The Mitzvos

by Elisheva bas Chana

The Mitzvos

Understanding the concept of the mitzvos, time-bound, and the need to perform them on a particular date on the Jewish calendar or at a specific time.

There are mitzvos like eating matzahs on Pesach or sitting in the Sukkah on Sukkos. Wearing tzitzis and wrapping tefilin are performed at specific times during the day. These mitzvos are vital at the time of their fulfilment. There is a specific time to blow the Shofar — only forty-eight hours of Rosh Hashanah this special mitzvah can be performed. Once that time has passed, the opportunity has passed as well, until the next year.

The precious and holy 25 hours of Shabbos are a sanctuary in time, and in a sense like travelling through time — the same as with Yom Tov. Like within the sanctuary of the Beis HaMikdash, we can reach greater spiritual levels and fulfil these special mitzvos.

Learning about the mitzvos leads to more meaningful observance, trying to understand them in a more rational way as much as possible. Performing the mitzvos alongside learning them gives a greater understanding and is more meaningful.

There is a fine line between analysing and obtaining depth of understanding in order to get closer to HaShem, without assuming that we know HaShem’s reason for any of the mitzvos.

When we observe the Torah — including the 613 mitzvos — there are certain mitzvos we cannot perform outside the land of Israel and without the Beis HaMikdash. We can only perform 369 of the 613 mitzvos outside Eretz Yisroel. The Talmud says that when we learn the content and the rules of the mitzvos, it is equivalent to performing and fulfilling the entire 613 mitzvos by learning Torah.

“HaShem’s love for us is so great that He created 613 ways to spend time with us.”

— Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein ז"ל

Anything you have in this world is because HaShem gave it to you. When we teach someone, it is the knowledge of HaShem. When we give tzedakah, it is HaShem who provided the money. Everything comes from HaShem and belongs to HaShem.

Rabbi Wallerstein ז"ל had a dream about building a yeshiva for the unaffiliated within Judaism — something that HaShem doesn’t have. Everything in this world is His, except for one thing. Someone who doesn’t know about HaShem’s Torah or Judaism — that person is disconnected from HaShem. With this Jewish child, He doesn’t have a relationship, and Rabbi Wallerstein’s mission was to give this to HaShem.

“I would have tried; however, many times I needed to give this to HaShem. I wasn’t going to stop until I was successful in giving Him something He doesn’t have.”

What we can give to HaShem to have that relationship with Him, to be closer to Him, is performing the mitzvos with simcha.

There are some mitzvos controversial to the outside world — the precept of Bris Milah — circumcision. This mitzvah requires a Jewish baby boy to be circumcised eight days after birth. The bris can even be performed on Shabbos or Yom Kippur — the Shabbos of all Shabbos and on Yom Tov.

A bris does not give a Jewish boy membership in Klal Yisroel, as if he has a Jewish mother he is already a member. The bris is the most foundational and critical mitzvah which the father must perform for his son. If a Jewish boy did not undergo a bris, then he should ensure that it is done at the age of thirteen.

A bris is only postponed for medical reasons.

Why is it so important for a Jewish baby boy to have a bris?

“This is My covenant, which you shall observe between Me and between you and between your seed after you, that every male among you be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be as the sign of a covenant between Me and between you. And at the age of eight days, every male shall be circumcised to you throughout your generations, one that is born in the house or one that is purchased with money from any foreigner who is not of your seed. Those born in the house and those purchased for money shall be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. And an uncircumcised male who will not circumcise the flesh of his foreskin — that soul will be cut off from its people; he has broken My covenant.” — Bereshis 17:10–14

The bris is performed by a Mohel in only a few seconds. The baby may cry, but not for long. A bris is a holy moment, and therefore we do not invite people but notify them that there is a bris. This is the most significant part of a Jewish boy’s life and represents the essence of who a Jew is.

Jewish Law strictly governs the procedural method of a bris; it is prohibited to use a clamp. The ritual bris is performed by a qualified Mohel in the presence of the parents and family, using a swift and almost painless method.

Many urologists and surgeons consider the traditional method of the bris to have excellent results and low complications.

Building Fences Around the Torah

Why are there fences around the Torah? There are some unusual mitzvos, like the one in Vayikra 18:3:

“Like the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled, you shall not do; and like the practice of the land of Canaan to which I am bringing you, you shall not do; and you shall not follow their statutes.”

Mesilas Yesharim quotes that the fundamental final saying of our Sages is that one of the ways to lead an observant life is by putting fences around the Torah. By keeping a fence around the Torah, they ensured that we would not come close to transgressing any of the mitzvos. One explanation of the fence around the Torah with this mitzvah (Vayikra 18:3) is not acting like any other nation. The only place where real morals come from is the Torah.

We are the only nation which has the Torah, and we must keep a solid fence around this precious gift. We must make a safeguard of HaShem’s laws and mitzvos. In other words, HaShem commands the Jewish people to create a fence or barrier to protect themselves and His holy Torah.

The Gemara in Tractate Pesachim 2b states, “The Rabbis built a safeguard for a Scriptural law.”

Fences in Jewish thought, law, and practice are called a “Syag.” In the very first Mishnah of Pirkei Avos, Anshei Knesses HaGedolah teach, “Asu Syag LaTorah,” make a fence for the Torah. It is based on a pasuk in Vayikra which led the Rabbis to “fence off” and protect the 613 mitzvos.

To name an example: the Torah prohibits the Jewish people from working on Shabbos, but the Rabbis prohibited moving certain objects from one room to another because someone handling these objects might forget that it is Shabbos.

In practice, there is a difference between a Torah law and a law created by the Rabbis, but they are both binding and must be kept. Rabbinic laws play a great role in Jewish observant life. But who decides what becomes a law?

To answer this question, we go back to Pirkei Avos, which begins with the words of the Men of the Great Assembly, instructing us to create a fence for the Torah through the Mesorah — the chain of transmission — the Oral Torah, which can be traced back to Har Sinai.

The emphasis is on building a Jewish community rooted in Mesorah. It was Mesorah that protected and enhanced the Torah.

Mishnah 17 states that to build a successful Jewish community and live a meaningful and productive life, every Jewish person must connect back to the Mesorah as a means to protect the Torah. This is the only way to protect what HaShem gives us — by thinking of and supporting others.

A lasting and strong Jewish community is rooted and connected to the Mesorah, where we support each other and are made up of individuals who hold themselves accountable for their own decisions.

The mitzvos in general represent HaShem’s will. The mitzvos are not a set of rules to restrict our lives, but a path to a good and meaningful life.

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Elisheva bas Chana – Celebrating the Heart of Yiddishkeit

Elisheva is a passionate voice for authentic Jewish life, blending Torah wisdom, mitzvos, and the timeless beauty of Yiddishkeit. Her writing shines a light on the strength and grace of Jewish women—from the legacy of Devorah Leah, daughter of the Alter Rebbe, to today’s women who live with faith, modesty, and purpose. Through her words, Elisheva celebrates Torah study, family purity, and radiant tznius, inspiring readers to embrace the joy, depth, and enduring spirit of Jewish tradition. Contact Elisheva.