Our Gemara on Amud Aleph quotes a verse in Malachi (1:8) that is, in my opinion, one of the most morally challenging statements in Tanach.  Malachi states in the name of God:

וְכִֽי־תַגִּישׁ֨וּן עִוֵּ֤ר לִזְבֹּ֙חַ֙ אֵ֣ין רָ֔ע וְכִ֥י תַגִּ֛ישׁוּ פִּסֵּ֥חַ וְחֹלֶ֖ה אֵ֣ין רָ֑ע?! הַקְרִיבֵ֨הוּ נָ֜א לְפֶחָתֶ֗ךָ הֲיִרְצְךָ֙ א֚וֹ הֲיִשָּׂ֣א פָנֶ֔יךָ אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת?

When you present a blind animal for sacrifice—it doesn’t matter! When you present a lame or sick one—it doesn’t matter! Just offer it to your governor: Will he accept you? Will he show you favor?—said the LORD of Hosts. 

Hashem is thundering at the Jewish people, “If you offered the kind of sacrifices that you offered me to even a governor, let alone a king, would he accept such inferior gifts?”

We humans are good at rationalizing, so we think, “Yeah, that’s about those Jews at the time of the Temple. Yeah, I guess I would try to give a fat sacrifice.”

But, my friends, this principle is universal.  I am not even talking about obvious matters such as to have a dignified Shul that looks at least as nice as your living room, but even more subtle matters.  If you wear a $1,000 suit, or at least buy a new suit each year, how can you allow yourself to wear the same old ratty talis?  Buy a new talis at least as much as a suit.  If you spend thousands of dollars on furniture, can you spend some on mehudar mezuzos?  And, what about prayer?  I think many of us have experienced that butterflies in the stomach sensation when meeting with your boss to ask for a raise or during a performance review.  Or, if you are self-employed, how about God forbid, a mere letter from the IRS asking for a “clarification?”.  Yet shemoneh esre is supposed to be like standing in front of a King, and especially during the Yamim Noraim we certainly are under a performance review.  Can we even muster 10% of that feeling???

It is hard to treat daily mitzvos with the respect they deserve.  

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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