The sin of doing one mitzvah and skipping others

There’s a strange phrase that repeats itself several times in this week’s parsha, Vayikra.

“If a person sins … and does one of the commandments of G-d that one is [instructed] not to do,” then a consequence follows. The consequence might be elaborated upon over several verses, or, as in the case of 4:27, the consequence is preceded by the word v’ashem, which means “and he is guilty.”

Wouldn’t the verse make more sense if it said, “If a person sins and violates a commandment…” or just leave it at “If a person sins…” and then list the consequence? It almost sounds as though the Torah is saying that if a person sins through doing a mitzvah, then there is a consequence! How could a person sin through doing a mitzvah!?

Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was known to look at the good of every Jew. One tale finds Reb Levi Yitzchak encountering a Jew who was smoking on Shabbos. The sinner refuted each benefit the rabbi ascribed to him. “You probably didn’t know it was Shabbos.” The man knew. “You probably didn’t know smoking is prohibited on Shabbos.” The man knew. “You must be smoking for health reasons.” No – that’s not the case.

Reb Levi Yitzchak turned heavenward and said, “Even when your children commit sins, they tell the truth!”

And yet, Reb Levi Yitzchak did not hold back in criticizing the Jew who is satisfied with a minimal connection with G-d. In his Kedushas Levi, Reb Levi Yitzchak looked at our verse in question and creatively explained the way the Torah depicts the sin of the individual. The more a person sincerely serves G-d, the more the person appreciates the tremendous disparity that exists between the great and Almighty G-d and the tiny human being.