Rabbi (Judah) said… Be as scrupulous about a light commandment as of a weighty one, for you do not know the reward allotted for each commandment. (m.Avot 2:1)

Judaism claims that within the boundaries of Torah there exists the concept of precepts which are either “light” or “heavy.” Of the six hundred and thirteen enumerated commandments, there are those which fall into the category of being a “light” commandment and those which are considered to be “heavy.” Rabbi Judah proposes that there should not be a difference between the observance of the two. But does this distinction truly exist? Are there such things as light and heavy commandments? Don’t they all “weigh” the same? Citing James 2:10, Christian apologetics teach that if you’ve broken one, then you’ve broken them all. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (KJV). As a matter of fact, there is currently an evangelism curriculum which uses this reasoning to lead people into confessing their sinfulness and subsequent need for a Redeemer. They barrage their target with a series of questions designed to elicit a confession of guilt for breaking at least one of God’s commandments. From there, they use this passage in James to point out that that offense was not an isolated event and that they have been marked as a “sinner” and are in need of a Savior, because they have, in effect, broken all of God’s commandments. If this understanding holds true, then there is no such division between the “light” and “heavy” commandments, for they are all the same in the eyes of God. According to this theology, if we break even the least of the commandments our souls are in danger of the flames of Gehinnom.