So How Many Mitzvahs Are There?
Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
I never realized how complicated the idea of trying to perform a mitzvah is.
For instance, everyone says there are 613 mitzvot and that seems so overwhelming. But when you want to actually do one, you realize so many don’t have anything to do with you!
For instance, we are not bringing a sacrifice anytime soon. So that chops off a bunch right there.
Then another slew of them have to do with your status, meaning if you’re not a Kohain or a Levi- just not your business.
Others only relate to things like working a parcel of land. So, you’ve got to admit – that cuts out a lot of us!!!!
Some only relate to certain times of the year, or events, or holidays – so if you’re not harvesting any time soon…, or making something like a wedding, or celebrating Passover or the like, there’s not much to occupy you.
Then you see, certain ones can only be done on the land of Israel, others only upon waking, others before bed, some by men, some by women, some upside down, some right side up ……
I start to feel that when I’m ready to do a mitzvah there are maybe like just 5 or 10 left that I can carry out.
And when you start to try to identify what is an actual a mitzvot, you’re not sure which actions are just practices or based in philosophy and which are true commandments.
I wind up doing something nice, not even knowing if I’m getting authentic “mitzvah” credit for it.
We start to realize we believe doing a good deed is called a mitzvah, but, we are not sure if various good deeds are separate actions or fall under the umbrella of just 1 mitzvah.
What we need is a handy dandy quick mitzvah reference chart. That way we would be aware if we are missing some easy ones that happen to come our way.
What I’m trying to say here is I get that being a good, moral person is an underlying tenet of our way of life. But, I’m just not sure we are all up on what day to day “pure mitzvah opportunities” we are doing, and which are just extrapolations.
Can we perhaps be living more mitzvah filled lives, without knowing it? Are we just going around spinning our wheels trying to be “Mr. Nice Guy” without knowing some other ways to get there?
Maybe, I’m the only one with this dilemma. But, I’m just saying everyone throws a round that there are 613 mitzvahs, but does everyone realize there are so many that can’t be done without the great temple. And so many others that are person, place, and time specific. So, who knows how few we are down to at any given moment?
All I’m saying is that it would be nice to have a little more clarity around what mitzvah we are doing when we are doing what we think is a mitzvah, and even a better understanding of it’s actual source?!
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com