והיה עקב תשמעון את המשפטים האלה ושמרתם ועשיתם אתם (ז-יב)
MASHAL: In the little Polish town of Radin, there lived a pharmacist who worked hard providing people with their prescriptions and remedies for their ailments and sicknesses. One day, the Chofetz Chaim zt”l came in to his store to pick up some medication, and as he was leaving, he went over to the pharmacist and gave him a warm handshake.
“I envy you,” the Chofetz Chaim said out loud to him.
“Me?” the pharmacist exclaimed. “I’m just a simple person, and I’m not even observant. Why would you envy me?”
The Chofetz Chaim told him, “Don’t you realize that with every prescription you fill you are saving a life. Chazal say that ‘One who saves a neshamah is considered as if he saved an entire world,’ and therefore you’re saving entire worlds with your work every day!”
This was the only conversation the pharmacist ever had with the Chofetz Chaim, yet it changed his entire life. Although he was a man who was devoid of anything Jewish in his life and his heart, he was aroused by the warm words of the great Torah Sage. From then on, he began valuing the job that he had, as he began to realize that every prescription he filled was another mitzvah. This led to him keeping other mitzvos until he became fully observant.
NIMSHAL: The parsha begins by telling us that if even the lesser commandments which a person sometimes treads on with his heels (דש בעקב) and overlooks you will heed, then you will be rewarded greatly. In our day-to-day lives, there are many situations, which if conducted properly with pure intentions, such as helping others and sanctifying the Almighty, great rewards await us. It is amazing to think how one can turn mundane actions into a citadel of mitzvos!
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