(יב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
(טו) וְאֵיבָ֣ה ׀ אָשִׁ֗ית בֵּֽינְךָ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין זַרְעָ֑הּ ה֚וּא יְשׁוּפְךָ֣ רֹ֔אשׁ וְאַתָּ֖ה תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ עָקֵֽב׃ {ס}
(15) I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your offspring and hers; They shall strike at your head, And you shall strike at their heel.”
at one's heels, close behind
to cool one's heels, to be kept waiting, especially because of deliberate discourtesy
down at the heels, having a shabby, slipshod, or slovenly appearance
to lay by the heels, to arrest and imprison, to prevail over; to render ineffectual
to show a clean pair of heels, to leave one's pursuers/competitors behind; to outrun
to take to one's heels, to run away; take flight
to heel, as when a dog follows her master by staying next to her heels
to be brought to heel, under control or subjugation
Achilles heel - the Achilles tendon stretches from the back of the leg down the ankle to the heel, giving your step spring and flexibility.
She'ma in non-theistic language, by Marcia Falk, The Book of Blessings
The divine abounds everywhere
And dwells in everything;
the many are One.
Loving life
and its mysterious source
with all my heart
and all my spirit,
all my sense and strength,
I take upon myself
to follow the wisdom in the Torah,
celebrating the historic events of
my people
and their ways of making life holy,
to care for the earth
and those who live upon it,
to pursue justice and peace,
to love kindness and compassion.
I will teach this to our children
throughout the passage of the day—
as I dwell in my home
and as I go on my journey,
from the time I rise
until I fall asleep.
And may my actions
be faithful to my words
that our children’s children
may live to know:
Truth and kindness
have embraced,
peace and justice have kissed
and are One.
Freedom Out of Darkness (meditation by Tzvi Freeman, based on the teachings of the Rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson)
Free choice is the quintessential expression of God, for God alone is truly free. God breathes within the human being, and so we, too, become free to choose our path home.
Darkness, confusion, and the possibility of evil – all this then has a purpose of its own: It provides a stage for us to find God within ourselves, seen only when we make the right choice, all on our own.