Mitzvah

613 mitzvot positive and negative

See the article 613 mitzvot

According to Rabbi Simlaï (Talmud Makkot 23b), the Law comprises 613 commands. For some, this figure of 613 comes from an oral tradition, therefore indisputable, but of others think that it is only a teaching without normative aiming, whose real direction was precisely lost by those which took it in the literal sense. Rabbi Simlaï subdivides them in

365 negative regulations , like the number of days in one solar year, and 248 positive regulations , like the number of bodies in the human body

According to Rabbi Ishmaël, only the principal commands among these 613 were given on the Mont the Sinai; the others were it in the Tente of Assignment.
Selon Rabbi Akiva, all were given on the Sinai mount, were repeated in the tent of Assignment, and third once by Moïse before its death.

The Midrash teaches us that all the divine commands were given on the Sinai mount, and that no prophet could add or cut off (Midrash Sifra to it from Lévitique 27:34; Talmud, Yoma 80a).

Many works of rabbinical Littérature try to determine which commands belong to these 613 commands. The Sefer Hamitzvot of Maïmonide, accompanied by the comment of Nahmanide, is regarded as a reference on the matter, as well as the Sefer HaHinoukh , allotted to Rav Aaron Halevi of Barcelona.

Other subdivisions

Rabbinical Mitzvot biblical and mitzvot

See the rabbinical Seven mitzvot

To the biblical mitzvot, referred in Talmud like Mitzvot deOraita ( commandments of the Law ), one opposes the Mitzvot deRabbanan , seven regulations of rabbinical origin (the fact of specifying the rabbinical origin of it allows d'" ajouter" regulations with those of the Torah, since not contravening the prohibition of Deutéronome to add or cut off with the words from the Law). Although their source is in the Torah, they appear only after interpretation and not scripturairement.
Among these mitzvot:

the blessing, or the thanksgiving for each occasion of rejoicing
the washing of the hands before the meal
the lighting of the candles of Shabbat
the 'Erouv, in order to be able to transport in Shabbat without the enfreindre
the Hallel
candles of Hanoukkah
reading of the Livre of Esther to Pourim

These rabbinical regulations are regarded as biblical commands, in this which one owes, before achieving them, to recite a suitable prayer:

Béni you are Seigneur who prescribed us…

The divine command is regarded as implicit in the general law (Deutéronome 17:11, and 32:7; Shab. 23a). Many current designs as for the ritual achievement of the mitzvot derive from rabbinical interpretations; for example, the Kriat Shema (Deutéronome 6:4 - 7), the setting of the tefillin, and the fixing of the mezouzot (Deut. 8-9), and the thanksgiving after the meals (Deutéronome 8:10).
De general way, to know which are the rites of rabbinical origin, it is enough to observe the differences in practice between Juifs rabbanites and karaïtes.

Mitzvot towards its next and the Place

A division quite as current, and unanimously recognized, that one, are the following one:

Mitzvot towards its next , i.e. regulations of control, personal and social, of ethics and morals. Ex: You will not covet anything of what belongs to your next.
Mitzvot towards the Place, for example: Respect Shabbat

Although both are important, it is known that with Yom Kippour, God cannot forgive offenses towards his next when this one did not forgive.

A class of mitzvot concerns only the members of the Jewish Diaspora: the Mitzvot related to the ground, relating to not only agriculture, but the return in Ground of Israel.

Mitzvot included/understood ( sekheliot ) and mitzvot not included/understood ( shem' aïot )

It is about a subdivision current to the Middle Ages but hardly more used:

the mitzvot sekheliot are mitzvot whose direction is " évident" , like the prohibition of the flight, of the murder,…
the mitzvot shem' aïot sonr inaccessible to the reason, and must be observed because the Children of Israel have them heard of God. Among they-Ci, laws on the ritual purity, prohibition to carry Sha' atnetz, or to be able to eat certain animals.

Academic considerations

Speaking Bibliquement, six different codes of law were given to Moïse by HaShem, on the Mont the Sinai:

the Decalog.
the Code of the Alliance which makes him continuation, and provides with the more detailed laws.
the ritual Decalog, summarizing the precedent coarsely, is presented after a short account where the instructions are given to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle.
the sacerdotal Code, containing a complete description of the laws relating to the ritual ones and the more general situations, is given in the Gate vault, once this one and the Arch built. This code is wide when emerge from the situations not described before, kind Moïse to request further information to YHWH.
the Code of holiness is contained in the sacerdotal Code, towards the end of this one, but it is individualisable by the emphase that it puts on the things which are holy, and which should be made to respect, honor and preserve holiness. It contains also the divine warnings on what would occur in the event of trangression of the laws, and the promises if the laws are respected.
the Code deuteronomic is that recalled by Moïse, in the last speeches preceding its death, recapitulating the preceding codes, as well as nonbefore detailed laws, which Moïse remembers in this moment.

The biblical critic studies them separately, in particular the laws with single occurrence, or of which it is the first appearance, so much by the atheistic S, which by the apologists. Nevertheless, the majority of the mitzvot enumerated like belonging to such or such code are often found in the others, under another phrasification, or with other clauses. In addition, certain topics like the idolatry, the sexual conduits, ritual purity, and the sacrificial offerings are divided by all the codes, with the result that in theological studies more moved by the religious aspect, the mitzvot are studied by set of themes and not by their localization in the Bible.

Mitzvot and the Jewish Law

See the article Halakha

In the rabbinical thought, the will of God is the source, or the authority, of any duty, monk or moral. In this direction, the mitzvot constitute the codes of conduct of divine institution .
Conséqumment, whereas the Judaism regards the violation of the mitzvot as a sinned , the Jewish point of view on the sin differs from the other religions.

The rabbinical thought subdivides usually the mitzvot in two great groups:

Mitzvot 'adze (מצותעשה), regulations positive, or mandatoires.
Mitzvot lo ta' adze (מצותלאתעשה), regulations/injunctions negative or prohibitions.

The system describing the practical application of the regulations is called the Halakha , (very coarsely, Jewish Loi ).
Halakha is the development of the mitzvot contained in the written Loi , via discussion and debate in the oral Loi , consigned in the talmudic Littérature, particularly the Mishna and the Talmud . All mitzva which could be accomplished only by transgressing another regulation is considered illegal and without range.

Halakha dictates all that a orthodoxe Juif made, of its rising to its sleeping. It is particularly extensive, including codes of conduct applicable to virtually any conceivable situation, including hypothetical situations.

In a general way, it is considered in the Judaism that the Prosélyte S, during their initiation to the Judaism, must be familiarized with the commands of large and of small importance (Yeb. 47b).

Many laws relate to only one particular class people, like the Kings, the priests, the Lévite S, or the Nazarite S, or apply only to local or temporary circumstances, for example, the agrarian, sacrificial laws or Lévitiques.

According to the majority of the traditional rabbis, the commandememnts will be always of application to the Messianic Temps. However, a significant minority rabbis affirmed that the majority of the commands would simply be nullified in Messianic times, or by Messianic times themselves. Among those:

Then the offering of Juda and Jerusalem will be pleasant with the Eternal, As at the old days, as at the years of formerly. (Malachie 3:4)

Today, we must observe the commands. (Talmud of Babylon, Treaty Avodah Zarah 3a, 4b).

Today, we must observe the commands, because we will not observe them in the world to come (Rachi AD loc).

In the future, all the sacrifices, except for the offering of grace, will be stopped. (Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 9:7)

All the sacrifices will be cancelled in the future. (Tan' houma Emor 19, Vayikra Rabbah 9:7)

God will allow what is now prohibited (Midrash Sho' har Tov, Mizmor 146:5).

the majority of the mitzvot will not be in force any more. (Talmud of Babylon, Treaties Nidda 61b and Shabbat 151b).

There does not exist answer making authority in the Judaism as for knowing which mitzvot will be cancelled at Messianic times, or so even they will be it.

Hierarchisation of the mitzvot

The Masters of the Judaism encourage the Jew has not to rather give more importance to some mitzvot than with others, because (as writing in Pirké Avot) the reward of each one is unknown for us.
Only one mitzva has precedence, the piqoua' H nefesh (safeguard of the life). One is held of enfreindre all the mitzvot, even the Shabbat to save or help to save a life, with three exceptions close , where one is held to sacrifice his life rather than to realize ( yéharèg bicycle ya' avor, Tossefta Shabbat 16:14):

an act of Idolatry (the death which had with the refusal to abjure is an act of Kiddoush hashem )

a murder

a prohibited sexual relationship (for example, with a close relationship).

Differences between men and women

Halakha exempts the women of the positive regulations determined by time ( mitzvot assei she hazman geramman ), like the soukka, the Shofar or the loulav (Mishna Kiddoushin 1:7; Tosefta Kiddoushin 1:10; Talmud of Babylon Kiddoushin 34a) , but there are exceptions to this rule like the lighting of the candles of Shabbat (Berakhot 20b) , the rejoicing at the time of the festivals, or the exclusive consumption of Matza (Kiddoushin 34a)

The direction of the mitzvot

Many assumptions were emitted to elucidate the direction of the mitzvot, in particular the mitzvot shem' aïot , from which the direction escapes the human spirit. Moreover, if an explanation is given for certain, the simplest general explanation to the mitzvot is that which the Torah gives: to allow the Jew to accumulate merits in this world (the world of the action) in order to receive its reward in the future world (the world of the reward).

Midrash Tan' houma (Shemini, Pisqa ח ') suggests that they were given for " to improve the créatures".
Maïmonide abounds in this direction by saying that they improve qualities of the man, and move away it from the idolatry (Guide of stray the 3:26)

The Maharal of Prague suggests that they facilitate the reception of the divine majesty, while the Ramhal thinks that they improve the man.

The Sefer HaHinoukh, which lists the 613 mitzvot tries to give a direction to each one by means of the Bible and of the philosophie.
Le Rav Kook explains that the research of the direction of the mitzvot is an important task within the study of the Torah, and tried itself to explain the regulations " mystérieuses" like the shaatnetz or the prohibition of the lacteous/flesh-colored mixtures.