The Period That Went Missing---and the Mitzvot That Matter

Why Does the Torah Obsess Over the Details?

"Why is Judaism so preoccupied with tiny, irrelevant details? Does it really matter how much matzah I eat at the Pesach Seder? Does Hashem really care how long I wait after eating meat before I have a coffee with milk? And, seriously, does it really matter how I tie my shoelaces?

"What's any of this got to do with spirituality? It's just a bunch of laws with no meaning!"

A Challenge Sent --- and an Answer 'Received'

This provocative question was sent to Rabbi Aaron Moss of the Nefesh Centre in Sydney, Australia. The questioner added: "I sent you this question a week ago but received no answer. Perhaps you've finally received a question that has no answer?!"

Rabbi Moss responded:

"I've never claimed to have all the answers. Many questions are beyond my comprehension. But the truth is that I did answer you and you did receive your answer. When I received your question, I immediately responded, and the fact that you didn't receive my response is itself the answer to your question.

A Missing Period That Says Everything

"You see, I replied to you, but when I wrote your email address, I didn't add a period before the word com. I thought you would receive the email anyway, since it was only missing one tiny period. That is, I didn't misspell your name or anything. One would have to be extremely nitpicky not to understand that 'gmailcom' and 'gmail.com' are the same thing with the same intention.

"Isn't it ridiculous that you didn't receive my response just because of the absence of one small, irrelevant period? No, it's not ridiculous! Because the period is not just a period; it represents something. That period has much more significance than just a few pixels on a screen," Rabbi Moss continued.

"To me this period seems utterly irrelevant, but that's only due to my lack of understanding of how the internet works. All I know is that with the addition of the period, my email reaches its destination, but without the period, it gets lost and ends up in some unknown destination."

The Spiritual System Hidden in the Details

"The Torah's mitzvot have immense depth. Each detail contains a world of meanings and forms part of the complete picture. When we fulfill a mitzvah completely and precisely, a spiritual message is sent from us to the universe, all the way to Hashem's 'inbox.'

"If you want to understand the significance of the period in internet communications, learn about how the network operates. If you want to understand the significance of Jewish commandments, study Torah," Rabbi Moss concluded.

What may appear a minor rule or meaningless ritual contains layers of meaning beneath the surface, many beyond our capability to comprehend. In the Torah, every dot counts --- not because Hashem is pedantic, but because every action we take has the power to send a message far beyond what we can perceive. The more we learn, the clearer the message becomes.