Search results for: ""Mitzva""

Mitzva To Live in Eretz Yisrael
It is a mitzva to live in Eretz Yisrael but it is not required.
Hidur Mitzva/Mehadrin
Almost all mitzvot may be enhanced by:
  • Making them beautiful (hidur mitzva), or
  • Observing non-required stringencies (mehadrin).
Hidur Mitzva
Examples
  • Women baking challa for Shabbat and Jewish festivals (and separating challa as a remembrance of the challa that was given to the priests/cohanim in the Temple).
  • Wearing especially nice clothes and eating special foods on Shabbat and Jewish festivals.
  • Using beautiful fragrances, tastes, textures, colors, and artistry in serving God.
Beautiful
Examples
  • Shabbat/Jewish festival table (set with beautiful challa cover, silver, kiddush cups).
  • Havdala set and pleasant-smelling spices for havdala.
  • Sukka and putting your finest things in it.
  • Etrog/etrog case.
  • Shofar.
  • Seder plate, matza holder, and matza cover.
  • Illuminated hagadas (hagadot) and megilas (megilot).
  • Chanuka candle-holder (menora, chanukiya).
  • Torah scroll written with a fine pen and beautiful script and wrapped in beautiful silks.
  • Mezuza covers.
  • Ketuba.
  • Wimple (to wrap baby in prior to brit mila; then donated to hold the two parts of the Torah together).
  • Elijah's Chair/Kisei Eliyahu.
  • Synagogues.
  • Chuppa.
Mehadrin
Examples
  • Chalav Yisrael--When consuming milk and milk products, eating or drinking only those items whose production was supervised by religious Jews;
  • Pat Yisrael—When eating bread, only eating bread baked by Jews (not necessarily by religious Jews);
  • Glatt meat—When eating meat, eating only meat that had no lesions on the animal's lungs;
  • Lighting more than one Chanuka candle each night (beginning on the 2nd night) and having more than one person in each house light their own candles.
Bar Mitzva and Adar 2 Birthday
If a boy born in Adar 2 will be bar mitzva in a year with only one Adar, his bar mitzva is in Adar, not in Nisan. If a boy born in Adar 1 will be 13 years old in a year with two Adars, his bar mitzva will be in Adar 2.
Tzitzit: Continuous Mitzva
Tzitzit have protective value; wearing them provides a continuous mitzva throughout the day and even at night (but only when wearing a garment which is primarily worn during the daytime).
Tefilin: Torah Mitzva
Have in mind that you are doing a mitzva of the Torah while putting on tefilin.
 
Talit Gadol: Mitzva
Men wear a talit as a mitzva (wearing a four-cornered garment in order to wear tzitzit).
 
What Is a Mitzva/What Is Halacha
A mitzva is a commandment.  A halacha is how to do the mitzva.
Boy Who Becomes Bar Mitzva during Omer
Situation
A boy becomes bar mitzva during the omer.  He has been counting the omer and has said the omer blessing without missing a day.
What To Do
He continues counting as he had been doing.
Note Boys should be counting the omer with a blessing from before they become bar mitzva, so there should not be any break.
Purpose of Se'udat Mitzva
The purpose of a se'udat mitzva is to honor the mitzva.
Women: Time-Based Positive Mitzva Obligations
Although women and girls are generally exempt from time-dependent positive commandments (mitzvot), they may do some mitzvot for which they are not obligated and it is considered to be virtuous behavior for which they will get a reward. They may say the blessings before each mitzva.

1. These are voluntary mitzvot that women may do:

  • Lulav

  • Sukka

  • Saying the full shema.

2. Women and girls MAY NOT  wear tefilin.

 

3. Women traditionally do not:

  • Say tachanun. 

  • Wear talit or tzitzit (talit katan).

  • Study gemara.

  • Say kiddush levana or birkat ha'chama.

But these are not forbidden.


 
Blessings: For Someone Else: Mitzva/Birchot Mitzva
You may say any blessing on a mitzva—such as kiddush, hallel, Torah—for another person, even if you have already fulfilled the mitzva for yourself, as long as that other person is required to do that mitzva.
Example Girls (12 years old and more) and women must fulfill all of the positive commandments of Shabbat including kiddush.  So even after they have already said kiddush for themselves, they may say kiddush for other Jews, including adult men.
Exception You may not say birkat ha'mazon for someone else.
Four Cups: Minimum Quantity To Fulfill Mitzva
Minimum wine to fulfill the seder mitzva:
  • Each person must drink four cups of wine at the seder;
  • Each cup must hold at least 4 fl. oz. (119 ml);
  • For each blessing on the wine, you must drink at least 2 fl. oz. (59 ml) within 30 seconds of when you begin to drink each cup.
How Far To Go To Do a Mitzva
There is no need to go to different town in order to fulfill a mitzva (a different town can be defined as out of your local business district).
How Much Money to Spend on a Mitzva
You are never required to spend more than 1/5 of your liquid assets on any positive mitzva.
Who Shovels
It is a mitzva but not a requirement for attendees to shovel some earth into the grave. Women should only do this if no men are present.