Mitzvah Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Mitzvah מצוה is Hebrew for "commandment" (plural mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah - command). The word is used in Judaism to refer to (a) the laws enumerated in the Torah (five books of Moses), or (b) any Jewish law at all. The term "Mitzvah" has also come to express any act of human kindness, such as the burial of the body of an unknown person. According to the teachings of Judaism, all moral laws are virtually and in their ultimate analysis divine commandments.
These seven rabbinical commandments are treated like Biblical commandments in so far as, previous to the fulfilment of each, this Benediction is recited: "Blessed be the Lord who has commanded us . . .," the divine command being implied in the general law (Deut. xvii. 11, xxxii. 7; Shab. 23a). Many of the Biblical laws are derived from the Law only by rabbinical interpretation, as, the reading of the Shema' (Deut. vi. 4-7), the binding of the tefillin and the fixing of the mezuzah (ib. 8-9), and the saying of grace after meals (ib. viii. 10).
A mitzvah which can be fulfilled only by the transgression of another law is considered unlawful.
The proselyte on being initiated into Judaism must be familiarized with commandments both of great and of small import (Yeb. 47b).
This is an Article on Mitzvah. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Mitzvah Mitzvah as Divine will
In rabbinic thought, God's will is the source of, and authority for, every moral and religious duty. The Mitzvot constitute the Divinely instituted "rules of conduct". The commandments are divided into (1) mandatory laws, mitzvot aseh מצות עשה and (2) those of a prohibitory character, mitzvot lo taaseh מצות לא תעשה. Judaism regards the violation of the mitzvot to be a "sin"; but note that the Jewish understanding of "sin" differs from that of other religions, see . (Obedience to the Divine Will is the first requisite of the moral life. This is the meaning of the Biblical account of Adam's offense. The first commandment was intended to test his obedience and thus to awaken his moral consciousness.).613 commandments
The Rabbis came to assume that the Law comprised 613 commandments (Talmud, tractate Makkoth 23b): "Rabbi Simlai expounded: 613 commandments were given to Moses, 365 negative commandments like the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive commandments like the number of bones in the human body."The Mitzvot and the revelation
611 commandments are said to have been given through Moses; the first two commandments of the Decalogue were given by the mouth of God Himself. According to R. Ismael only the principal commandments were given on Mount Sinai, the special commandments having been given in the Tent of Meeting. According to R. Akiba they were all given on Mount Sinai, repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and declared a third time by Moses before his death. All divine commandments, however, were given on Mount Sinai, and no prophet could add any new one (Midrash Sifra to Leviticus xxvii. 34; Talmud, Yoma 80a). Biblical and Rabbinical commandments
The commandments are called in the Talmud Mitzvot de oraita; commandments of the Law in contradistinction to the rabbinical commandments, Mitzvot de rabbanan. Among the latter are: (1) the benediction, or thanksgiving for each enjoyment; (2) ablution of the hands before eating; (3) lighting of the Sabbath lamp; (4) the 'Erub, on preparation for Sabbath transfer; (5) the Hallel liturgy on holy days; (6) the Hanukkah lights; and (7) the reading of the Esther scroll on Purim.The Mitzvot and Jewish Law
The system describing the practical application of the commandments is known as Halakha, loosely "Jewish Law". The Halakha is the developement of the Mitzvot as contained in the "written law", via discussion and debate in the Oral law, as recorded in the classical rabbinic literature, especially the Mishnah and the Talmud. The Halakha dictates everything the traditional Jew does from the moment he or she wakes up to the moment they go to sleep. It includes codes of behavior applicable to virtually every imaginable circumstance (and many hypothetical ones).Applicability
Many of these laws concern only special classes of people, such as kings or priesthood, Levites or Nazarites, or are conditioned by local or temporary circumstances of the Jewish nation, as, for instance, the agricultural, sacrificial, and Levitical laws. Works enumerating the commandments
In rabbinic literature there are a number of works, mainly by the Rishonim, that were composed to determine which commandments belong in this enumeration:
See also