Little things count. Details matter.
What is really important in Jewish life? Fasting on Yom Kippur? Attending a seder on Passover night? Marrying in the faith?
For many, those big and very important traditions may well be the beginning and end of their Jewish “observant” Jew, much more than those very basic traditions would be necessary.
Our Torah reading this week is Ekev. The word literally means “because.”
“And it shall be that because you will listen to these laws, and you will observe and perform them, that God will keep His covenant with you and … He will love you, bless you, and multiply you … ”(Deuteronomy 7: 12-15). And a host of blessings, including health and wealth, will follow because we will keep the faith.
But why does the Torah use the unusual word Ekev to mean because? There are far simpler Hebrew words it could have employed, rather than ekev. The most famous explanation given by commentaries, including Rashi, is that the Hebrew word ekev also means “heel,” the very bottom of the human anatomy. Therefore, the Torah is referring particularly to those commandments that we often trample underfoot—those we step on with our heels. When we keep the commandments and traditions that many people deem insignificant, then we are worthy of these special blessings from the Almighty.
The question is: Why should these commandments earn us a special reward? Isn’t there a good reason why these commandments are considered insignificant? Shouldn’t observing the more famous, important ones be the more logical way to receive heavenly rewards?
The mystics explain that there are two aspects to every commandment. Every mitzvah is given for a specific reason. It has its own particular purpose to achieve in the world and in us, and so it brings singular benefits and rewards.
But there is also a common denominator in every mitzvah, and that is the fact that it is the will of God. If it’s important enough to Him, does it really matter if it is big or small, significant or seemingly less significant, in our eyes? If God wants it and if He asks us to do it, then that should be more than enough motivation for us to do it.
As Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, once wrote: If, theoretically, God had commanded us to do nothing more than chop wood all day, a seemingly rather meaningless exercise, then that would be the most important thing in the whole world for us to do. Chopping wood would have then been the whole Torah and essence of our faith. Why? Because that’s what God wants. The bottom line in matters of faith is that we try to do the will of God.
Are there differences and priorities in mitzvot? Of course. And sometimes, there may be occasions when we will be compelled to choose between them. If there are two commandments to observe at the same time, and practically, we can only observe one, then we must choose the one that is halachically (according to Jewish law), more “important.”
So, yes, there is a priority list, a hierarchy of commandments if you will. And while there will be times when we must choose which is more important, we should always remember the special quality in every mitzvah, even the seemingly less important ones.
With this approach, we can better appreciate those commandments which we don’t really understand rationally, what we call the chukim, the statutory decrees, for which no reason was given to us in the Torah. We commit ourselves to observing these commandments because if they are the will of God, then they are important enough to command our attention. Each will be imbued with the spirit of the infinite and, in fulfilling the commandment, we become closer and bond with the infinite heavenly commander Himself.
This spirit is present in every mitzvah, even the seemingly insignificant.
I remember my teacher, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson—the Lubavitcher Rebbe—once commenting on an interesting incident from the early days of NASA space missions. I believe it was in 1973. There was a space capsule set to blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Organizers were just about ready for the countdown when, at the very last second, a red light went on and the project was aborted.
It would take a few days and a cost of billions of dollars and a loss of much international prestige until the problem was sorted out. And what was the problem? It was not the sophisticated heat-resistant metal alloys on the exterior of the capsule. Nor was it the most advanced computer system and programming in the world at the time.
It was, in fact, nothing more than a simple loose screw.
That’s right. A screw was loose. An ordinary screw that costs a few cents—one that can be bought in any hardware store. Because of that fact, a certain connection was not made; therefore, the red light went on as a warning signal.
Small things matter ... and so it is with the commandments of the Torah. In truth, nothing is trivial or insignificant.
