Rashi explains: “If you listen to the light [easy] mitzvos that a person tramples underfoot.” The holy Torah opens this week’s portion with a wondrous and assured piece of advice: how to merit good livelihood, strong health, protection from all troubles and suffering, and abundant berachos for all heartfelt requests for the good.
If a Jew is careful even with the “light mitzvos” that one might tend to disregard, he is promised all the goodness of this world. The Torah explicitly states the rewards for observing these “light mitzvos,” promising berachos in this world as well, as the pesukim say (13-15):
He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain, your wine, and your oil, etc. You will be blessed above all peoples; there will not be a barren male or female among you or your livestock. Hashem will remove from you all illness, etc. You will consume all the peoples that Hashem your God gives you.
When a person is scrutinized to determine whether he fears Hashem and is meticulous in His commandments, he is not examined for major deeds—whether he observes Shabbos, puts on tefillin, or fasts on Yom Kippur. Rather, the focus is on the seemingly “light mitzvos” that people often disregard. If he is careful with observing these light mitzvos, it is a clear sign that he is God-fearing.
This can be further explained: When a person belittles light mitzvos, it is not merely a disrespect for those mitzvos but also for the One who commanded them—Hashem Himself. However, if one behaves properly and is careful even with mitzvos that are trampled underfoot, he demonstrates respect for the Commander of those mitzvos, thereby proving his sincere yiras Hashem.
In a small village near the city of Horonsteipel lived a Jew who was very distant from Torah and mitzvos. Not only did he turn his back on his people and heritage, flagrantly violating every transgression in the Torah, but he also compounded his sins by persecuting his fellow Jews in the surrounding area, causing them great suffering and hardship.
His friends and acquaintances were all Gentiles, wicked individuals like himself. Meanwhile, his Jewish brethren kept their distance from him, avoiding any interaction or involvement with him.
One day, to the great astonishment of the chassidim at the Beis Midrash Hagadol of the holy Rav Mordechai of Horonsteipel zt”l, the renegade appeared and joined the line of people waiting to enter the Rebbe’s holy chamber.
Despite their great surprise, no one dared to greet him or inquire about his reasons for coming to the Rebbe. Everyone preferred to stay away, as they knew all too well his animosity toward any Jew who approached him.
When his turn came, he entered the Rebbe’s room respectfully and with proper decorum. He recounted to the Rebbe what he had witnessed a few weeks earlier while walking by the river. He described how his non-Jewish friends had found a man who had drowned in the river, his body washed ashore. The local farmers paid little heed to the matter, being entirely unfamiliar with the concept of honoring the dead. They simply took the corpse as it was and buried it in the non-Jewish cemetery, choosing a convenient and empty spot without much thought.
A few days later, it became known that the deceased was a Jew who had gone down to the river and tragically drowned, to the heartbreak of his family. When it was confirmed beyond doubt that this man was buried in the non-Jewish cemetery, his Jewish relatives sought to transfer his body to the Jewish cemetery, where the region’s Jews were traditionally buried.
However, they encountered fierce opposition from the local priests, who adamantly refused to allow the grave to be opened. According to their laws, they claimed, “Once someone is buried, he must not be disinterred.”
Prominent Jewish activists tried all kinds of strategies, sparing no expense in their attempts to negotiate with the priests, as was customary with Eisav and his descendants, who are ever pursuant of gain. Yet all efforts proved futile. For some inexplicable reason, the priests...
