Mitzvah Mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; meaning "commandment", , , Biblical: '; plural ' , Biblical: '; from ' "command") refers to precepts and commandments commanded by God, with the additional connotation of one's religious duty. It is used in rabbinical Judaism to refer to the 613 commandments given in the Torah at biblical Mount Sinai and the seven rabbinic commandments instituted later for a total of 620. The 613 commandments are divided into two categories: 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments. According to the Talmud, all moral laws are, or are derived from, divine commandments.
Mitzvah The collection is part of the larger Jewish law or "halakha". The opinions of the Talmudic 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 the "mitzvah" itself ("lishmah"), which would become self-defeating. The former believe that if people were to understand the reason and the purpose for each "mitzvah", it would actually help them to observe and perform the