Ekev:

Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

OVERVIEW

If Bnei Yisrael are careful to observe even those "minor" mitzvos that are usually "trampled" underfoot, Moses promises them that they will be the most blessed of the nations of earth. Moses tells Bnei Yisrael that they will conquer Eretz Canaan little by little, so that the land will not be overrun by wild animals in the hiatus before Bnei Yisrael are able to organize and settle the whole land. After again warning Bnei Yisrael to burn all carved idols of Canaanite gods, Moses stresses that the Torah is indivisible and not open to partial observance. Moses describes the Land of Israel as a land of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, and pomegranates, a land of oil-yielding olives and date-honey. Moses cautions Bnei Yisrael not to become haughty and think that what they will have in Eretz Yisrael is a result of their own powers or vigor; rather they must always remember that it was Hashem who gave them wealth and success. Nor did Hashem drive out the Canaanites because of Bnei Yisrael's righteousness but rather because of the sins of the Canaanites; for the road from Sinai had been a catalogue of large and small sins and rebellions against Hashem and Moses. Moshe details the events after Hashem spoke the Ten Commandments at Sinai, culminating in his bringing down the second set of Tablets on Yom Kippur. Aaron's passing is recorded together with the elevation of the Levites to ministers to Hashem. Moses points out that the 70 souls who went down into Egypt have now become like the stars of the heaven in abundance. After specifying the great virtues of the Land of Israel, Moses speaks the second paragraph of the Shema, which conceptualizes reward for keeping the mitzvos and penalty for not keeping them.

Overview courtesy of Rabbis Newman and Sinclair, Ohr Somayach