In the Torah, everything has a meaning. Even the preference for one expression over another is not accidental. At the beginning of the parashah This week the Torah chooses the word Ekev “And it will be in return for your listening” (Deuteronomy 7:12). Ekev It literally means heel.
Our sages immediately pause to consider this expression and explain that the Torah is referring to simple commandments, which people often disregard and neglect. In other words, the Torah is warning us to be careful with these seemingly simple commandments.
The Midrash relates that King David was not concerned about failing to observe the major commandments; he certainly fulfilled them. However, he was concerned about the simpler commandments (those that one treads upon with one's heels), as he said in his psalms (49:6): “The sin of my heels surrounds me,” meaning he was concerned about the simple mitzvot, which he likened to the heel.
Now, why was King David so concerned about these simple mitzvot? Does it make sense to say that he wasn't careful? He himself declares in the Psalms (19:12): “Your servant is careful with them (the mitzvot), and in his care there is great reward (ekev, (in the original Hebrew).
Clearly, we are not discussing whether King David fulfilled the simple commandments or not, but rather his fear concerned the very division between commandments. Some mitzvot seem more important than others in our eyes: this approach is not only inappropriate but even dangerous.
The mitzvot should not be judged solely by the intellect. The intellect, which always seeks what makes sense, can become confused and create a hierarchy of values regarding the importance of each mitzvah. However, who says that reason is what determines the importance of a precept? We observe the Torah because God commanded us; who can comprehend divine thoughts?
Each mitzvah is a part of the divine will, which is infinite, like God. In God's eyes, so to speak, all mitzvot are equally important because they are part of His essential will, which is indivisible. Therefore, from our perspective, the correct approach is that each mitzvah has the same importance and should be observed with the same joy and sacrifice.
That's why this parashah It begins with the word Ekev, promising us great blessings if we fully observe all the precepts of the Torah, even those that seem insignificant and irrelevant to us.