Mitzvah
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah (/ˈmɪtsvə/; Hebrew: מִצְוָה, mīṣvā [mit͡sˈva], plural מִצְווֹת mīṣvōt [mit͡sˈvot]; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law (halakha) in large part consists of discussion of these commandments. According to religious tradition, there are 613 such commandments.
This article is about beliefs in Judaism. For the Jewish rites of passage, see Bar and Bat Mitzvah.
In its secondary meaning, the word mitzvah refers to a deed performed in order to fulfill such a commandment. As such, the term mitzvah has also come to express an individual act of human kindness in keeping with the law. The expression includes a sense of heartfelt sentiment beyond mere legal duty, as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).[1]
For some mitzvot, the purpose is specified in the Torah; though, the opinions of the Talmudic rabbis are divided between those who seek the purpose of the mitzvot and those who do not question them. The former believe that if people were to understand the reason for each mitzvah, it would help them to observe and perform the mitzvah. The latter argue that if the purpose for each mitzvah could be determined, people might try to achieve what they see as the ultimate purpose of the mitzvah, while rejecting the mitzvah itself.
Hebrew Bible[edit]
The feminine noun mitzvah (מִצְוָה) occurs over 180 times in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible. The first use is in Genesis 26:5 where God says that Abraham has "obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments (מִצְוֹתַי mitzvotai), my statutes, and my laws". In the Septuagint the word is usually translated with entolē (ἐντολή).[2] In Second Temple period funeral inscriptions the epithet phil-entolos, "lover of the commandments", was sometimes inscribed on Jewish tombs.[3] Other words are also used in Hebrew for commands and statutes; the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדיברות), for example, are the "Ten Words".[4]
Categories of mitzvot[edit]
The commandments have been divided also into three general categories: mishpatim; edot; and chukim. Mishpatim ("laws") include commandments that are deemed to be self-evident, such as not to murder and not to steal. Edot ("testimonies") commemorate important events in Jewish history. For example, the Shabbat is said to testify to the story that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day and declared it holy. Chukim ("decrees") are commandments with no known rationale, and are perceived as pure manifestations of the Divine will.[11]
The commandments are divided into positive ("thou shalt") and negative ("thou shalt not") commandments. According to Jewish tradition, the 613 commandments contain 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments.
Many commandments concern only special classes of people – such as kings, Kohanim (the 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. Some are sex-dependent: for example, women are exempt from certain time-related commandments (such as shofar, sukkah, lulav, tzitzit and tefillin).[12]
Three types of negative commandments fall under the self-sacrificial principle yehareg ve'al ya'avor, meaning "One should let oneself be killed rather than violate it". These are murder, idolatry, and forbidden sexual relations.[13] For all other commandments, one must violate the commandment if the only alternative is to be killed.
According to Rabbi Ishmael, only the principal commandments were given on Mount Sinai, the remainder having been given in the Tent of Meeting. Rabbi Akiva, on the other hand, was of the opinion that they were all given on Mount Sinai, repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and declared a third time by Moses before his death. According to the Midrash, all divine commandments were given on Mount Sinai, and no prophet could add any new ones.[14]