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LANGUAGE CORNER
The Many Modes of
Mitzvah
Literally, mitzvah (plural mitzvot) means a command of
the highest order – biblically from a king or, more often, from God:
“You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you
diminish from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your
God which I command you.” The sages of the Talmud divided mitzvot
into two categories: “mitzvot aseh” or positive commandments,
acts that should be performed, like “honor thy father and thy mother”;
and “mitzvot lo ta’aseh,” negative commandments, acts that should
not be performed, like “thou shalt not murder.” The sages counted 248
positive commandments – the same as the traditional number of human
organs – and 365 negative commandments – the same as the number of the
days in the year. Together they add up to the famous 613 mitzvot
of Judaism.
The mitzvot also were divided into two other categories: those
“between a person and his fellow human” and those “between a person and
God.” Over the generations, further mitzvot, interpretations of
mitzvot, and expansions on mitzvot were added to the
original 613.
Figuring out what the 613 mitzvot plus additions are is not so
simple. The most prominent method for listing all the mitzvot is the one
outlined by Maimonides in his book Sefer Hamitzvot, in which the
mitzvot are listed by subject. A different system is outlined in
Sefer Hahinuch (the book of education), which outlines the
mitzvot according to the order in which they appear in the weekly
portions of the Torah.
Some of the mitzvot are mitzvot zeman (time related)
and must be performed at a certain time, like building a sukka during
the Sukkot festival. There are mitzvot sichliot (cerebral
mitzvot) – those that are understood by intelligent human beings – as
well as mitzvot shimiot (mitzvot of hearing) – inexplicable and
ungraspable, but after the people of Israel have heard them, they must
be kept.
Entering the world of mitzvot – becoming a bar or
bat mitzvah, literally a son or a daughter of the commandment –
means that from now on, observing the mitzvot is part of your
duties. The bar or bat mitzvah ceremony can be followed by a se’udat
mitzvah – the bar mitzvah feast. If you really like one of the
mitzvot and make a special point of keeping it, this is called
hidor mitzvah.
There are many Hebrew idioms connected to the mitzvot. For
example, mitzvah haba’a be’avera refers to a mitzvah that
is observed by violating another mitzvah. Such acts should not be
performed and are not considered to be the fulfillment of a mitzvah,
demonstrating that the end does not justify the means on the mitzvah
scale. Then there is mitzvat anashim melumada, a mitzvah
of learned people. This is a mitzvah that is observed out of
habit and learning, which doesn’t count either because there is not
kavana (good intention) in it. Mitzvah also appears in the
popular Hebrew idiom “Matchil mitzvah omerim lo gmor” (“If you
start something good, finish it”).
And finally, we have the milhemet mitzvah – the war that the
people of Israel were commanded by God to wage, for example, against the
former peoples of the Land of Israel. “For a war of mitzvah,
everyone has to join,” says the Talmud, “even a bridegroom from his
bridal suite and a bride from under the wedding canopy.” As Israel
prepares for elections and formulates a response to the results of the
Palestinian elections, let us hope that the days of milhemet mitzvah
are behind us.
Yadin Roman
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