Discussion Question: what is a mitzvah?
What Are Mitzvot?
Mitzvot, or commandments, are directives from God as recorded in the Five Books of Moses...There are 248 positive commandments (i.e., commandments to do something), and 365 negative commandments (i.e., commandments to refrain from doing something). The Ten Commandments are included in the total of 613, as are the seven Noahide laws.
[N]ot all commandments apply simultaneously. Furthermore, some only apply to specific people, such as Kohanim (priests), while others can only be performed in the Land of Israel. Many can only be fulfilled if a Beit HaMikdash (Temple) stands, and for this reason, only 297 commandments today can be considered generally “applicable”...77 positive commandments, 194 negative commandments, and 26 commandments which can only be fulfilled while living in the Land of Israel. (Jerome Hahn (ed.), Bible Basics, pp. 35-39)
What Are Mitzvot?
Mitzvot, or commandments, are directives from God as recorded in the Five Books of Moses...There are 248 positive commandments (i.e., commandments to do something), and 365 negative commandments (i.e., commandments to refrain from doing something). The Ten Commandments are included in the total of 613, as are the seven Noahide laws.
[N]ot all commandments apply simultaneously. Furthermore, some only apply to specific people, such as Kohanim (priests), while others can only be performed in the Land of Israel. Many can only be fulfilled if a Beit HaMikdash (Temple) stands, and for this reason, only 297 commandments today can be considered generally “applicable”...77 positive commandments, 194 negative commandments, and 26 commandments which can only be fulfilled while living in the Land of Israel. (Jerome Hahn (ed.), Bible Basics, pp. 35-39)
(כא) ... וְזָבַחְתָּ֞ מִבְּקָרְךָ֣ וּמִצֹּֽאנְךָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן יְהֹוָה֙ לְךָ֔ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוִּיתִ֑ךָ
(21) [You] may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that God gives you, as I have instructed you
The Oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ("Torah that is on the mouth") are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah, but nonetheless are regarded by Orthodox Jews as prescriptive and given at the same time. This holistic Jewish code of conduct encompasses a wide swathe of rituals, worship practices, God–human and interpersonal relationships, from dietary laws to Sabbath and festival observance to marital relations, agricultural practices, and civil claims and damages.
According to Rabbinic Jewish tradition, the Oral Torah was passed down orally in an unbroken chain from generation to generation until its contents were finally committed to writing following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when Jewish civilization was faced with an existential threat, by virtue of the dispersion of the Jewish people (Wikipedia).
Basar v'Cholov: Meat & Milk
"Don't boil the kid in the mother's milk" (Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deut 12:21-22) becomes three prohibitions against mixing meat and milk or deriving benefit from its mixing (Talmud, Hullin 115b) to later become a ban on using the same cookware for meat meals and dairy meals as well as a time period between eating milk and meat meals so they don't mix in the stomach, and further defining poultry as "meat" making dishes like chicken parmesan non-kosher (Shulchan Aruch).
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ("Torah that is on the mouth") are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah, but nonetheless are regarded by Orthodox Jews as prescriptive and given at the same time. This holistic Jewish code of conduct encompasses a wide swathe of rituals, worship practices, God–human and interpersonal relationships, from dietary laws to Sabbath and festival observance to marital relations, agricultural practices, and civil claims and damages.
According to Rabbinic Jewish tradition, the Oral Torah was passed down orally in an unbroken chain from generation to generation until its contents were finally committed to writing following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, when Jewish civilization was faced with an existential threat, by virtue of the dispersion of the Jewish people (Wikipedia).
Basar v'Cholov: Meat & Milk
"Don't boil the kid in the mother's milk" (Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deut 12:21-22) becomes three prohibitions against mixing meat and milk or deriving benefit from its mixing (Talmud, Hullin 115b) to later become a ban on using the same cookware for meat meals and dairy meals as well as a time period between eating milk and meat meals so they don't mix in the stomach, and further defining poultry as "meat" making dishes like chicken parmesan non-kosher (Shulchan Aruch).
דאמר ר' חנינא גדול המצווה ועושה יותר משאינו מצווה ועושה
Rabbi Ḥanina says: Greater is one who is commanded to do a mitzvah and performs it than one who is not commanded and performs it.
רַב אָמַר לֹא נִתְּנוּ הַמִּצְווֹת אֶלָּא לְצָרֵף בָּהֶן אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וְכִי מָה אִיכְפַּת לֵיהּ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמִי שֶׁשּׁוֹחֵט מִן הַצַּוָּאר אוֹ מִי שֶׁשּׁוֹחֵט מִן הָעֹרֶף, הֱוֵי לֹא נִתְּנוּ הַמִּצְווֹת אֶלָּא לְצָרֵף בָּהֶם אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת.
Were not the mitzvot given so that man might be refined by them? Do you really think that The Holy One of Blessing cares if an animal is slaughtered by front or by the back of the neck? Therefore, mitzvot were only given to make humans better.
Pittsburgh Platform of Reform Judaism (1885)
- We recognize in the Mosaic legislation a system of training the Jewish people for its mission during its national life in Palestine, and today we accept as binding only its moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives, but reject all such as are not adapted to the views and habits of modern civilization.
- We hold that all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation.
Platform of Reform Judaism (1976)
The past century has taught us that the claims made upon us may begin with our ethical obligations but they extend to many other aspects of Jewish living, including: creating a Jewish home centered on family devotion: lifelong study; private prayer and public worship; daily religious observance; keeping the Sabbath and the holy days: celebrating the major events of life; involvement with the synagogues and community; and other activities which promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its existence. Within each area of Jewish observance Reform Jews are called upon to confront the claims of Jewish tradition, however differently perceived, and to exercise their individual autonomy, choosing and creating on the basis of commitment and knowledge.
The past century has taught us that the claims made upon us may begin with our ethical obligations but they extend to many other aspects of Jewish living, including: creating a Jewish home centered on family devotion: lifelong study; private prayer and public worship; daily religious observance; keeping the Sabbath and the holy days: celebrating the major events of life; involvement with the synagogues and community; and other activities which promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its existence. Within each area of Jewish observance Reform Jews are called upon to confront the claims of Jewish tradition, however differently perceived, and to exercise their individual autonomy, choosing and creating on the basis of commitment and knowledge.
Religious Folkways: A Reconstructionist Approach
"Any situation which has the power of enlarging our sympathies, widening the perspectives of our thought, quieting our mind, sweetening our disposition and strengthening our will, should reveal God to us. The function of religious folkways would then be to direct our attention to those situations and to induce that frame of mind which would enable us to evoke from them their richest spiritual value." Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization.
Example: a Jewish wedding with a chuppah, kiddush, sheva brachot, etc. (the mitzvah) leads us to a powerful sense of what it means for two people to be in love (the situation), which leads us to a greater sense of love in our lives (spiritual value)
Humanistic Judaism
Jewish culture is the context in which our humanism finds its fullest and most natural expression. We embrace Judaism because we cherish its traditions, music, language, literature, art, food, and much more. Our culture adds richness to our lives and connects us to our families, our ancestors, and our fellow Jews (CityCongregation.org).
Discussion Question: how are all of these views of mitzvot different? Which inspires you the most? Why?
Shabbat
"Any situation which has the power of enlarging our sympathies, widening the perspectives of our thought, quieting our mind, sweetening our disposition and strengthening our will, should reveal God to us. The function of religious folkways would then be to direct our attention to those situations and to induce that frame of mind which would enable us to evoke from them their richest spiritual value." Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization.
Example: a Jewish wedding with a chuppah, kiddush, sheva brachot, etc. (the mitzvah) leads us to a powerful sense of what it means for two people to be in love (the situation), which leads us to a greater sense of love in our lives (spiritual value)
Humanistic Judaism
Jewish culture is the context in which our humanism finds its fullest and most natural expression. We embrace Judaism because we cherish its traditions, music, language, literature, art, food, and much more. Our culture adds richness to our lives and connects us to our families, our ancestors, and our fellow Jews (CityCongregation.org).
Discussion Question: how are all of these views of mitzvot different? Which inspires you the most? Why?
Shabbat
- Ha-madvil bein kodesh l'chol (the separation of the sacred and the ordinary)
- "The world exists without you." Disconnecting with social media, news, technology to embrace contemplation and community
- Gratitude
- Teshuva (repentance)
- Continuity
- Community (sometimes)
- Connects you to a community (think Paleo, Vegans, etc.)
- Mindfulness through constant effort at one thing (similar to Zazen)
- Ethical possibilities when you consider the practicalities of cost of meat and dairy products, ethical slaughter, treatment of workers
- Bundling -- connect a mitzvah to something you already do
- Start small -- don't eat pork, as opposed to "going kosher" for example
- Daily habits -- tefillin, tzedakah, torah study...not weekly/holiday
- Make it easy -- put a siddur on your nightstand, etc.
- Community -- habits are easier to form with others (accountability, culture, etc.)