By By Rabbi-Cantor Cheri Weiss
My husband, Dan, is a long-time hospice nurse, caring for people whose lives are drawing to a close. He and his colleagues bring kindness and compassion not only to their patients but to their families, who are also suffering as their loved ones move closer to the end of their time on Earth. Every day they have many opportunities to do what we commonly refer to as a mitzvah—a good deed.
The actual translation of the word mitzvah, however, is “commandment”. There are 613 mitzvot in our Torah, the most well-known of these referred to as the Ten Commandments. That is a lot of opportunities for each of us to fulfill God’s commandments! Out of this number, 248 are considered “positive” mitzvot, meaning they require that we take positive action to fulfill them. Some of these mitzvot directly involve our relationship to God: believing in, loving, fearing and worshipping God, as well as walking in God’s ways. Each of us must determine for ourselves what those words mean to us and how that will be reflected in our daily living.
Other examples of positive mitzvot are keeping and sanctifying Shabbat, honoring and respecting one’s parents, and visiting those who are ill or in mourning. We are obligated to thank God after consuming a meal, as well as before and after studying Torah. There are numerous commandments to care for the poor, some in general terms (“You must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need.” [Deuteronomy 15:8]), some more specific (“In the seventh year you shall let [your land] rest and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and your olive groves.” [Leviticus 23:11])
The other 365 mitzvot are considered as “negative” commandments, i.e. things we are told not to do. For example, we are commanded not to kill, steal, commit adultery, or covet someone else’s possessions. We may not bear false witness (lie), worship idols, or eat from the list of prohibited foods (the foundation of kashrut). We are forbidden from shaming another person publicly. (The Talmudic rabbis considered this action particularly egregious, tantamount to murder.) There are many negative commandments regarding sexual prohibitions and over twenty commandments directed specifically at judges to ensure fairness and true justice in all legal proceedings.
Some of the mitzvot are no longer relevant to contemporary life, such as those related to animal sacrifice or the obligations of the priests. There are both positive and negative mitzvot related to our holidays: Do celebrate Sukkot with the four species (lulav, etrog, myrtle, willow); do not eat leavened bread during Passover. (For a comprehensive list of mitzvot, visit: www.mussar.center/lists/613)
By observing God’s mitzvot, we are choosing to live within an ethical and moral framework accepted by our ancestors at Sinai. Espousing Jewish values and setting behavioral expectations in our daily lives aligns us with Jews throughout the world and across the centuries, fostering a connection that transcends space and time. We become connected to the generations who came before us and to those who will follow in our footsteps.
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