Why is mitzvot important?

Answer 1

first of all, it is called mitzvot. anyways, i am a Jew, and mitzvot are good deeds that we do. so, why is doing good deeds important to humans? because we like to be good people, and it feels good to help someone out.

btw, i am only 11, and if you think i am good at this, then oyu should put an answer on "do you think Emily is a good writer?" thx

Answer 2

Answer 1

It depends upon whom you ask. Some Jews believe they are required to follow the mitzvot. Some follow the mitzvot to make themselves holy. Others do not follow all the mitzvot, but choose those mitzvot they regard as personally relevant.

Answer 2

We follow the mitzvot (Torah-commands) because they are decreed by God (Exodus 24:12). They are a way of identifying with God and coming closer to Him.

Answer 3

There are several reasons that Jews follow the Mitzvot (Commandments):

Decreed by God: Jews believe that the Commandments were issued by God. Similar to how a patient will take a doctor's advice because the doctor knows more about sickness than the patient, Jews follow the advice of an omniscient (all-knowing) God in the ways to behave and live their lives.

Closeness to God: Jews believe that the performance of the rules themselves are designed to modify the soul of the performer, making that person more "in-tune" with God's will and God's nature. A true closeness with God is a type of enlightenment.

Righteous Living: Some Jews just wish to live a moral life and see the mitzvot as a good set of guidelines to do it.

Tradition/Identification: Some Jews perform the mitzvot in order to connect to their own family history as Jews. It connects them with their history and traditions in the same way that particular cuisines and group activities work for non-Jews and Jews alike.

Consequentialism: Some Jews want to follow the mitzvot because they see that the result of following the mitzvot creates an improved world, where people are kinder, more understanding, and more willing to defend truth. That is the type of world they would prefer to live in and therefore take the actions required to get there.

Purpose: Some Jews follow the mitzvot because it gives them a sense of purpose and direction in their lives, setting a daily routine, conditioning the way that they interact with others, and the type of things that they spend their time thinking about.

Answer 3

We follow the mitzvot (Torah-commands) because they are decreed by God (Exodus 24:12). They are a way of identifying with God and coming closer to Him. The laws themselves 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 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).

Some examples of the commands:
Putting on Tefillin (a.k.a. phylacteries) in the morning
The sukkah-booth during Sukkot
Avoiding leavened products in Passover
Not eating on Yom Kippur
Not working on Saturday (Sabbath)
Paying workers on time
Marital rights for one's wife
Counting the days of the Omer
Returning lost objects when feasible
Wearing the tzitzith-garment
Learning Torah
Marrying and having children
Educating one's children in Judaism
Giving tzedakah (charity)
Honoring one's parents
And many more.

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:

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

What is life like for Jews?

More about the Hebrew Bible

Answer 4

The word mitzvah, plural mitzvot, is Hebrew for commandment. The Jewish tradition identifies 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and holds that, for a Jew, living by the mitzvot should be the goal of every righteous Jew. The central reason that the Talmud exists is to record rabbinic arguments about how to apply the mitzvot. In sum, the mitzvot are at the center of an observant Jewish life.