Weekly Mitzvah
By Rabbi Moshe Goldberger
When the Children of Israel said “na’aseh v’nishma – we will do and we will listen”, they accepted the Torah with its 613 mitzvos (commandments). The mitzvos that we were given are precious gifts through which we can blossom and grow, and through which our relationships can grow – whether they are between a person and G-d, a person and another person, or a person and him/herself.
Of the 613 mitzvos, there are 248 positive commandments, meaning, “you shall do”, and 365 negative commandments, meaning, “you shall not do”. According to the Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen Kagan, 1838-1933), 77 out of the 248 positive commandments are applicable and relevant today.
This class, authored by Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, is taken from his book, “77 Mitzvos for Today”, which is based on the Chafetz Chaim’s “Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar”, and expounds upon these positive commandments, as well as “194 Mitzvos for Today”, which is based on part two of Sefer Hammitzvos HaKatzar .
The Basics
Mitzvos that Provide Uniform and Identification
Food-Related Mitzvos
Mitzvos of Learning and Teaching
Mitzvos Relating to our Fellow Man
- Mitzvah 22: Loving Every Jew
- Mitzvah 23: Loving Converts
- Mitzvah 24: Giving Charity
- Mitzvah 25: Giving Loans
- Mitzvah 26: Returning a Security Daily
- Mitzvah 27: Shemittah Loan Cancellation
- Mitzvah 28: Keeping One’s Word
- Mitzvah 29: Nullifying a Vow
- Mitzvah 30: Safety and Prevention
- Mitzvah 31: Rights and Obligations of an Employee
- Mitzvah 32: Timely Payments to Employees
- Mitzvah 33: Laws of Commerce
- Mitzvah 34: Returning Stolen Items
- Mitzvah 35: Returning a Find
- Mitzvah 36 and 37: Helping Unload and Reload
- Mitzvah 38: Giving Rebuke
- Mitzvah 39: Remembering Terrorism
- Mitzvah 40: Destroying Terrorists Such as Amalek
Family-Related Mitzvos
Mitzvos Related to Kohanim
- Mitzvah 49: Honoring Kohanim
- Mitzvah 50 and 51: Giving a Kohein Meat Portions and Wool Shearings
- Mitzvah 52: Giving a Kohein Firstborn Animals
- Mitzvah 53: Redemption of a Firstborn
- Mitzvah 54: Redemption of a Firstborn Donkey
- Mitzvah 55: Breaking a Donkey’s Neck
- Mitzvah 56: Separating Challah from Dough
- Mitzvah 57: The Priestly Blessing
- Mitzvah 58: Burial of a Kohein’s Relatives
Special Days
- Mitzvah 59: Sanctifying Shabbos
- Mitzvah 60: Resting on Shabbos
- Mitzvah 61: Rejoicing on Holidays
- Mitzvah 62: Clearing Away Chametz
- Mitzvah 63: Eating Matzah
- Mitzvah 64: Telling the Story of the Exodus
- Mitzvah 65: Resting on the First Day of Pesach
- Mitzvah 66: Counting the Omer
- Mitzvah 67: Resting on the Seventh Day of Pesach
- Mitzvah 69: Rosh Hashanah
- Mitzvah 70: Listening to the Shofar
- Mitzvah 71: Resting on Yom Kippur
- Mitzvah 72: Fasting on Yom Kippur
- Mitzvah 73: Repentance
- Mitzvah 74: Resting on Sukkos
- Mitzvah 75: Living in a Sukkah
- Mitzvah 76: Taking the Four Species
- Mitzvah 77: Resting on Shemini Atzeres