You’re redecorating a room in your house and you spend hours and hours in carpet, paint and furniture stores, trying to get the exact shades of colors and patterns of upholstery you’ve always wanted. Details.
The player from third base just crossed home plate. But did he make it a split second before or after the catcher caught the ball? Instant replay will clarify the call. Details.
The U.S. Post Office prints stamps commemorating Hubert Humphrey and lists the date he took office as vice president as 1964. But that was the year he was elected. He wasn’t sworn in until the following January, 1965. The post office reprints the stamps to the tune of $580,000. Details.
The British government’s Companies House wrongly amends the companies register to say that Taylor & Sons Ltd, not Taylor & Son Ltd had gone out of business. The extra “s” leads to the collapse of the 134 year old engineering firm Taylor & Sons Ltd business employing 250 workers. The mistake cost British taxpayers, via the British government, £8.8million in compensation to its owner. Details.
Jewish life is full of details –some bigger, some smaller. Many mitzvot (commandments), in particular, seem to be inundated with details, so much so that people often ask, “Does G-d really care? Does it really matter to Him if the food has ‘reliable supervision’ or if I just read the ingredients? Does He really mind if I light Shabbat candles just a minute late? Do my prayers really reach Him?”
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
G-d has given us commandments. Obviously, these commandments are important to Him, otherwise He wouldn’t have wasted His or our time on them. Together with the commandments, He has given us the exact details about how to properly fulfill them. In addition, G-d long ago gave us the resources to answer any questions we might have pertaining to any of the mitzvot or their details – the Talmud, responsa from our Sages, and those rabbis who take all of G-d’s commandments with all of their details seriously.
Details help make a dress unique, they make a room look finished, even exquisite, they add spice and flavor to food.
Mitzvot and all their details make every aspect of life significant, they turn a plain room into a mini-sanctuary, they add dash to our diet and a rare quality to our relationships.
And yes, G-d really does care.