What are some of the Jewish laws?

Answer 1

Halakha is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life. Hence, Halakha guides not only religious practices and beliefs, but numerous aspects of day-to-day life. Halakha is often translated as "Jewish Law," though a more accurate translation might be "the path" or "the way of walking." The word is derived from the Hebrew root which means to go, to walk or to travel.

Answer 2

According to the teachings of Judaism, there is no way to rank the halachot (laws). Additionally, there are thousands of laws, similar to the secular law systems of most countries.

• Answer 2

There is a statement that Jewish laws cannot be ranked, but this only applies to the reward for keeping each of them (Mishna, Avot ch.2). By other parameters, the importance of certain laws has been pointed out. For example: "Torah-study has equal weight to all the other commands combined" (Mishna, Peiah ch.1). There are a number of commands whose special importance has been mentioned in classical Jewish texts. A few examples:

• Wearing the Tzitzit (Talmud, Nedarim 25a)

• Male circumcision (Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim ch.3)

• Avoiding idolatry (Talmud, Horiot 8a)
• Giving charity (Talmud, Bava Bathra 9a)
• Shabbat-observance (Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:5)

• The tefillin (Semag ch.3, based upon Talmud, Kidushin 35a)

• Awareness of God (Yad Hachazakah, Deiot 1:1)
• Welcoming guests into one's home (Talmud, Shabbat127a)
• Saying the Shema-prayer (Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot ch.1)

Answer 3

Answer 1

There are 613 distinct "laws" identified in the Torah. Some can only be observed in the Holy Temple, which hasn't existed for roughly 1,940 years. Others only apply to life in Israel, so nearly 50% of the Jews in the world can't observe those.

A Jew living in Canada, Argentina, HongKong, Panama, England, Russia, India, or anywhere else outside of Israel is accountable for all the rest.

There is a strong principle taught in Judaism saying that we don't know which ones are more or less important. There is no way to prioritize them, or to draw a line on the list and say "I'll observe the laws down to here on the list, and the rest are for people who are more religious than I am".

It may give you some satisfaction to know that there are only three laws in Judaism that a Jew is required to observe even if it endangers his life. They're the prohibitions against murder, adultery, and idolatry.

Answer 2

Jewish law is called 'halacha'. There is no ranking of the halachot (pl) so there are no halachot that are more important than others.

Answer 4

Nobody knows.

There is agreement among Jewish scholars of several Centuries that the Torah contains 613 laws.
And it is a principle of Judaism that we have no way to rank them in importance. Nobody knows
which ones are more important or less important.

One result of this principle that jumps out when you think about it for a moment is this:

A certain guy is modern in his outlook and his lifestyle, and he says "Sure I'm a Jew, and that means
something to me. I'd never just walk away from it, and I do want to practice some of the laws and
traditions. But this isn't two thousand years ago in Judea, and it isn't three hundred years ago in
Poland or Russia. This is the 21st Century, times have changed, people have changed. I've got my
job and my buddies and all the things we like to do. There so many things that Jews are supposed
to do, and so many of them that are harder to live with than they used to be. What I'm going to do
is keep the important ones, and not make myself crazy trying to keep up with all the little ones that
aren't that important."

He immediately has a problem. It is a principle of Judaism that we have no way to rank the laws in
the order of their importance. Nobody knows which ones are more important or less important.

One of the 613 laws commands us to not murder. Another one commands us to shoo the mother
bird away before we take eggs from the nest. Anyone may have a feeling, an opinion, an inclination,
and a conclusion regarding which one of those is more important than the other. But when you go
to the Judaic authorities, the fact is that we do not know.

So if a Jew decides to select for himself a subset of the laws to observe, and let himself off the hook
for the rest, he has to find some other way to categorize them. Importance doesn't work.

Answer 5

Here are some of the most important Jewish laws. Belief in One God, belief in the Torah, not to murder, not to commit adultery or incest, not to worship idols, to keep the Sabbath, and to keep the kosher food laws.

Answer 6

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

Jewish law is called halacha. The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism; and these are clarified in the Talmud. The Torah was given by God (Exodus 24:12), to provide knowledge, guidance, inspiration, awe and reverence, advice, law, comfort, history and more. It is the basis of Judaism.The Torah is a source of national pride for us (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8).

It increases our reverence towards God; crystallizes, strengthens and codifies our beliefs; ensures our awareness and knowledge of our history; and provides powerful impetus to be ethical.
It makes us stand in awe of God, while also providing optimism and comfort through the prophecies of redemption. It inspires us to strive for holiness and informs us how to pray and to approach God's presence.

The Torah's laws have various reasons. Some (such as the Passover) serve to reenact or remember events of our history.

• Link: Passover
  

Some (such as saying the Shema-prayer) serve to reiterate our belief in God.

• Link: The Shema

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).

For fuller detail, see the Related Links.

Link: The basic beliefs of Judaism

Link: The practices of Judaism

Link: The principles of Judaism

Link: The ethics of Judaism

Link: How Judaism began

Link: The texts of Judaism

Answer 8

The answer you are looking for is the Torah, but the particular laws are much more complex than the particular verses. They have been expanded and detailed in the Talmud and other books on Jewish Law.

Answer 9

There is a statement that Jewish laws cannot be ranked, but this only applies to the reward for keeping each of them (Mishna, Avot ch.2). By other parameters, the importance of certain laws has been pointed out. For example: "Torah-study has equal weight to all the other commands combined" (Mishna, Peiah ch.1).There are a number of commands whose special importance has been mentioned in classical Jewish texts. A few examples:

• Wearing the Tzitzit (Talmud, Nedarim 25a)
  

Link: What are tzitzit

• Male circumcision (Talmud Yerushalmi Nedarim ch.3)
  

Link: Jewish circumcision

• Avoiding idolatry (Talmud, Horiot 8a)
  
• Giving charity (Talmud, Bava Bathra 9a)
  
• Shabbat-observance (Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot 1:5)
  

Link: The Shabbat

• The tefillin (Semag ch.3, based upon Talmud, Kidushin 35a)
  

Link: What are tefillin

• Awareness of God (Yad Hachazakah, Deiot 1:1)
  
• Welcoming guests into one's home (Talmud, Shabbat127a)
  
• Saying the Shema-prayer (Talmud Yerushalmi Berakhot ch.1)
  

Link: the Shema

Answer 10

Jewish law is called halacha. The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism; and these are clarified in the Talmud.