David, come here."
""Nooooo! The water is too cold.""
""Come on in, you'll get used to it right away.""
David wasn't convinced. He stood at the edge of the pool and watched his friends swim. Slowly, he dipped his foot into the water and swung it back and forth.
""Look, David. It's not that cold.".
David didn't think so. He shook his head and looked at Gabriel, who was standing nearby.
""Not a chance!" he said. "I can still feel the water freezing cold on the heel of my foot.".
Do you do the same thing when you're about to get into a pool? Do you test the water with your foot first? Why is it easier to put your foot in first?
It's very simple. The foot isn't as sensitive to the cold as other parts of our body; it can withstand it. But this is only one way to explain it. There's another way to understand what's happening.
Our brain tells us to move our hands, feet, and the rest of our body. It sends signals and instructions, and our body responds. Now let's go back to David and the pool. His brain said, "Go for it, jump in. You'll quickly get over the cold and have fun with your friends." Most of his body didn't want to listen, but he managed to put his foot in the pool. The foot is the limb farthest from the brain, but it's the one most responsive to instructions.
Ekev, the name of this week's parashah, means "heel." The parashah tells us that HaShem bestows many blessings upon us when we fulfill His mitzvot as swiftly as the heel of the foot follows the brain's instructions.
We live in the "ikveta of Messiah," the time before the arrival of the Messiah, when we can hear "the footsteps of Messiah approaching." The word "ikveta" comes from the word eikev (heel). Our generation was chosen to receive the Messiah. Like the heels of the foot, we are ready to do everything God wants.
Excerpted from Please tell me what the Rebbe says