In the summer Torah reading of AIKEV, Rashi tells us that the blessings of the Torah will flow when people stop "stamping upon the light commands with their heels." Whoever heard of a Jew stamping upon a command with his heels? And what commands are light? Did G-d not give these commands?

    To explain: The great sages of Israel, throughout the generations, Ramban, Rabeinu Yona, the classic Orchas Tsadikim and the Eivshutz, all tell the same tale. There are some commands that people don't keep because they are just too hard. Some scholars sat all day in the study hall and had to take a break and talk a bit. This was considered a sin. If they had to talk, let them make up a time for this and go outside the synagogue. Interrupting learning and sitting in a holy place is wrong.

    There are other commands, such as being totally honest in business. Some felt that when you enter a store and think about buying something that you must buy it, lest your "mouth and heart be different." Who can adhere to this? Even if we can, if a person we deal with is a known criminal or wicked person, can we be completely honest, or do we fudge it? Some sinned by speaking evil of others. Who can control themselves from this sin? Can we stop talking about people? It is too hard. Some say that even deeply pious people did not refrain from flirting, because it was too hard.

     Did G-d gives us very hard mitsvose? Rashi tells us, "The commands are not heavy, they are light. You know that they are hard, but when you accept the yoke of the command, when you resolve to be honest no matter what, you will merit to be honest. When you decide that you will not do a sin or will fulfill a command, no matter how hard it is, you will be able to do it. The commands are "light" only when we accept them no matter what. If we accept them tentatively, if we say, "Look, it has to be realistic," we will fail.

    We have thus made a play on the words of Rashi. Rashi does not mean that people step on and despise commands because they are light. Rashi says that the commands are light when we accept them, but if we don't accept them with mesiras nefesh, they are heavy. Therefore, those who refuse them have a point. It is too hard. Had these people, however, accepted upon themselves the yoke of heaven and said, "No matter what I will do this command," they would find help from heaven and succeed. Rashi't words now read, "Light commands that people step upon with their heel" means that people reject these commands because they are too hard, but really they are "light," and become so when people accept the commands with the yoke of piety.

    Nothing in this is meant to imply that everyone who fails is because they refused to try with the proper spirit. On the other hand, when we hear about the dishonest people, when we see other failings, when people speak evil of each other and claim that they cannot live otherwise, let them ponder the idea that the commands become "light" when you accept them.

    In the modern world, keeping Orthodoxy has been very hard, until very recently. Even today there are problems, but originally, it was almost impossible to keep Shabbos and earn a living. A person who did not work six days a week could not find a job. The vast majority of Orthodox Jews who came to America before the five day week thus gave up and worked on the Sabbath.

    Once they did this, because they had no choice—they had to feed their families—they realized that they had sinned, and felt bad. Some did what they could and remained within the fold. They would go to the synagogue in the morning and go to work in the afternoon, or go to work but keep Shabbos when they could. Others said, "Look, in America, there is no Shabbos." Those who maintained the hope that they could return raised Orthodox children, and eventually, when the five day week arrived, they returned to Orthodoxy. Those who  despaired, however, left the fold and founded Conservative and Reform temples. Their children were fruit that fell far from the tree, and eventually most of them intermarried or married Jews who had no interest in Judaism.

    Jews are a people who know that the Torah is right, and that challenges come and go, but adherent to the Torah is permanent. Some day, in the merit of our hopeless hope, we will see the light. Those who make programs and plans to accomodate the sins and failures of life destroy the Torah and eventually what will become of them and their children?