Mitzvah

Mitzvah מצוה is the Hebrew word for "commandment" (plural mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah - "command"). The word is used in Judaism to refer to (a) the 613 commandments enumerated in the Torah (five books of Moses), or (b) any Jewish law at all.

Related Topics:
Hebrew - Judaism - Torah - Jewish law

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The term mitzvah has also come to express any act of human kindness, such as the burial of the body of an unknown person. According to the teachings of Judaism, all moral laws are, or derive from, divine commandments.

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Rabbis are divided between those who seek the purpose of the mitzvot and those who do not question them. The latter argue that, if the reason for each mitzvah could be determined, people might try to achieve what they see as the purpose of the mitzvah, without actually performing it.

Related Topics:
Rabbi - Purpose

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