 You must know that God, your God, is not giving you this land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Amalek (formerly a  nation as an arch enemy or the Jewish Nation, existing now as a spiritual force) attacks the neck, where the power of Daat-Knowledge is located: The juncture itself is the connection of the head’s wisdom of mind (chochma) to the experience of the emotive-heart experiences (binah) become interincluded and elevated as knowledge (daat).  Amalek blocks the “narrow passage of the neck (daat)” where the wisdom of mind (chochma) meet the wisdom of the emotive- heart  thereby subverting the soul’s “objectivity” and its ability to stand outside of itself to grasp higher truths so that it can then userp  the ways of Amalek. It is the power that G-d gave us to exercise free will in a holy way to choose, thus the opposition of a stiff-necked people thus the ‘gate’ of being stiff necked is  a blessing or a curse.

The ‘stiff-neck’ is a blessing and a curse. It can work to our detriment by being stubborn, or can be a ‘gate’ that we use to not accept things at face value by questioning; to discern truth from false, pure from impure, righteous from unrighteous (wicked, evil).

In fact, being stiff necked can be praiseworthy in the face of persecution; anti-Semitism, assimilation or even martyrdom as a Kiddush Hashem, one who sanctifies G-ds Name (according to Torah law).

Through the process of questioning we can come to a higher truth and a greater faith and a strengthening of our Living, Learning and Teaching of the righteous ways of Torah.

Addiction-Recovery

Those experiencing issues of  recovery may find themselves overwhelmed with coming to the ‘right’ decision on things. This is where having a relationship with a Higher Power and  righteous guidance can help in finding greater objectivity,  a ‘good decision’ and a strengthened resolve.

Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax
Addictions and Counceling