בס "ד


At the beginning of Parashat Ekev, the Torah introduces a remarkable expression as the condition for G-d’s blessing. The word Ekev (“heel”) alludes to those “minor commandments that a person tramples with his heels.” The Torah is not speaking here about someone who openly rebels against G-d or deliberately rejects His commandments. Rather, it warns against a far subtler danger: classifying G-d’s some commandments as important and other obligations as less important, assuming that some must be kept while others are less significant.

For Noahides, this lesson is especially important. Because the Seven Noahide Laws are often presented only in broad categories, people may mistakenly assume that certain everyday actions are too minor to matter. Yet it is often these seemingly insignificant situations that reveal the true depth of one’s commitment to G-d’s will. In the Seven Noahide Laws and their many practical applications, every divine command reflects the same perfect will of G-d, “be as careful with a minor mitzvah as a major one, for you do not know their reward” (Pirkei Avot 2:1).

One example is the prohibition of theft. Many people associate theft only with serious crimes such as robbery or burglary. However, according to the Noahide laws, taking even an item of negligible value without the owner’s knowledge or consent is in principle, considered theft. A person who casually tastes a grape or another piece of fruit in a store before paying for it, assuming that such a small act is insignificant, has nevertheless potentially violated another person’s property rights; it is a core Noahide law that might be underestimated . Respect for the property of others should be kept even with the smallest amounts.

Another example is public humiliation. A person who embarrasses a friend through a joke at a social gathering or on social media may regard it as harmless entertainment. Yet publicly shaming another person is comparable to shedding blood, because the victim’s face drains of color from humiliation (Tractate Bava Metzia 58b). Although this is not listed as a Noahide prohibition punishable by a Noahide court, it remains a crucial moral duty. The same applies to slander and spreading false rumors. Every righteous Noahide should avoid speech that destroys another person’s reputation, or creates unnecessary hatred. False accusations and malicious gossip can devastate lives and communities. Only when it serves a real, constructive purpose, and rests on reliable information, should negative information about another person be cautiously shared.

This is the deeper meaning of the “commandments of the heel” — the ones people are tempted to trample because they look too small and less significant. The Torah teaches that it is precisely through faithfulness in these seemingly minor matters that a person shows genuine reverence for the Creator. True fear of Heaven is measured not only by avoiding grave sins, but by honoring the Creator’s will in the smallest details of daily life. When we recognize that even the smallest good deeds reflect the infinite wisdom and will of the Creator — we make ourselves worthy of His blessing.



Par le rabbin Moshe Bernstein

Sources :

Deuteronomy 7:12. Rashi on Deuteronomy 7:12. Pirkei Avot 2:1 . Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 58b.



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