Mitzvah

“ But the prophet who prophesies with "Zeh Hadavar," whose desire is not the reward of the mitzvoth, but who rather desires the mitzvah in itself, for he so much rejoices in doing it, that he is spurns any kind of reward, hereby his `Olam Haba is the mitzvah itself. ”

“ In your blood, live. "In your blood, live" — even in the force of the blood and the filths, even so, live. For there too can one find good points, as mentioned above. As we were redeemed through this, as mentioned above. And therefore the first mitzvah Israel was commanded was Parashat HaChodesh. For this is like sanctification of the new moon through only a point, as mentioned above. As this is the basis of redemption from Egypt and the last redemption, as in He gathers together the outcasts of Israel etc. as mentioned above. Blessed be Hashem. ”

“ If you fulfilled the mitzvah of sending of the nest, you will end up building a new house, and you will fulfill the mitzvah of parapet, for a mitzvah draws a mitzvah, and you’ll arrive to a vineyard and a field and to nice garments. ”

“ For even though the Torah and mitzvah, both of them, they are the aspect of the contractions to the perception of G-dliness, as explained above, also regarding the contractions and the intellects there are also many, many, aspects. One must illuminate from intellect to intellect, and from contraction to contraction, as is understood there. Therefore the Torah vis-a-vis the mitzvah is the aspect of light vis-a-vis the lamp. One requires many, many contractions and mentalities in order to merit the perception of G-dliness there, the aspect of light and a lamp that illuminates. ”

“ Thus it is said, in reference to Ps. i. 2, "His delight is in the law of the Lord." R. Eliezer says, "Who delighteth greatly in his commandments." "In his commandments (Mitzvōth) , but not in the reward of the Mitzvōth" (b. A.Z. 19a) . The sole reason allowable for doing a Mitzvah is the hope of pleasing God thereby. And then follows the well-known saying of the ancient Antigonos of Socho: "Be not like servants who serve their master for a reward." ”

“ But now Raphael had entered upon his thirteenth year, at the conclusion of which, as you well know, 154every Jewish boy becomes Bar-Mitzvah; that is to say, attains his religious majority, and is accounted fully responsible for all his acts in the sight of God and man. The Bar-Mitzvah day is considered everywhere in Israel a most auspicious and happy occasion. The youthful celebrant is treated with distinguished honor, is permitted to read the Sedrah and the Haftarah, and even to deliver an address in the synagogue, and is made the recipient of rich gifts and marked attentions. ”

“ For each and every letter and word of our holy Torah -- Written Torah and Oral Torah -- and each mitzvah and each kosher custom of Yisrael the holy and chosen people, are all dimensions and constrictions through which we merit to attain perceptions of His Blessed Divinity, each one according to what he fits in his heart, according to what he merits via his service and effort in Torah, mitzvot and good deeds, and separation from the bad. ”

“ It is a mitzvah to give parched grain and nuts to the young children, so that they will see the change from the norm and ask why. This is important, for Torah itself has made a point of predicating the mitzvos of this night on childrens’ questions, as I have written in section 2. ”

“ It stands in the Verse that man shall do the Mitzvahs and live by them. To live is a Mitzvah, but it is plainly one of those Mitzvahs that have to be done at a definite time, from which species women, by reason of their household duties, are exempt; wherefore I would deduce by another circuit that it is not so incumbent upon women to live as upon men. ”

“ One who has already lit may recite the blessings for another, or for a woman, if they are unable to light and recite the blessings themselves. If they choose this approach, they must stand nearby and the one who recites must have intent to be pronouncing the blessings on their behalf, as is the requirement for reciting any Mitzvah-related blessing for another. ”

“ How can he be so brazen to enter the King's Palace and do a mitzvah, and estimate in his mind Who it is before Whom he does the mitzvah, and also the virtue of hte mitzcah, for the enormous value of the mitzvah's virtue is infinite, so it's definitely proper that a huge Bushah fall on him when he comes to do some mitzvah, if he'l just look at himself and see that he's utterly far from Hashem Yitbarakh, and he has no merit to do a mitzvah, so how does he come and grab the Tefillin, which are the King's crowns - and suddenly lay them on his head?! ”

“ To celebrate and publicly proclaim this miracle, the Talmud prescribes that it is a mitzvah (i.e., a religious deed or commandment) , id., at 140, [16] for Jews to place a lamp with eight lights just outside the entrance to their homes or in a front window during the eight days of Chanukah. Id., at 147. [17] Where practicality or safety from persecution so requires, the lamp may be placed in a window or inside the home. [18] The Talmud also ordains certain blessings to be recited each night of Chanukah before lighting the lamp. ”

“ Through this Mitzvah that G-d commanded us the same idea is taught to future generations, that though we may have sinned all year long, on Yom Kippur our sins are forgiven, as long as we return to Him with repentance. ”

“ All are obligated in [the performance of the mitzvah of] mezuzah, even women and slaves. And we teach children to perform [the mitzvah of] mezuzah for their doorways.
הכל חייבים במזוזה אפילו נשים ועבדים. ומחנכין את הקטנים לעשות מזוזה לפתחיהם. ”

“ This refers to the statement of the Sages earlier in this mishnah.
To distance a person from transgression: Evidently the Sages were concerned that if someone did not say the Shema before midnight, he may forget and lose track of time and accidently fail to perform this mitzvah. ”

“ The whole day is fitting for taking the lulav; if one did not take it in the morning, they can take it later. In any event, those who are prompt do mitzvahs early and take it in the morning. Its time starts at sunrise. The core time to do the mitzvah is during Hallel. If somebody needs to wake up early to travel, they should take it at dawn. Rem"a: One who is precise should hold the lulav in their hand when entering the house or the synagogue, even during prayers, and also when returning home, so as to be affectionate towards the mitzvahs (Tur) . ”

“ Then he explains how one can be able to discern, namely by the mitzvoth, which are the aspect of "three days" etc. he can discern. But only by performing them joyously, then by the joy of the mitzvah one can discern. For HKBH is "mesameach bema`ASaW/rejoicing in His works" and the simchah is clothed in the mitzvoth, as mentioned. And we are rejoicing below as well, in HKBH, as written, "...yismach Yisrael be`AoSaW/let Yisrael rejoice in their Maker," and our desire is in no reward, even the reward of `Olam Haba, as mentioned. So this is, "It up and we down," as His joy is according to our joy. ”

“ And in P. Pinchas 218, where he greatly stressed the secret why Yisrael shuckle when involved in a thing of sanctity. And see also in other places in the Zohar and the Ketavim/Kabbalistic writings among the Chatzdei Chaqla/Harvesters of the Field. There you will see and discern from afar the great enormity of the hidden secrets in all the movements that mankind perform. Especially when they do them for a thing in holiness, for instance clapping during prayer or for rejoicing in a mitzvah, and so forth. ”

“ The question that Tosafos raises in his comment titled 'Mitzvah', that when the Talmud states that a lamp with two mouths can be used for two people this can be understood as being used for two houses, and if it placed in a courtyard, the right mouth can used for the entrance of the house on the right, and the left mouth can be for the entrance of the house on the left. ”

“ Regarding the Hanukkah lamp - the Mitzvah is to place it at the entrance to one's home on the outside facing the public thoroughfare. If the house opens directly to the street one should place it at the entrance. If the house opens to a courtyard one should place it at the entrance of the courtyard. If one dwells on an upper floor that has no entrance to the street below, he should place it by a window that faces the public thoroughfare. ”

“ Before engaging in prayer, the worshiper ought... to bring himself into a devotional frame of mind, and then he must pray quietly and with feeling, not like one who carries a load, unloads it and departs.” [2] Clearly, this is said because by means of the traditional prayers the ideals of Judaism are ever brought afresh to the consciousness of the worshiper. The sages of Israel constantly emphasized the importance of uniformity in synagogue service. In order to link the people closely together, they reconciled variant forms of prayer and sought to bring them into harmonious union. ”

“ The command is superfluous."
"Not so," replied the Rabbis; "the corn might belong to a man who for the sake of study would neglect work. Work is holy and honorable in God's sight, and He would not have men fail to perform their daily duties even for the study of His law."
Bless God for the good as well as for the evil. When you hear of a death say, "Blessed is the righteous Judge."
Prayer is Israel's only weapon, a weapon inherited from its fathers, a weapon proved in a thousand battles. Even when the gates of prayer are shut in heaven, those of tears are open. ”

“ VIII I could have said more than this, but to keep you from forgetting what I have said, I shall bring my homily to an end here with the words of Moses: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you". If any of you, whether you are here present or not, shall go to the spectacle of the Trumpets, or rush off to the synagogue, or go up to the shrine of Matrona, or take part in fasting, or share in the Sabbath, or observe any other Jewish ritual great or small, I call heaven and earth as my witnesses that I am guiltless of the blood of all of you. ”

“ The portion of the week was Numbers, chapter eight, and the Rebbe began:
"When a man's soul is on a low level, enveloped, Heaven defend us, in uncleanness, and the Divine spark within the soul wishes to rise to a higher level, and cannot do so alone, but must needs be helped, it is a Mitzveh to help her, to raise her, and this Mitzveh is specially incumbent on the priest. This is the meaning of 'the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick,' by which is meant the holy Torah. The priest must bring the Jew's heart near to the Torah; in this way he is able to raise it. ”

“ A well-known prayer, still used in the liturgy, runs thus:—"Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the world, that Thou hast not made me a Gentile ... a slave ... a woman." Much scorn has been poured out upon those who have offered that prayer, as if it were nothing but the utterance of arrogant vainglory. But, however it may sound to Gentiles, what the Jews meant, and mean, by it is this, that God is thanked for having given in the Torah the opportunity of serving Him, in the "Mitzvōth," which were not enjoined upon Gentiles, slaves, or women. ”

“ Our testimony to-day to the Jews is with regard to Jesus Christ, that "this Jesus," whom they crucified and think to be dead, is Israel's true Messiah, exalted to the right hand of God, a prince and a Saviour. If time permitted, I should like to speak of the peculiar methods which we should adopt in our testimony to the Jew ; and also as to the right kind of witnesses who should be sent forth by the Church, because I believe that, to this day, God has His instruments adapted for this work, and for that work, and it is not every one who is called of God to be a missionary to the Jews. ”

“ Further, they do not call themselves Jews, but Israelites. They are strict observers of the Sabbath, never kindling fires or preparing food on that day. They practise circumcision, and intermarry only with their own people. They keep the Passover, the feasts of Weeks and Tabernacles, and the great Day of Atonement. They believe in a resurrection, in Purgatory and Hell, in Paradise and heaven, in angels and spirits, and in a final judgment.
Their place of worship more nearly resembles the ancient Jewish Temple than the synagogue of later times. ”

“ As we pass, let us observe the light thrown by these sentences on the duty of the Church in evangelizing the Gentiles for the Jews, as well as the Jews for the Gentiles. Both holy enterprises have a destined effect outside themselves. The evangelist of Africa, India, China, is working for the hour of the "salvation of all Israel." The evangelist of the Hebrew Dispersion is preparing Israel for that hour of final blessing when the "saved" nation shall, in the hand of God, kindle the world with holy life. ”

“ This law of a blessing sunk in the depths of the curse actually inflicted still prevails in the history of the Jews. The way of salvation is open to all. Individuals find it, and give us a presentiment of what might be and is to be; but the great mass are hopelessly lost, and only when they have been swept away will a holy seed, saved by a covenant-keeping God, grow up into a new and holy Israel, which, according to chap. ”

“ As a matter of fact, it is not due to the testimony to the unity of God, as given by the synagogue, that Gentiles have been brought to believe in one living and true God, but to the more truly Jewish testimony as given by the Jewish Apostles of the New Covenant, who went about preaching one God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and one Holy Spirit, by whom the know- ledge of God is communicated to man ”