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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Counting Sefirah in a made up language
Can one fulfill the mitzvah of counting the Omer by counting in a language that only he/she understands? What if a few people understand? An entire goup?
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Reincarnations - Let's work out how many one would need to be personally obligated in all 613 Mitzvot in the superset
In a nutshell, the Arizal says (Shaar Gilgulim Ch. 16) we are reincarnated in order that every Jew gets a chance to experience all 613 mitzvot as a chiyuv (personal obligation) at least once. My ...
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Mitzvos from the 613 that are not included in the Ten Commandments
The Chasam Sofer to parshas Nasso says (Toras Moshe I, ד"ה ושמו שמי) that it is known that even though the Ten Commandments contain all the 613 mitzvos (see Rashi and here), the three mitzvos that ...
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Operating a mechanical calculator on Shabbos
Are mechanical calculators Mukzte on Shabbos? Would it be considered a form of measuring?
Mechanical calculators have no electric parts. Everything is purely mechanical:
If it is considered measuring,...
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Why isn't imitating Hashem's traits a constant mitzvah?
In the introduction to Sefer HaChinuch, the author delineates what he feels are six constant mitzvos from the 613.
מששה מצות מהן שחיובן תמידי לא יפסק מעל האדם אפי' רגע בכל ימיו. ואלו הם. א' להאמין ...
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During the nine days, can we do something "slightly dangerous" in order to fulfill a mitzvah?
During the nine days, many hold that we refrain from activities that are considered even slightly dangerous; for example, air travel.
However, I have read that R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (who ...
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Do the laws of Ribis apply to loans of virtual currency?
If a Jew lends a player in a multiplayer online game money, and he knows without a doubt that that player is Jewish, does the prohibition of ribis apply? (After all, the only thing that changed was a ...
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Practical עשה דוחה לא תעשה
There are a few examples frequently offered for the rule "עשה דוחה לא תעשה":
Someone whose garment has four corners and linen can nonetheless put wool tzitzis on it. This is unlikely nowadays, when ...
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Can one do an issur derabanan so that his friend can do a mitzva doraisa
There’s a rule not to do an aveira to benefit another but would it apply in a scenario where the purpose of performing an issur derabanan is to enable another person to perform a mitzva doraisa.
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Only Kohanim get reward for mitzvos in this world
There's a concept of שכר מצוות בהאי עלמא ליכא, there is no reward for mitzvos in this world (Kiddushin 39b). Much has been written on what this means and why it's true, but I found a innovative idea ...
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Why is Rosh Chodesh called "the first mitzvah in the Torah"?
I continually see Rosh Chodesh identified as "the first mitzvah in the Torah".[1] I recognize that it is the first mitzvah given to Am Yisrael as a nation. But there are three mitzvot that precede it ...
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Does this count as Tzedakah?
I found out there's an app that gives money to charity depending on how much you run. You can choose between dozens of organizations that help stop hunger, help the homeless, cure cancer, provide ...
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Why did the Rambam single out Ribui?
In Sefer HaMitzvos, Shoresh 2, the Rambam says that anything derived using Rabbi Yishmael's 13 principles of derivation, or a Ribui (extraneous wording which tells us to include new laws), does not ...
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Does it still count as a Bracha if one stuttered and repeated words?
What if someone has a stutter and they tend to repeat words when doing a Bracha. As long as they said all of the words, does it still count as a Bracha?
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What are some religious items that a gentile can make and still be kosher, if any at all?
I'm a gentile. I'm talking about items related to the fulfillment of mitzvot and there are some that are not so obvious to me, they are:
tefillin(just the boxes and straps)
tallitot
shofarot
sukkot
...
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What is the source for Beis Din's obligation to enforce mitzvos
The Gemarra in Kesubos 86a and Chullin 132b teaches the following:
במצות עשה כגון שאומרין לו עשה סוכה ואינו עושה לולב ואינו עושה מכין אותו עד שתצא נפשו
With regard to positive mitzvot, for ...
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The sins mentioned in על חטא - why those?
This question about the "אשמנו" list is still left unanswered.
My question is about the apparent inconsistency of the "על חטא שחטאנו" list - so many different categories of sins are listed in the ABC ...
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A man tells us he raped a woman
The Torah says the following about a man who rapes a woman (Deuteronomy 22:29).
וְ֠נָתַן הָאִ֨ישׁ הַשֹּׁכֵ֥ב עִמָּ֛הּ לַאֲבִ֥י הנער [הַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה] חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים כָּ֑סֶף וְלֽוֹ־תִהְיֶ֣ה לְאִשָּׁ֗ה ...
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Vilna Gaon - Mitzvah Goreres Mitzvah
I once heard (I do not recall from who or where) that The Vilna Gaon once remarked that the way to determine if one's actions were in fact a good deed, one must look at the after effects. The Gr"a is ...
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Visiting a sick parent who doesn't want visitors
If one's parent is ill, one would probably want to visit. It is, it seems, some level of mitzvah (though it isn't explicitly on the Rambam's list of 613, it is included under some other general ...
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Must there be explicit assigning of a Shaliach?
I don't really understand the laws of shlichut, designating a proxy to perform a mitzvah so I hope the question makes sense.
Does someone have to assign me the role of shaliach on his behalf, or can ...
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How do we celebrate Tu B'Av?
Besides the dancing maidens of Jerusalem, many other significant events occurred on Tu B'Av for it to be considered one of the holiest days of the year. As mentioned in a previous question, many ...
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Are you yotzei by lighting candles through a grama?
Does one fulfill the mitzvah of lighting candles (sabbath or chanukah) if done by a grama (indirect action)? Example
user2110
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Matzah Shemurah on the 8th day of Pesaḥ (in the Diaspora)
According to those who hold that there is a Kiyyum Mitzvath 'Aseh DeOraitha (a fulfillment of a positive Biblical commandment) every time one eats a KeZayith (olive size's worth) of Matzah on Pesaḥ, ...
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When is one exempt from liability when performing a mitzvah
In the Talmud in tractate Bava Kamma 62b a store owner isn’t liable for placing a Hanukkah candle outside, even if it Causes damage to a camel. My question is, does this principle of exemption from ...
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Should Hamas be treated like Amalek?
Do we say that Hamas's behaviour recently is as bad as Amalek, and therefore we have a mitzvah to completely eradicate them? If so, does that stretch to the whole of Gaza's population or even further?
...
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Rambam and Mitzvas Talmud Torah
As opposed to other Codifiers of Halacha (e.g. Shulchan Aruch Harav see Hilchos Talmud Torah 1:1, 2:1 and the Kuntres Acharon there) the Rambam famously doesn't provide the reasons for the Mitzvahs ...
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Fearing beyond parents
The commandment of respecting parents (kabed et avicha v'et imecha) has "extra" words (et and v'et) which are used in the gemara to include others in the halacha of respect (for a discussion ...
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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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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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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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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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Studying versus doing
In commenting on Leviticus 26:14, Or HaChaim argues that if you study the details of the sacrifices today, when you cannot actually do them, you have fulfilled the commandments on sacrifices better ...
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How long does "bikur cholim" last?
When someone visits the sick and fulfils the mitzvah of bikur cholim, when is he "finished" or is he constantly fulfilling the mitzvah as long as the choleh wants him to stay?
If he is constantly ...
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According to the Ramban, Did all the descendants of all the Sh'vatim observe the Torah before it was given?
From the Ramban in Beraishis 26:5 it seems that not only Avraham Avinu kept the Torah, but also his descendants, including Yaakov, Yosef, Amram, Moshe etc. He derives this from the passuk "that he [...
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Marriage and p'ru urvu
An answer here states:
The mitzva of Pru Urvu covers only marrying someone believed to be
fertile.
And one here:
"The mitzva per se of pru urvu means: "marry someone who is able to
bear ...
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Were Benei Noach chayiv in Priah u'Reviah and Bris Milah before Sinai?
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 59a says that any mitzvah given to Benei Noach and repeated at Har Sinai, generally speaking, was given to both groups. Thus, both groups are given the issur of Avodah Zarah, ...
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Rabbinically speaking, does honoring a Mitzvah in year 5777 matter more than honoring a Mitzvah during year 1?
"A person who honors a Mitzvah now, they will receive a greater grace and reward in the world to come than if they were honoring the same Mitzvah during the time of revelation.
The above statement ...
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Secular books for Torah study
If one is reading a secular book about electricity in order to understand how it works so that I can learn the halachos of using electricity on Shabbos, would the studying of the secular book be ...
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Chukim list with sources
My search is for a list of chukim.
Since I don't like 'reinventing the wheel', I was wondering if there is one already available from some reference work.
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Does Publicizing Kiddush (or Chillul) Hashem Constitute That?
If someone (Jew of gentile) exposes an act of kiddush (or chas v'shalom chillul Hashem) to the world, does that person fulfill (or make him self guilty of) the same?
(Based on this comment.)
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How many disputed and undisputed Torah Mitzvot are there?
If you combine all the known lists of the "613 Mitzvot" (Rambam, Ramban, Semag, etc.), how many total mitzvot are listed by at least one person as a Mitzvah Deoreitya?
I am curious to compare this to ...
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Honoring a wicked father who has repented - How is he still considered wicked?
The Shulhan 'Aruch (Y"D 240:18) writes that one is obligated to honor his father even if the father is wicked (actually, it says that a Mamzer is obligated, but I believe that the implication is that ...
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Have the 613 commandments ever been ranked by order of importance?
Has any major commentator ever attempted to rank the 613 commandments by order of importance? There are hints in the Sources about relative importance: The Ten Commandments, the Noahide Laws, the Big ...
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Is v'chai bahem a mitzvah?
The passuk says one should "do the mitzvos to live by them" (Vayikra 18:5), from which the Gemara (Sanhedrin 74a) learns that one, in general, must violate the mitzvos rather than die.
Is this a ...
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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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How many times was the mitzvah of " עָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ - Make for me a Sanctuary" fulfilled?
In a sefer Haycha Timtzah, which received Haskamos from the likes of HaRav Moshe Feinstein, he asks the following riddle.
Riddle: Where do we find one of the 613 Mitzvos that was fulfilled only 6 ...
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Is hitbodedut considered a mitzvah?
Do personal prayers to Hashem (hitbodedut) fulfill a mitzvah? It would be a great incentive for me to pray more.
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The Baal Shem Tov: mitzvos as a gift
I've heard in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that G-d was wondering what to give the Jewish people in order to perfect themselves. The endresult.... mitzvos, all 613 of them.
G-d gave us the Torah and ...
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Was Mordechai mekayem "מְכַשֵּׁפָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה"?
Was Mordechai mekayem the mitzvah aseh of מְכַשֵּׁפָה לֹא תְחַיֶּה based off the understanding of the Ramban here that it is a mitzvah Aseh to kill a sorcerer.
Using the understanding that Haman was a ...
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