"You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you." - Andy Warhol
"Don't sweat the little things," we always hear. A lot of the time that's excellent advice. People can get bogged down in small details and miss the point of what they're working on, or miss out on other more important things. However, sometimes the details are exactly what we need to focus on, and they make all the difference.
This week's Parsha contains what is, perhaps, the most important mitzvah of the "little things". Hashem tells us that he "will be sanctified amongst the children of Israel." From here, we learn the commandment to sanctify G-d's name through our conduct. If people see out devotion to Hashem and to acting correctly and morally, they will be impressed at the G-d and the law which commanded that behaviour and inspired such dedication. The way we usually show how important something is for us is: "will you die for it?" This test is a part of the mitzvah. However, our tradition tells us that we should not die for the mitzvot; we should live and keep them instead.
So how do we show how vital Torah is in our lives? Through the little things. Every time we show how honest we are. Every time we show our principles, even if we didn't need to. Every time we go out of our way when we didn't think anyone was watching. People seeing that notice, and they understand that the Torah is what inspired that behaviour. By paying attention to small details, we can sanctify G-d's name, and in so doing, , fulfil what our Rabbis tell us is one of the most important mitzvot.
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