Keep an eye on those details!

On Monday evening Rabbi Jonathan Neril gave a short devar Torah between minchah and maariv. Introducing the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus) which we have just started to lein, he spoke of the high level of detail that is found in the laws relating to the korbanot -- the Temple offerings -- that occupy so much of this Book, just as a high level of detail is encountered in the last five parshiyot of Shemot when specifying the requirements for building the Mishkan and furnishing the Kohanim with their priestly vestments.

Details are important, Rabbi Neril reminded us -- and God is in the details. This is not just a matter of the Torah making lists of small things that have to be properly fashioned if they are to perform their intended function. God's attention stretches so as to cover even the smallest actions we perform. Some things we do are apt to be regarded as trivial, for example discarding wrappers in the street, but these actions have an impact on the world that God created and on the land He gave us. We should therefore take particular care that even our smallest actions be in accord with His wishes.

This message chimes in with the content of volume 2 of Eco Bible, which Rabbi Neril compiled with Rabbi Leo Dee. Subtitled An Ecological Commentary on Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, this book focuses on issues such as biodiversity, environmental protection, sustainability and the need to refresh and rehabilitate the land. A copy of this book can be found in the Beit Midrash library, along with volume 1 which we reviewed here.