Mitzvah

“We are sinful not merely because we have eaten of the Tree of Knowledge, but also because we have not yet eaten of the Tree of Life.”- Franz Kafka

Mitzvah lies at the core of Judaism.  Mitzvah is our attitude to life; our interrelationship with all things animate and inanimate.  I do not think there is any more oft misunderstood concept than this:

Mitzvot are the hands of life.  Mitzvah is the way the Jew reaches out into the universe and understands it.  There are 613 different ways to express Mitzvah, each one a definite action.  Some example:

We put on a Tallit, wrapped our torso in its fabric as we utter the blessing.

No one needy must be passed without doing tzedaka.  Some need money.  Some need food.  Many need a kind word.

The food that we eat must be balanced so that meat and dairy are not inadvertently mixed.  Meat is death.  Milk is life.  They are not to be consumed together.

Candles must be lit as the sun sets every Shabbas to bring light and deep warmth into our home.

The sick must be healed.

Slaves must be redeemed.

Jewish homes must have mezuzahs on their door.

The list moves on.  Each mitzvah is a commandment to use our hands. 

If Mitzvah represents our hands then learning is our heart.