Why is mitzvah significant to the Jewish faith?

Answer 1

The word 'mitzvah', which is Hebrew, is most commonly translated as 'commandment'.

The mitzvot (pl) are found in the Torah and form the basis for how Jews are meant to live their lives. There are both postive and negative mitzvot. Amongst the positive mitzvot there are then those that are required actions and others that are allowed actions.

Answer 2

MITZVAH (מצוה) is a Hebrew word which is from the root "TZ. V. H." (צ.ו.ה), which means "to order" or "to command". The mitzvot (plural) are the commands that a Jewish person is supposed to perform. Jews of all branches hold that the full collection of "MITZVOT" (plural of MITZVAH) was given to Moshe on top of mount Sinai, when he received the TORAH, although Many Reform and Conservative Jews understand that on a more symbolic or poetic level.

Most of the mitzvot are written in the TORAH, while others were passed on verbally. There are 613 MITZVOT, and they are classified into several categories according to various parameters. For example the 613 are divided into 248 positive commands (MITZVOTH ASEH) which tell us things to do, and 365 prohibitions (MITZVOT AL TAASEH) which forbid certain bad deeds. Other parameters would be gender (some MITZVOT apply only to men or to women, according to Orthodox interpretation), level of severity and more.

All practicing Jews, whether Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, or Orthodox, believe in the importance of Mitzvot; however, interpretation of Mitzvot and their level of significance varies greatly among the branches of Judaism.

Answer 3

The mitzvot (commands) are the laws which the Torah obligates for us.

1) Most literally, "mitzvot" means laws which are explicitly stated in the Torah, such as Sabbath-observance (Exodus ch.31) and kosher foods (Deuteronomy ch.14).

2) A few commands were instituted by the sages, such as reading the megilla (scroll of Esther) on Purim, and lighting the Hanukkah-candles.

3) Generically, we often use the term "mitzva" to apply to any good deed.

See also the attached Related Link.

Answer 4

Mitzvot is a plural, so there is no need to add the "s" at the end - the singular is mitzvah. The Jewish mitzvot, commonly known as the Taryag Mitzvot or 613 Mitzvot, are a list of legal and ethical principles found in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) which govern all aspects of an observant Jew's life. These are then split into the 365 mitzvot lo taaseh (negative commandments), or instructions to refrain from certain acts, and the 248 positive commandments, instructions to carry out certain acts. These are then split into further groups, such as the yehareg ve'al ya'avor (laws which an observant Jew would rather die than violate, such as murder, forbidden sexual relations and idolatry) and those that apply only in Israel. Since in Judaism women are considered more holy or closer to G-d, they are exempt from certain laws such as that to lay tefillin (the black leather boxes containing scrolls, worn on the arm and head by Jewish men during prayer). Some of these are designated as chukim - laws for which no reason is given, considered to be due to some unknown Divine reason - such as the laws of kashrut which govern which foods are or are not kosher.

Wikipedia has a full list of the Taryag Mitvot at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_Mitzvot#Maimonides.27_list

Answer 5

The mitzvot (plural) are the commands in the Torah. There are hundreds of examples.

Religious Jews live by the Torah, by obeying its commands and beliefs.Link: Jewish beliefs
Some examples of the commands:

• Putting on Tefillin (phylacteries) in the morning
  

Link: The Tefillin

• Saying the Shema-prayer

Link: The Shema

• Sitting in the sukkah during Sukkot
  

Link: The Sukkah-booth

• Avoiding leavened products in Passover
  

Link: Passover

• Keeping kosher
  

Link: Kosher-laws

• Not eating on Yom Kippur
  

Link: Yom Kippur

• Not working on the Shabbat
  

Link: The Shabbat

• Paying workers on time
  
• Marital rights for one's wife
• The Ten Commandments

Link: The Ten Commandments

• Helping someone who is in danger
  
• Counting the days of the Omer
  
• Returning lost objects when feasible
  
• Wearing the tzitzith-garment
  

Link: What are Tzitzith

• Affixing a mezuzah to the door
  

Link: What is a mezuzah

• Learning Torah
  

Link: The Torah

• Keeping our rules of ethics

Link: Jewish ethics

• Marrying and having children
  
• Educating one's children in Judaism
  
• Giving tzedakah (charity)
  
• Honoring one's parents
  

And many more.

The laws have various reasons. Some (such as the Passover) serve to reenact or remember events of our history.
Some (such as saying the Shema-prayer) serve to reiterate our belief in God.
Some of the laws (such as those of ritual purity and kosher food) serve to sanctify us.
Some (such as the laws of torts) serve to maintain an orderly and just society.
Some (such as the law against breaking a vow) serve to prevent bad character traits.
Some (such as the command to offer help) serve to engender good character traits.
And all of the commands serve to subjugate us to God's will (especially those commands for which no explanation is easily apparent).

Note that the Torah "as is" isn't exactly what Judaism observes. Rather, It's the Torah together with the details provided in the Talmud, which is the Oral Law that was handed down together with the laws of Moses. Otherwise, the verses of the Torah often lack enough detail to be fulfilled as is.

See also the other Related Links.

Link: What are the teachings, practices, principles and beliefs of Judaism?

Link: What is life like for Jews?

Link: More about the Hebrew Bible

Link: More about the Talmud

Answer 6

The mitzvot (plural) are the commands in the Torah. There are hundreds of examples.

Religious Jews live by the Torah, by obeying its commands and beliefs.Link: Jewish beliefs
Some examples of the commands:

• Putting on Tefillin (phylacteries) in the morning
  

Link: The Tefillin

• Saying the Shema-prayer

Link: The Shema

• Sitting in the sukkah during Sukkot
  

Link: The Sukkah-booth

• Avoiding leavened products in Passover
  

Link: Passover

• Keeping kosher
  

Link: Kosher-laws

• Not eating on Yom Kippur
  

Link: Yom Kippur

• Not working on the Shabbat
  

Link: The Shabbat

• Paying workers on time
  
• Marital rights for one's wife
• The Ten Commandments

Link: The Ten Commandments

• Helping someone who is in danger
  
• Counting the days of the Omer
  
• Returning lost objects when feasible
  
• Wearing the tzitzith-garment
  

Link: What are Tzitzith

• Affixing a mezuzah to the door
  

Link: What is a mezuzah

• Learning Torah
  

Link: The Torah

• Keeping our rules of ethics

Link: Jewish ethics

• Marrying and having children
  
• Educating one's children in Judaism
  
• Giving tzedakah (charity)
  
• Honoring one's parents
  

And many more.

The laws have various reasons. Some (such as the Passover) serve to reenact or remember events of our history.
Some (such as saying the Shema-prayer) serve to reiterate our belief in God.
Some of the laws (such as those of ritual purity and kosher food) serve to sanctify us.
Some (such as the laws of torts) serve to maintain an orderly and just society.
Some (such as the law against breaking a vow) serve to prevent bad character traits.
Some (such as the command to offer help) serve to engender good character traits.
And all of the commands serve to subjugate us to God's will (especially those commands for which no explanation is easily apparent).

Note that the Torah "as is" isn't exactly what Judaism observes. Rather, It's the Torah together with the details provided in the Talmud, which is the Oral Law that was handed down together with the laws of Moses. Otherwise, the verses of the Torah often lack enough detail to be fulfilled as is.

See also the other Related Links.

Link: What are the teachings, practices, principles and beliefs of Judaism?

Link: What is life like for Jews?

Link: More about the Hebrew Bible

Link: More about the Talmud

Answer 7

First, my explanation is going to be somewhat more secular than that of the rabbi, who eloquently explained the concept from a Biblical standpoint, and whose definition is 100% accurate (and worth studying). But for many people, especially those who don't come from a very religious background, they may understand the word "mitzvah" to mean a good deed. However, it has a much deeper meaning than that. It refers to doing something that God has asked of us: performing positive actions that make the world better in some way (helping someone who is poor; comforting someone going through a difficult time; welcoming the stranger-- such as the person who is new to this country; speaking out against oppression and bigotry, etc); it can also refer to avoiding certain actions because they are contrary to ethics and contrary to Biblical teachings. (The Ten Commandments wisely tell us not to covet-- to avoid being greedy or jealous, for example.)

There are many, many verses of The Bible where God gives us guidelines about how we should treat others and how we should act in society. In fact, since Judaism is a way of life as well as a religion, doing mitzvot (the plural of mitzvah) is one of the key aspects of living a Jewish life. (In other words, being Jewish is about what you do, not just what you believe.) But you don't have to be religious to do a mitzvah. It should also be noted that while Jews are commanded to do mitzvot, you need not be Jewish to do one; in my opinion, it's a good thing for everyone to do a mitzvah whenever there's an opportunity. And keep in mind-- you don't do a mitzvah for the result; you do it because it's the right thing to do.

Answer 8

Mitzvah (מצוה) = commandment

Note: It's often used by English-speaking Jews to mean any obligation that results in a good deed toward someone else. Because of this, some people think it means "good deed."

Answer 9

Specifically, the hundreds of Divine commands in the Torah. Less specifically, good deeds or good resolutions in general.

Answer 10

A B'nai Mitzvah is bar or bat mitzvahs involving more than one person. It could be a group bar/bat mitzvah, or twins or other siblings, or just 2 kids who get scheduled together.