Growing up in apartheid South Africa, I knew what it felt like to live in a country becoming increasingly isolated from the world. Sporting boycotts, economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure were part of everyday life. Living in Israel today, I sometimes experience echoes of that atmosphere. University campuses, European capitals and international institutions increasingly portray Israel as uniquely illegitimate. Accusations of genocide, apartheid and colonialism—once confined largely to activist circles—are now repeated by politicians, amplified across social media and echoed by influential public figures. At the same time, Jewish communities across the world have experienced a disturbing rise in antisemitic attacks, leaving many Jews wondering where criticism of Israel ends, and hostility towards Jews begins.

Yet there is one profound difference. South Africa was condemned because of a political system. Israel increasingly finds itself challenged over the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty itself.

It is into this moment that Parshat Eikev speaks.

The portion is often remembered for its repeated command to remember, but its message is much deeper. Moses is preparing the Jewish people to become a sovereign nation in their ancestral homeland. Before discussing military victory or national prosperity, he reminds them that the Land of Israel is neither a trophy of war nor a political achievement. It is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Then Moses offers one of the Bible’s most beautiful descriptions of the Land:

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and springs and fountains… a land of wheat and barley, vines, fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey.” (Deuteronomy 8:7–8).

This is more than geography. It is a........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)