Search results for: ""Mitzva""

Graves: Visiting
There is not any mitzva or halacha to visit graves of any person, not even tzadikim and not even parents.
Burial: Kaddish: Attending Minyan
It is a mitzva to attend the minyan at a burial, but no one needs to interrupt his day in order to do so.
Child's Dressing
A child under bar mitzva or bat mitzva age also gets dressed the same way as an adult, except if less than 7 years old (consult a rabbi in that case).
 
Purposes of Commandments/Mitzvot
Commandments/mitzvot (plural of mitzva) have three main purposes:
  • Most importantly, to do what we are commanded by God to do;
  • To bring us close to God;
  • To earn reward for us in the future world (olam ha'ba).
Offspring at Funeral

Attending a funeral is a mitzva--that of honoring the dead person--but in attending a parent's funeral, there is the added mitzva of honoring a parent.

Adult (at least bar mitzva or bat mitzva) offspring should attend their parent's funeral, unless there is a financial, health, or other significant reason not to attend. There is no requirement for minor offspring to attend a funeral for a parent. RMH recommends consulting a rabbi before having a minor go to any funeral, including for the child's parent.

NoteIf both parents are still alive, it is not customary to go to the cemetery for any funeral except for a close relative, but it is a mitzva to attend the eulogies and ceremony beforehand.

Brit Mila Meal: Minimum Requirement
A se'udat mitzva is required for a brit mila, but the brit mila is still valid even if no meal is held. The minimum requirement for the meal is to eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread within four minutes.
Birkat HaMazon D'Rabanan: Rabbinic Source
Although the mitzva d'oraita is to thank God only when you are satiated from the meal, chazal decreed that we say birkat ha'mazon even when eating only the volume of a k'zayit and even if not satiated. So you must still say birkat ha'mazon after eating at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread within four minutes--even if you are not full.  This is known as birkat ha'mazon d'rabanan.
Maror: How Much To Eat
The minimum amount to fulfill the mitzva of eating maror at seder is 0.65 fl. oz. (19 ml), or about the volume of 1/3 of an egg.
Note If you choose to use romaine instead of horseradish for maror, the minimum amount is about 2-3 stems (depending on their size), or enough leaves if crushed to make up 0.65 fl. oz.
Note It is even better to eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup).
How Much Karpas To Eat
Eating any amount of karpas fulfills the mitzva of eating karpas at seder, but you may not eat more than 0.6 fl. oz. (17 ml, or 1/12 cup).
Tzitzit: Disposal: How To Wrap
To dispose of items used for mitzvot (tashmishei mitzva) such as tzitzit or etrog, you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it into dry garbage, or wrap in two layers of plastic and throw it into wet garbage.
Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah): Priority for Writing
Writing a Torah scroll (sefer Torah) is a mitzva but is not a priority; there are other activities that have a higher priority for Jewish observance.
Note The commandment that each Jew write a sefer Torah is not fulfilled by paying someone else to write a few letters of the sefer Torah for you.
Note If you hire someone to write the entire sefer Torah for you, that fulfills your requirement.
Chanuka: Candles: Who May Light
Anyone in the household who has reached bar or bat mitzva age can light Chanuka candles, thereby fulfilling the halachic requirement that one candle per household per night must be lit.
 
Kiddush Levana: Minimum Blessing
The minimum you may say of kiddush levana and fulfill the mitzva is the blessing. The psalms and other psukim are customary but are not required.
Everyone Must Drink at Seder
At the Passover seder, all Jews above the age of bar mitzva or bat mitzva (including women--unlike on other Jewish festivals) must drink wine for kiddush and for the other three times in the seder when the borei pri ha'gafen blessing is said.
Note On the other Jewish festivals, only one person needs to drink the wine when kiddush is said, and that will cover and fulfill everyone else's requirement for that kiddush.
Note Only children and people who will get sick if they drink alcohol are permitted to drink grape juice at seder.
Tefilin: Kissing
Kissing tefilin is not halacha but rather a custom to show our love for the mitzva.