Our Sages teach us that everything in the Torah is placed in a certain spot for a certain reason, and this is especially true in Devarim. Everything in Devarim is somehow related to what comes before it in the parsha, and since this is true, it seems confusing why certain mitzvos are placed next to each other in this week’s parsha. Some of them seem like they have nothing to do with the one that is next to them.

The parsha discusses the mitzvah of Sheliach HaKan. This requires a person who wants to take eggs from a nest to first scare away the mother bird. The Torah nexts speaks about the mitzvah of putting a fence around the roof of one’s house (it used to be a person’s house would have a flat roof for him to do work on it), so that no one would fall off it. After this, the Torah speaks about the mitzvah of not mixing different species when planting vineyards. Finally, the Torah discusses the law of not harnessing an ox and a donkey together when plowing. What do these have to do with each other?

Our Sages explain: if a person is careful with the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird, he is rewarded with being able to build a house. When he builds the house, he now has the mitzva of needing to put a fence on his roof. Now that he fulfilled this mitzva, he is rewarded with vineyards around his house. Now he has the opportunity to perform the mitzva of not mixing species. Since he fulfills this mitzvah, he is now given the reward of being able to own stables. He now has the mitzvah upon himself of not plowing using an ox and donkey together. Our Sages teach us from here we see “one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah”.

We also see something else regarding one mitzvah leading to another one from these verses. Our Sages teach us the easiest mitzvah to perform is to send away the mother bird when taking eggs. It does not take much time nor energy to be able to scare away the mother bird. But from doing this one small mitzvah, we begin the cycle of opportunity to perform so many, many more mitzvos and gain more reward. That is the power of small mitzvah.

People sometimes think if they cannot perform all of the mitzvos then it is not worth doing any of them. The ultimate goal should be to perform all mitzvos, but if a person is only able to do one small mitzvah at this point in his or her life, then it certainly worth doing it. That one small mitzvah can start a cycle of more and more mitzvos. Let’s say a person is unable to attend an hour long Torah class at night because he has a busy schedule or cannot concentrate for that long. He should then open a Torah book for five minutes before he goes to sleep at night (even if the book is in English, this is extremely beneficial). If a person cannot focus during all of davening, he should begin by focusing on one verse or one paragraph for a few weeks. Also, everyone knows they should not speak Lashon Hara, but for many it is too difficult to go the entire day without saying some juicy gossip. Even the better ones among us who do not need to say the Lashon Hara, but we slip up here and there because we do not think about it. The Chofetz Chaim knew this and therefore he encouraged people to join a Machson L’fi – where for one or two hours a day the individual avoids Lashon Hara. This is what the Chesed Club website is all about – guard your tongue for a short time because this one small mitzvah can lead to many, many greater ones.

One small mitzvah leads to another one which leads to another one which leads to another one which can go on forever.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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