Questions tagged [mitzvah]
Mitzvah - commandment. This tag is for questions about the nature of commandments or the status of being a commandment. (However, many particular commandments have their own tags.)
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Why are "Remember and don't forget Amalek" two separate commandments?
Why did the Rambam list these as two distinct commandments:
P189- Remember what Amalek did to the Israelites. [Deut. 25:17]
N59- Don't forget what Amalek did to the Israelites. [Deut. 25:19]
Aren't ...
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How long must people wait in shul for a minyan?
Shulchan Aruch emphasizes the importance of davening the Amidah with the rest of the tzibbur.
If one is in shul and there are 8 or 9 people, should everyone wait before starting Amidah to see if ...
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Why Long Life For Honoring Parents?
The Torah writes in Shemos (20:12)
כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ
עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
Honor your father and your ...
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The limits of "Do not covet"
The Rambam writes [Hilchot Gezelah v’Avedah 1:9]:
Anyone who covets a male or female servant, or the house or the goods of his neighbor, or anything that he can buy from him, and he exerts friendly ...
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Why Gid-Haneshe is counted as a Mitzvah if it wasn't commanded?
עַל־כֵּן לֹא־יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר עַל־כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף־יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּגִיד הַנָּשֶׁה׃
That is why the children of Israel to this ...
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Festive meals on Chanuka
The Shulchan Aruch states the meals on Chanuka are (only) permissible feasts (not seudas mitzvah) since these days were never instituted as days of festive meals.
The Ramma quotes an opinion stating ...
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Is it considered 'bikur cholim' to call someone who's sick?
When someone calls a friend who is sick to see how he's doing and to wish him a refuah shleima, is that technically a fulfillment of mitzvahs bikur cholim?
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Does the mitzvah of knowing Torah exist as separate from mitzvah of learning Torah?
According to views of some authorities (Shulchan Aruch HaRav and others), learning without pronouncing words or listening to Torah recordings does not qualify as the mitzvah of Talmud Torah. ...
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If Jews don't believe in heaven, what reason do they have to follow a moral code? [closed]
In Christianity for example, some people argue that you should be good on this Earth in order to get your reward in heaven.
In Judaism as there is no heaven, what is the reason given to follow the ...
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Why Adam wasn’t explicitly commanded to pass his knowledge on to others?
I'm still trying to grasp the way of transmission of the Torah knowledge from day 1. This question can equally deal with two phenomena: the commandment of eating the forbidden fruit or the commandment ...
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Why did Da'as Zekeinim leave out the mitzvah to procreate?
Da'as Zekeinim (compilations of teachings from the Ba'alei Tosafos) to Genesis 1:1 ask a question on one of the first comments of Rashi:
ועוד פרש"י א"ר יצחק לא היה צריך להתחיל התורה וכו', וקשה שהרי ...
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Why don't we say a blessing before giving charity?
Before doing many mitzvos (commandments), we are required derabanan to say a blessing. Why is this not the same for giving tzedakah (charity)?
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Making a pikuach nefesh phone call on Yom Kippur - mitzva or something to be avoided?
Outside of our synagogue on Yom Kippur, someone fainted and a doctor present decided to call an ambulance. At that time, there were multiple people present and one phone.
Should people have jumped to ...
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If someone does a sin that both his parents and the Torah prohibited, did he do two sins?
For example:
Someone tells his son not to steal, and it says in the Torah not to steal. This kid goes out and steals anyway, and his parents find out.
Is he chayav for both stealing and not ...
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Why does Chinuch confuse Parashat Nitzavim and Vayelech?
Why does [this edition of] Minchas Chinuch list the two Mitzvos of Parashat Vayelech under Parashat Nitzavim?
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Dependency on the 5 parts of Mitzvat Hakhel
According to Rambam (CHagigah 3), the Mitzva of Hakhel has five parts:
the people: men, women and children, that come to hear the reading by
a king that reads the portion of
the Torah Scroll
in ...
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Lists of chukkim and mishpatim?
There are two types of commandments: chukkim and mishpatim. Mishpatim are those for which a good reason quickly comes to mind, such as "Do not steal". Chukkim are those for which a good reason does ...
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If we aren't obligated in 613, why ask for reward for 613?
This is based on some preconceived notions I have so if my premises are wrong, please let me know.
I am not bound to all 613 mitzvot. I get this from here, and through a look at the Rambam's list. ...
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Halacha of not being obligated to spend more than a fifth of one's money on a mitzvah
It is brought down in halacha (Orach Chaim 656) that a person is not obligated to spend more than 20% of his money on performing a positive mitzvah. Is the 20% calculated according to his total bank ...
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In reward-and-punishment system, what is the meaning of curses?
In Sefer Dvorim the Torah does not spare curses for general misbehaving or misbelieving, etc. In my understanding, the Torah presents a clear system of reward and punishment (Rambam's principles) - do ...
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Thinking about a mitzvah
Coming from a Reform Jewish perspective, since one is obligated to make as many mitzvot as possible, can one do machshava k’ma’ase’ for doing an actual mitzvah instead? If you think about a mitzvah, ...
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Wearing or not wearing a tallit gadol
Related to Why do we don the tallit gadol? and Is there any basis for Chabad minhagim regarding tallit gadol?
I'm not really clear on the rules of when someone who is called for a function during ...
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Fulfilling commandment to be fruitful & multiply w/ a Gentile? [duplicate]
If a Jewish man without children lives in a place where there are no other Jews and does not have the resources to leave that place and move, then is he permitted to fulfill the Torah commandment to ...
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What is the logic in sending away the mother bird? [duplicate]
In Deuteronomy 22:6, we read the following command:
“If you chance upon a bird’s nest along the road, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs, and the mother is sitting over the ...
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What are the "major" and "minor" commandments?
The Mishna says:
Be quick in performing a minor commandment as a major one. [Avot 4:2]
But we do not rank the commandments. The Mishna also says:
Be as scrupulous in observing a minor ...
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How come that the 200 Mitzvos of Chumash Dvorim weren't presented to Dor Hamidbar?
Please correct me if I'm wrong, the last book of the Torah - Dvorim - is all about what Moses said on his last day(s) to Dor Ha'Aretz, as the Torah testifies:
אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה ...
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What is the mitzvah of tzedakah dependent on?
We learn in the Rambam commentary on Avos (3:19) that it is preferable to give a little bit of tzedakah to many people than a few large amounts to a few people.
When does one fulfil the mitzvah of ...
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Contradiction if forbidden relations are logical or beyond human reasoning
The Rambam (Shemoneh Perakim, end of Chapter 6) deals with different types of mitzvos. He says one type are logical, and thus a perfected person shouldn't want to transgress them. He says some call ...
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Does a jail-cell need a mezuzah?
Does one in jail need to put a mezuzah on his cell? Assuming this is a standard American jail.
If it is a jail owned by a Jew, is there an obligation on the inmate or the owner?
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According to Ibn Ezra should we not follow all the commandments?
In a question I asked (“Health benefits for eating kosher”), I wrote that ibn Ezra said that all the mitzvot have to have a rational explanation for them and if a single commandment went against ...
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Source for Geonic division of mitzvos
The Rambam and those who follow suit divide the 613 mitzvos into two groups, 248 positive mitzvos and 365 negative mitzvos. This is sourced from Makkos 23b.
However, many of the Geonim (for example: ...
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Why there's no Deoraytah prohibition of altering Torah scroll?
Following my other question "no-anti-altering-failsafe-measures". Please correct me if I'm wrong, one who alters one letter of a Torah scroll invalidates it in whole (שו"ע יו"ד רעד).
But I don't ...
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Weren't Dor Hamidbar exempt from all Mitzvos as "already sentenced to death"? [duplicate]
IIRC, one who was sentenced to death is considered already dead (גברא קטילא)(San 85a, but exact source needed) (or is it only about losing his property?).
When G-d sentenced all 20-60 y.o. Jews to die ...
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Is P'ru Ur'vu a Mitzvah Bein Adom l'Chaveiro?
פרו ורבו (Being fruitful and multiplying) is generally understood to be the Mitzvah of having children, or attempting to have children.
Are there any sources to indicate if פרו ורבו is considered a ...
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Why is the first time a couple has marital relations called "beilas mitzvah?"
The gemara (Ketubot 4a) and poskim (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 193:1) refer to the first time a couple having marital relations as "beilas mitzvah" (mitzvah of marital relations).
Being as the couple ...
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While it says in Kiddushin 40b that torah is the more important than Mitzvot in Pirkei Avot it says otherwise?
It says in Kiddushin 40b נענה ר"ע ואמר תלמוד גדול נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה (Rabbi Akiva answered and said: Study is greater. Everyone answered and said: Study is greater, as ...
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Is it a mitzvah to create a situation for others to be mekayem a mitzvah?
I recall reading (though I can't find it) that the person who was punished for collecting sticks on Shabbat was actually doing so in an effort to help others see the laws of Shabbat in practice (or ...
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Source for: Abstaining from sin being considered a mitzvah in Talmud Bavli
I remember seeing a passage in Talmud Bavli saying something along the lines of: "every moment that a person sits and does not engage in sin, he is considered to be doing a mitzvah." I'm not able to ...
user17319
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How does Rambam decide what defines a Mitzvah?
Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos lists 14 rules that guided him in writing his Sefer Hamitzvos. Practically all of them focus on what does not consitute a Mitzvah Deoraytah:
השרש הראשון שאין ראוי למנות בכלל ...
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How many Mitzvos does the Mishnah cover?
How many (out of the 613 Deoraytah) Mitzvos are explicitly discussed in the 6 Sdarim of the Mishah (not including those that are only mentioned tangentially, like Kibud Av at the beginning of Peah)?
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Newer edition of Zohar HaRakiah
The Rashbatz (Rabbi Shimon Ben Tzemach, 15th century) authored a commentary on Rashbag's (Rabbi Shlomo ibn Gabirol, 11th century) Azharos (poem on the 613 mitzvos) called Zohar HaRakiah.
There's an ...
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Comprehensive list of punishments for all 365 negative commandments
Is there a comprehensive list of all the punishments for the 365 negative commandments?
The Rambam in Hilchos Sanhedrin reveals 243 (see below)--
what are the punishments for transgressing the ...
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Counting parts of a Mitzvah as a Mitzvah (Rambam's 12th principle)
Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos lays [his own] principles of what counts as a Mitzvah and what's not. The 12th principle says that:
שאין ראוי למנות חלקי המלאכה מהמלאכות שבא הצווי בעשייתם כל חלק וחלק בפני ...
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Did G-d command or not on sending the spies?
The Torah's Pshat in P. Shlach is very straightforward - G-d commands Moses to send the spies. There are plenty of other places where Moses (and Bney Israel) are commanded using לך language (e.g. ועשו ...
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Are we supposed to know which transgressions are light or severe?
I remember learning that we cannot know which commandments are more important than which others -- God gave them all to us and we don't say that we prioritize some over others (aside from the special ...
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When is it a mitzvah to study science?
I remember hearing from Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi that HaShem created two Torahs, one the Oral and Written and the other the natural world. My question is, when is it a positive mitzvah to study science ...
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Is the first of the 10 Commandments considered a mitzvah?
I realize that the English translation of עשרת הדברים / דברות is better translated as "Ten pronouncements" rather than "10 Commandments". However, in viewing the text, 2 - 10 seem to be commanding ...
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Why doesn't the Talmud provide a list of the 613 commandments?
The Talmud says that there are 613 commandments in the Torah:
Rabbi Simlai, when preaching, said: 613 precepts were communicated to Moses: 365 negative precepts, corresponding to the number of ...
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Motivation for Miztvot
According to Bava Kamma 79b, the penalty difference between a ganav and a gazlan is that the robber does not disrespect Hashem -- he commits his crime in full view of anyone, man or God but the thief ...
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Are all mitzvos forbidden near a grave? If not, why not? If yes, why not say so?
The Talmud (Bavli, B'rachos 18 amud 1) mentions a prohibition on wearing tzitzis or t'filin, or reading from a Torah scroll, in a cemetery, based on "one who taunts the pauper, that makes him a ...
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