Many mistakenly view mitzvot as the equivalent of good deeds. Though mitzvot are indeed good deeds, they are much more than just that. The word mitzvah, which literally means “commandment,” ...

To be ‘shomer mitzvot’ does not mean to keep mitzvot! That is the surprising view of the Or HaChaim Hakadosh. If that’s the case, what does being ‘shomer mitzvot’ mean? The Or HaChaim explains that it ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

When it comes to the Torah many do not connect the consequences of inactions when it comes to not doing mitzvot. This is a great challenge in particular for many non-Orthodox Jews. “Vayikra,” the book ...

The mitzvot are seen as points of guidance to help Jewish people use their free will correctly. Jews believe that they have free will to follow the mitzvot. They believe that, by following the mitzvot ...

As readers will hopefully remember, I have begun to examine the topic of women’s obligation in mitzvot, which I will be continuing over the next few columns. One of the major distinctions between the ...

Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its ...

Do mitzvot have reasons or are they purely a Divine decree? Should we live lives insulated from other cultures or integrated with them? Is religious life an ascetic one or should we take advantage of ...