As is well known, the weekly parashiyot usually take their names from the first significant word in the opening verse of the Torah reading. In this week’s parasha, that word is “ekev” (ayin kuf bet):

And it shall come about, as a consequence (ekev) of your heeding these laws, when you keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep the covenant and the faith for you that He swore to your fathers. (Deuteronomy 7:12)

The word ekev, meaning “as a consequence of”, here expresses a basic tenet of the biblical covenant: the relationship between God and the people of Israel is grounded in the people’s acceptance of the obligation to observe God’s commandments.

Yet, “ekev” also literally means “on the heels of,” which inspired a rabbinic discussion about whether certain mitzvot are more or less significant than others, since some commandments people treat with great care, while others they figuratively “trample underfoot.” (See Rashi)

The following midrash explores this idea:

“And it shall come about, in consequence (ekev) of heeding these laws…” This relates to the verse: “She (life’s temptations) does not follow the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” (Proverbs 5:6)

[This obscure verse from Proverbs is interpreted in the following manner.]

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: “You should not sit and weigh the Torah’s commandments to determine which brings the greater reward and then perform only that one. Why? ‘Her ways wander, and she does not know it’—the paths of the Torah’s rewards are beyond human understanding.”

Rabbi Hiyya said: “A parable: To what is this matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard and hired workers to plant it, but he did not tell them the payment for each type of planting. Had he revealed it, they would have planted only those yielding the greater reward, leaving the rest undone.

Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not reveal the reward for each mitzvah; for if He had, some would be fulfilled while others would be neglected.”

Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: “God has intentionally concealed the reward for each mitzvah in this world so that Israel would strive to fulfill them all.” (Midrash Tanhuma, Ekev 2, adapted)

The midrash is clear: the true measure of a mitzvah is not the visible reward, but the act itself.

This teaching speaks powerfully to our own times. Education, career choices, and even moral decisions are often driven by what “pays off.” Professions vital to society: teachers, caregivers, social workers, all are undervalued, while roles of dubious social benefit can command lavish compensation.

The Torah invites us to shift the standard. If we measure worth only by tangible reward, we risk neglecting the most essential work, whether in the orchard of mitzvot or the orchard of life.

So, the challenge of “ekev” is this: act not because the reward is great, but because the deed is right. Whether the mitzvah is grand or humble, public or unseen, its value rests in its faithfulness to God’s covenant, not in the payoff we imagine it brings.