The opening chapters of Leviticus deal in great detail with the laws of the korbanot, the sacrificial offerings given by the priests in the Tabernacle and the Temple. It’s easy to get lost in the thick web of details and yet our sages extracted teachings of a profound and relevant nature.

Although the different offerings range in size, the phrase reyach nicho’ach, a satisfying aroma, appears with all of them. From this the Mishnah  derives the following principle: “It matters not whether a person offers much or little, so long as he directs his heart to heaven” (Menachot 13:11). In other words, what matters is not the financial outlay of the individual but rather the intention behind it. There is no difference between rich and poor in God’s eyes.

This Mishnah is expanded upon in a talmudic passage perhaps even more powerful and relevant today than when it was originally composed: “A favourite saying of the rabbis of Yavneh was: ‘I am God’s creature and my fellow man [a non-scholar] is God’s creature. My work is in the town and his is in the field. I rise early for my work and he rises early for his work. Just as he does not presume to do my work, I do not presume to do his. Will you say, “I do much and he does little?” We have learnt: It matters not whether a person offers much or little, so long as he directs his heart to Heaven’ (Berachot 17a).

In a world where one’s piety is sometimes measured by the amount of people one doesn’t speak to, it’s important to remind ourselves that our rabbis preferred to embrace rather than reject.