Why the Smallest Mitzvah You Ignore Could Bring Moshiach

Welcome to Words for the Journey: Life Lessons from Deuteronomy — Lesson III (Parshat Eikev)

Why does Jewish tradition say the mitzvot you barely think twice about might matter more than the ones you’re proud of? And what does an oddly-chosen word in this week’s Torah portion have to do with it?

This shiur opens with the Talmud’s six reasons why the 15th of Av (Tu B’Av) became one of the most joyous days on the Jewish calendar — from the end of the desert generation’s death decree to the healing of a civil war within the Jewish people. From there, Rabbi Greenberg turns to this week’s parsha, Eikev, and unpacks the unusual Hebrew word that gives it its name — “because,” “the end of days,” and “heel” — and what each translation teaches about how we relate to the commandments. The Rambam’s teaching that a person should see the entire world as evenly balanced between merit and guilt, where a single deed can tip the scale, sits at the center of it all: no mitzvah, however small, is insignificant.

The shiur closes with two more threads: the mezuzah’s dual appearance in the Shema (once singular, once plural) and what it reveals about the union of masculine and feminine energy, and why the Torah calls the manna “affliction” — the surprising answer connects directly to the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles.

🔎 In this video we explore:

• The six historical reasons the Talmud gives for the joy of Tu B’Av — and the mystical reason behind them all
• What “Eikev” actually means, and why Rashi says it points to the mitzvot people “trample with their heel”
• The Rambam’s teaching that one small mitzvah can tip the scales of the entire world
• Why the mezuzah is mentioned twice in the Shema, and what that reveals about marriage and the balance of masculine and feminine energy
• A remarkable story of a father writing Torah commentary in ink made from herbs while in Soviet exile
• Why the Torah calls the manna “affliction” — and how that connects to lighting Shabbat candles
• Three more reasons behind the custom of lighting candles before Shabbat

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

📚 Sources discussed: Talmud (Taanit — six reasons for Tu B’Av), Bamidbar 27 (daughters of Tzelafchad), Sefer Shoftim (the tribe of Binyamin), Sefer Melachim (Jeroboam), Rashi on Devarim 7:12, Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva 3:4), the Shema (Devarim 6 and 11), Tanya, Zohar