"The Easy Precepts" \ Day 17 \ 30 Days to Teshuvah
"The person who is working on himself should at least observe the "easier" part of the Mitzvah -- each person according to his level and Heavenly awe. By following this procedure he will be saved from transgressing the graver aspects of a particular Mitzvah."
(Ohr Yisrael, Letter Six).
What advantage is there in fulfilling the "easier" part of a precept if he is still violating the more "difficult" aspects?
For instance, Joe usually speaks "Loshon Horah" when together with his friends, and occasionally when praying in the Synagogue. While Joe is socializing, the peer pressure makes it very difficult to refrain from gossiping.
However, he could more easily refrain from gossiping in the Synagogue because he realizes it is inappropriate to interrupt his prayers to speak "Loshon Horah." Nevertheless Joe reasons, "Even if I stop gossiping in Shul, I am still going to gossip when I am with my friends. So what is the point of stopping to gossip in Shul?"
Nevertheless, he is advised to first handle the "easier" problem, of gossiping in the Synagogue. This is one of Rav Yisrael's most brilliant insights! Namely, when striving to improve, one should first tackle the more easily correctable aspects of the Mitzvah in which he is currently lax. This applies both to the "ease" of doing the Mitzvah as well as the "ease" of avoiding the misdeed.
The reason for this is based on the principle that we learned on Day Eight, "The easier it is to do a Mitzvah, the greater the accountability for not doing it; and the easier it is to avoid a sin, the greater the accountability for committing it."
By concentrating on fulfilling the easier aspects of the Mitzvot and abstaining from transgressing the misdeeds that are easier to avoid, a person saves himself from the most severe consequences. Amazingly, by stopping from transgressing the precepts that are easier to fulfill -- those precepts that are in his control -- one is able to rectify his most serious flaws!
Tip -- Isolate the "easy" aspect of a Mitzvah that is "difficult" to fulfill, and do that easy part.
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