The Things We Do When No One Is Watching

Parshas Ki Seitzei is filled with mitzvos that govern the moments few people ever see: returning lost property, paying workers on time, maintaining honest measures, preventing danger, protecting dignity, and leaving something behind for another person. As Elul approaches, the parsha asks a quieter question than whether we have performed great mitzvos or committed great sins: Who are we becoming in the hundreds of ordinary moments nobody else records?