§ Rabbi Simlai taught: There were 613 mitzvot stated to Moses in the Torah, consisting of 365 prohibitions corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive mitzvot corresponding to the number of a person’s limbs. Rav Hamnuna said: What is the verse that alludes to this? It is written: “Moses commanded to us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 34:4). The word Torah, in terms of its numerical value [gimatriyya], is 611, the number of mitzvot that were received and taught by Moses our teacher. In addition, there are two mitzvot: “I am the Lord your God” and: “You shall have no other gods” (Exodus 20:2, 3), the first two of the Ten Commandments, that we heard from the mouth of the Almighty, for a total of 613.
Malbim on Amos 5:24
ויגל כמים משפט, כמ"ש עשות צדקה ומשפט נבחר ליי מזבח, והמשפט הוא בין אדם לחברו, והצדקה היא בין אדם למקום, המשפט הוא נטוע בשכל האדם, שאחר שהאדם הוא מדיני בטבע צריך הוא למשפט שעי"כ יתקיים הקיבוץ המדיני, וע"כ מדמהו כגולות מים שהמקור נובע מעצמו ויוצא לחוץ אל זולתו, וכן יגל המשפט ויביע ממקור השכל וטבע האדם עצמו, והצדקה איננה נמצאת בטבע האדם רק יקבל את מצותיה מאת יי, והיא דומה כנחל שמימיו אינם נמצאים בו בעצמו רק יתקבצו אליו ממים המוגרים מן ההרים ומן המקורות שבחוץ, כן תבא הצדקה מבחוץ מאת יי, וכן מימי הנחל לא יביעו כמקור למלאת את זולתו ויתאספו רק בתוך הנחל לבד, וכן עקר מעשה הצדקה הוא לשלמות הנפש עצמו, ועז"א וצדקה כנחל איתן, ור"ל שעקר העליה לרגל והקרבנות היה ללמוד שם חקי יי ומשפטיו, כמ"ש למען תלמד ליראה את יי אלקיך, וא"כ צדקה ומשפט היא התכלית הנרצה לא הקרבנות:
(4) Moses commanded us a law, An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
Do we have a sense of being commanded?
We all fulfill at least some of the commandments in the Torah - we're here fulfilling one now, studying Torah. Why do you fulfill the commandments that you do fulfill?
Enforced by the courts / police
He who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death.
Divine Enforcement
נִמְצָא פֵּרוּשׁ כָּל אוֹתָן הַבְּרָכוֹת וְהַקְּלָלוֹת עַל דֶּרֶךְ זוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר אִם עֲבַדְתֶּם אֶת יי בְּשִׂמְחָה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם דַּרְכּוֹ מַשְׁפִּיעַ לָכֶם הַבְּרָכוֹת הָאֵלּוּ וּמַרְחִיק הַקְּלָלוֹת מִכֶּם עַד שֶׁתִּהְיוּ פְּנוּיִים לְהִתְחַכֵּם בַּתּוֹרָה וְלַעֲסֹק בָּהּ כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּזְכּוּ לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא וְיִיטַב לְךָ לְעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ טוֹב וְתַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים לְעוֹלָם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ אָרֹךְ וְנִמְצֵאתֶם זוֹכִין לִשְׁנֵי הָעוֹלָמוֹת, לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַמְּבִיאִים לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
It comes out that the explanation of all those blessings and curses is according to the following: it is to say that if you served the Lord with happiness and observed His way, He will bequest you these blessings and distance the curses from you, so that you become available to gain wisdom from the Torah and be involved with it, so that you will merit the Life of the World to Come, and He will benefit you with the world that is completely good, and lengthen your days in the world that is completely long - it comes out that you will have merited both worlds; a good life in this world that brings one to the Life of the World to Come.
The Commandments are Wise and Make us Wise
In keeping them there is great gain : - Apart from the sweetness and the pleasure the wise man finds in them, the wise soul would pine and be eager for wisdom, even though it had not this recompense, for it is the nature of the wise soul to long, for wisdom, just as it is natural for the soul to long for sweet food. Such being the case, the wise busy themselves in Torah-study and in wisdom by nature, although they do not look for recompense in it.
The Commandments Define Moral Values
We Promised
ולא אתכם לבדכם וגו׳ כי את אשר ישנו פה אין לי אלא אותם העומדים על הר סיני דורות הבאים וגרים העתידים להתגייר מנין ת״ל (שם) ואת אשר איננו פה ואין לי אלא מצות שקבלו עליהם בהר סיני מצות העתידות להתחדש כגון מקרא מגלה מנין ת״ל (אסתר ט כז) קימו וקבלו קיימו מה שקבלו כבר
And not with you alone, etc. . . . but with him that is standing here, etc. [It is not meant, those who were only at the Mount Sinai, but all future generations]. Whence do we know that even all proselytes who will embrace Judaism in the future? It is said (Ib.) And also with him that is not here with us. From this we infer only regarding the commandments given in that Mount, but whence do we know regarding all commandments that will be established in the future, such as the reading of the Book of Esther? It is said (Est. 9, 27) The Jews confirmed it as a duty, etc. This means they confirmed a duty imposed upon them in the past.
Levinas
"Kol Yisrael areivim ze lazeh," "Everyone in Israel is answerable for everyone else," signifies: all adherents to the divine Law, all men who are truly men, are responsible for one another.
We learn about laws we obey by hearsay: most of us have not read the US Code, but by being part of the community we become aware of our obligations
Duty to God
Sanctification / Desecration of God's Name
A Path to Holiness
Commandments are for our Benefit
אבל הענין בהפך זה! והכונה כולה להועילנו - כמו שבארנו מאמרו "לטוב לנו כל הימים לחיותנו כהיום הזה" ואמר "אשר ישמעון את כל החוקים האלה ואמרו רק עם חכם ונבון הגוי הגדול הזה" - כבר באר שאפילו ה'חוקים' כולם יורו אל כל הגוים שהם 'בחכמה ותבונה' ואם היה ענין שלא תודע לו סיבה ולא יביא תועלת ולא ידחה נזק - למה יאמר במאמינו או בעושהו שהוא 'חכם ונבון' וגדל המעלה ויפלאו מזה האומות?: אבל הענין כמו שזכרנו בלא ספק והוא שכל 'מצוה' מאלו ה'שש מאות ושלוש עשרה מצוות' היא - לנתינת דעת אמיתי או להסיר דעת רע או לנתינת סדר ישר או להסיר עול או להתלמד במדות טובות או להזהיר ממדות רעות -
On the contrary, the sole object of the Law is to benefit us. Thus we explained the Scriptural passage, "for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day" (Deut. 6:24). Again, "which shall hear all those statutes (ḥuḳḳim), and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people" (ibid. 4:6). He thus says that even every one of these "statutes" convinces all nations of the wisdom and understanding it includes. But if no reason could be found for these statutes, if they produced no advantage and removed no evil, why then should he who believes in them and follows them be wise, reasonable, and so excellent as to raise the admiration of all nations? But the truth is undoubtedly as we have said, that every one of the six hundred and thirteen precepts serves to inculcate some truth, to remove some erroneous opinion, to establish proper relations in society, to diminish evil, to train in good manners or to warn against bad habits.
Repair of the World
Lurianic Kabbalah
Before the beginning, God filled the Universe. The first thing that had to happen in creation was a contraction: God had to withdraw, concealing God’s self, so that there would be room for the physical world. God then began to emanate into the world, pouring His divine energy into vessels called sefirot, which represent different ways God has of interacting with the world—a bridge between the finite and the infinite. The vessels were not able to contain God’s light—it was too powerful—and the vessels shattered. The remnants of those shattered vessels are the physical world we live in. Yet those shattered shards contain some Divine energy, just as a broken honey jar would still have honey stuck on the pieces of glass. The world, in a sense, was created in a cosmic work accident. Our communal mission is to put God back together again, to restore those slivers of the Divine that have been cast down with the physical. And the way we do that, the way we fix the world, is through doing mitzvot. To the mystics, any mitzvot we do—whether feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, or lighting Shabbat candles and keeping kosher—contributes to “tikun olam,” the repair of the world, the bringing of the holy sparks back to God.
Out of Love
Out of Faith
CH Spurgeon (Christian)
We preach the obedience of faith. Faith is the fountain, the foundation, and the fosterer of obedience. Men obey not God till they believe him. We preach faith in order that men may be brought to obedience. To disbelieve is to disobey.
Draw Close to God
Just as Buddhists meditate to draw closer to God, Jews do mitzvot.
Na'aseh v' Nishmah - a Leap of Action
Is it better to do a commandment because you want to, or because you're commanded to?
.as R. Hanina indeed said that greater is the reward of those who being enjoined do [good deeds] than of those who without being enjoined [but merely of their own free will] do [good deeds], if someone would tell me that the halachah is not in accordance with R. Judah [that I am exempt from the commandments] I would make a festive occasion for our Rabbis, because if I am enjoined to perform commandments the reward will be greater for me...
And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: ‘All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and hearken.’
R. Eleazar said: When the Israelites gave precedence to we will do over we will hearken, a Heavenly Voice went forth and exclaimed to them, Who revealed to My children this secret, which is employed by the Ministering Angels, as it is written, Bless the Lord, ye angels of his. Ye mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, That hearken unto the voice of his word: first they fulfill and then they hearken?
Rav Barry
The Slonimer Rebbe says the goal of every Jew should be to achieve devekut, a cleaving to God, a powerful connection with God. Na’aseh v’nishmah—agreeing to obey before hearing the rules—demonstrates this, because the essence of na’aseh v’nishmah is that even in dark times, when we don’t understand the will of God very clearly, when our understanding is limited, we still put na’aseh, we will do, before nishmah, we will understand. We still cleave to God, we still accept God, even if we don’t totally understand God.
An insistence on having it all explained in an understandable way before taking on a particular mitzvah is symptomatic of a distant relationship with God.
If someone you love says “do me a favor?” what’s the answer?
“Of course, what is it?”
We don’t need it explained first. We agree first because we trust and love the other person. We want to do things for them. The Slonimer Rebbe says that at Sinai our ancestors accepted the commandments from a place of love, the way children love their parents.
So if we say na’aseh, we will do, what do we need the nishmah for? Madregat HaAdam says that by saying na’aseh, we are agreeing to perform God’s will even before we understand it. The nishmah we pursue is to understand what it is that God is asking of us—not so that we can decide whether or not to do it, we’ve already agreed we’ll do it—but rather simply so that we’ll know what to do.
A.J. Heschel
A Jew is asked to take a leap of action rather an leap of faith.
The Evolution of Halacha
וזה הוא תנור של עכנאי מאי עכנאי אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל שהקיפו דברים כעכנא זו וטמאוהו תנא באותו היום השיב רבי אליעזר כל תשובות שבעולם ולא קיבלו הימנו אמר להם אם הלכה כמותי חרוב זה יוכיח נעקר חרוב ממקומו מאה אמה ואמרי לה ארבע מאות אמה אמרו לו אין מביאין ראיה מן החרוב חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי אמת המים יוכיחו חזרו אמת המים לאחוריהם אמרו לו אין מביאין ראיה מאמת המים חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי כותלי בית המדרש יוכיחו הטו כותלי בית המדרש ליפול גער בהם רבי יהושע אמר להם אם תלמידי חכמים מנצחים זה את זה בהלכה אתם מה טיבכם לא נפלו מפני כבודו של רבי יהושע ולא זקפו מפני כבודו של ר"א ועדיין מטין ועומדין חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי מן השמים יוכיחו יצאתה בת קול ואמרה מה לכם אצל ר"א שהלכה כמותו בכ"מ עמד רבי יהושע על רגליו ואמר (דברים ל, יב) לא בשמים היא מאי לא בשמים היא אמר רבי ירמיה שכבר נתנה תורה מהר סיני אין אנו משגיחין בבת קול שכבר כתבת בהר סיני בתורה (שמות כג, ב) אחרי רבים להטות אשכחיה רבי נתן לאליהו א"ל מאי עביד קוב"ה בההיא שעתא א"ל קא חייך ואמר נצחוני בני נצחוני בני
[Rough translation!] One day Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Eliezer were having a halachic argument over the purity of a specialized oven. Rabbi Eliezer brought them all the evidence he possibly could to legitimize his argument but Rabbi Joshua Rejected him. Upon being rejected, Rabbi Eliezer said to Rabbi Joshua, "if the halacha is with me, then let the carob tree prove it!" to which the carob tree uprooted itself and moved 100 cubits. Some say 400 cubits. Rabbi Joshua responded by saying that one cannot prove anything from a carob tree. Rabbi Eliezer then said to him, "then if the halacha is with me, let the stream prove it!" to which the water responded by flowing in the opposite direction. Rabbi Joshua responded by saying that one cannot prove anything with a stream. Rabbi Eliezer then said," then if the halacha is with me, let these walls prove it!" to which the walls of the room began to cave in. Rabi Joshua then rebuked the walls by saying that the walls had no authority in a a halachic debate. The walls then stood at angles in respect to both of the rabbis. Finally, Rabbi Eliezer said," if the halacha is with me, then may it be proven by heaven!" In response to this, a voice came down from heaven and said to Rabbi Joshua, "why do you argue with Rabbie Eliezer? The Halacha is in accordance with him in every way". Rabbi Joshua said to the heavenly voice," The Torah is not in heaven so we take no notice of heavenly voices since you have already written in the Torah to follow the majority." The heavenly voice then exclaimed with delight, " my sons have defeated me, my sons have defeated me!". After this, Rabbi Eliezer was excommunicated from the group.
אמר רב יהודה אמר רב בשעה שעלה משה למרום מצאו להקב"ה שיושב וקושר כתרים לאותיות אמר לפניו רבש"ע מי מעכב על ידך אמר לו אדם אחד יש שעתיד להיות בסוף כמה דורות ועקיבא בן יוסף שמו שעתיד לדרוש על כל קוץ וקוץ תילין תילין של הלכות אמר לפניו רבש"ע הראהו לי אמר לו חזור לאחורך הלך וישב בסוף שמונה שורות ולא היה יודע מה הן אומרים תשש כחו כיון שהגיע לדבר אחד אמרו לו תלמידיו רבי מנין לך אמר להן הלכה למשה מסיני נתיישבה דעתו חזר ובא לפני הקב"ה אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם יש לך אדם כזה ואתה נותן תורה ע"י אמר לו שתוק
R. Y’hudah said in the name of Rav: When Moses went to heaven he found God sitting and affixing crowns to the letters [of the Torah]. Moses said: “Master of the Universe, who detains your hand?” [I.e., why do you take so long to add these crowns to the letters?] God said to him: "A man will come to be at the end of many generations, and Akiva ben Yosef is his name. He will interpret on each and every tittle, piles and piles of laws.” He said to him: "Master of the Universe: Show him to me.” God said to him: "Turn around." He went and sat at the end of the eighth row, but he did not know what they were saying (didn't understand the teaching). He was ill at ease. When he arrived to one point, his students said to him: “Teacher, how do you know it is so?” He replied: “It is halacha given to Moses at Mount Sinai.” And he was comforted. Moses then said to God, Master of the Universe, you have a man of this caliber and you give the Torah through me? God told him to be silent.
אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים שאלו רבני צרפת ז״ל היאך אפשר שיהו אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חים וזה איסר וזה מתיר ותרצו כי כשעלה משה למרום לקבל התורה הראו לן על כל דבר ודבר מ״ט פנים לאיסור ומ״ט פני׳ להיתר ושאל להקב״ה על זה ואמר שיהא זה מסור לחכמי ישראל שבכל דור ודור ויהיה הכרעה כמותם ונכון הוא לפי הדרש ובדרך האמת יש טעם סוד בדבר.
Ritva (Rabbi Yom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli (Commentary on Eruvin 13b [How can it be that] Elu v’elu divrei Elohim chaim -- These and These are the words of the Living G-d? The Rabbis of France [i.e. the Tosafists] may their memories be blessed, asked: How can it be that both of them spoke the words of the Living G-d, yet one side said [for example, an object is] forbidden and one said it is permissible? They resolved it by noting that when Moshe went up to the heights to receive the Torah, it was shown to him 49 reasons why something is permissible, and 49 reasons why it is forbidden. He asked the Holy One Blessed Be He about this, and was told that this is left to the sages of Israel in every generation, and the ruling will be as they decide
Evolution of Halacha in the Conservative Movement
Each rabbi is "Mara d'Atra," (literally, "master of the place" in Aramaic) and the halachic decision maker for his or her community. Generally speaking teshuvot (Jewish legal opinions) approved by the Conservative Movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) are advisory, not obligatory (with a few exceptions that ARE obligatory, all relating to personal status).
The CJLS consists of 25 rabbis and 5 lay observers. It reviews teshuvot which may come from committee members, or may be submitted by rabbis. A teshuvah that receives at least six votes in favor (even if there are 19 opposed!) is considered a valid position within the movement, and the teshuvah will be publicized on the CJLS website, etc. A teshuvah that was not approved by the CJLS may still be followed by an individual rabbi - the rulings of the CJLS are mostly advisory. The ones that are binding on all members of the Rabbinical Assembly have to do with "who's a Jew," conversion, and marriage/divorce.
The CJLS website, including teshuvot from the past several years, can be found at https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/jewish-law/committee-jewish-law-and-standards
Rabbi Leff serves on the CJLS and has had four teshuvot approved by the CJLS.