Rashi comments that there is special importance in “Ekev”-mitzvos – those small mitzvos that people step on. Hashem’s blessing is tied specifically to their fulfillment. Why?
The Sefer Chasiddim tells of a father who taught each of his daughters a trade. As a result they easily found shidduchim. One daughter, however, was taught to sew shrouds. Although everyone eventually needs tachrichim, people do avoid things reminding them of death, and this poor girl received no suitors. Finally her father decided to entice shidduchim by offering a huge dowry for this girl, more than any of her sisters received. So too, when Hashem sees how unpopular certain mitzvos are, He doubles and triples their reward. So those mitzvos which are stepped on by people have double reward.
Rav Chaim Mintz shlit”a offered another explanation. Rabbenu Yonah says in Avos that we do not do the mitzvos merely because of the reward and punishment, but out of regard for who commanded us to them. Someone who does mitzvos out of reward and punishment is ultimately thinking about his own self, while someone doing mitzvos because Hashem said so is serving Hashem. He said that people would try to help Rav Moshe z”l by bringing him a drink or a chair, even when he did not need it – , because they so deeply wanted to do something for the Gadol Hador. So too, we ought to deeply desire to fulfill Hashem’s wishes just because He asked us to do it. Where is the dividing point when a person is doing mitzvos for his own benefit or to do Hashem’s will? It’s those “lightweight” mitzvos that people step on. If he is concerned about schar – well, those mitzvos don’t carry much schar. However if he wants nothing other than doing Hashem’s will then he will do those mitzvos with gusto. Indeed, the mitzvos that people step on are the ones that separate the men from the boys, and their fulfillment indicates true service of Hashem.
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