The Law and the mitzvotLearning objectives:

To understand the concepts of the law and mitzvotTo assess the continuing importance of the law and mitzvot to Jews

Please write keywords in back of books.

TorahMitzvot

Diaspora

Rabbi

Ethical

1)Create a spider diagram around the word rules.

2)These might be rules at home, religious rules, rules at school or rules in the street.

3)Choose the 5 that you think are the most important.

4)Be prepared to explain why they are important to you

Homes rules

What are you expected to do at home, and what are the rewards?

Religious rules

If you are religious are there any rules, at church ect?

School rules

What are the rules at school what is expected of you, why?

Street rules

How do you behave on the street and why? Are there rules?

Jewish people have their own set of rules, the are called Mitzvot.

If you are a Jew you will follow these rules at home and at the synagogue. They become a part of your life.

The Concept of Law

Torah – The law

Genesis Exodus Leviticus NumbersDeuterono

my

The Torah that contains the five books of Moses is called the ‘Law’ or ‘teaching’.

The word ‘Torah’ means ‘direction’ or ‘instruction’ but is usually translated as ‘Law’.

The law of the Torah both written and oral, is central to Jewish faith and belief.

The Concept of Law

Written tradition

Oral tradition

The written law is found in the 5

books of the Torah. The books that Moses wrote.

The oral Torah are rules and

instructions that have been

passed down verbally over generations.

For Jews the Torah contains the divinely revealed word of G-d. Given directly G-d to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is therefore absolute truth and must be obeyed.

The Concept of Law

The Ten commandments are rules about life and behaviour. However, rabbis later worked through the text and realised that there are 613 commandments. These are known as the 613 mitzvot. The include the 10 commandments.

What is Halakhah?

Judaism is not just a set of beliefs about G-d, man and the universe. Judaism is a comprehensive way of life, filled with rules and practices that affect every aspect of life: what you do when you wake up in the morning, what you can and cannot eat, what you can and cannot wear, how to groom yourself, how to conduct business, who you can marry, how to observe the holidays and Shabbat, and perhaps most important, how to treat G-d, other people, and animals. This set of rules and practices is known as halakhah.

The word "halakhah" is usually translated as "Jewish Law," although a more literal (and more appropriate) translation might be "the path that one walks."

The 613 mitzvot

Mitzvah is a commandment or religious duty. There are several different groupings of mitzvot. The 613 mitzvot are divided as so.

248 mitzvot aseh (positive commandments that say what must be followed).

365 mitzvot to ta’aseh (negative commandments that say what is forbidden

Some of the mitzvot d'oraita are clear, explicit commands in the text of the Torah (thou shalt not murder; you shall write words of Torah on the doorposts of your house), others are more implicit (the mitzvah to recite grace after meals, which is inferred from "and you will eat and be satisfied and bless the L-rd your G-d").

Mitzvot de-oraita: Biblical

Some of the mitzvot overlap; for example, there is a commandment to rest on Shabbat and a separate commandment not to do work on Shabbat.

Mitzvot de-rabbanan: rabbinical mitzvot

In addition to the laws that come directly from Torah (d'oraita), halakhah includes laws that were enacted by the rabbis (d'rabbanan). These rabbinic laws are still referred to as mitzvot (commandments), even though they are not part of the original 613 mitzvot d'oraita. Mitzvot d'rabbanan are considered to be as binding as Torah laws.

The Diaspora- any place outside of the land of Israel where Jews live. It refers to the fact that Jewish people have been

dispersed from Israel to many other parts of the world.

The Diaspora

Some rules can only be kept in Israel, such mitzvot do not need to be followed by Jews in the Diaspora. That is because they don’t live in Israel and it is impossible for them to observe such laws.

When a Jewish boy is 13 years old, this is his coming of age. From this point on in his life he will promise to adhere to the 613 mitzvot. This celebration is called a Bar Mitzvah. For girls this is the age of 12. However girls do not have to observe all 613 mitzvot. They don’t need as many rule to live how G-d wants them to,

A Jewish duty

Is living by Mitzvot annoying? Yes, of course. But if someone you care about - your parent, your child, your spouse - asked you to do something inconvenient or unpleasant, something you didn't feel like doing, you would do it, wouldn't you? It is a very shallow and meaningless kind of love if you aren't willing to do something inconvenient for the one you love. How much more so should we be willing to perform some occasionally inconvenient tasks that were set before us by our Creator, who assigned those tasks to us for our own good?

Are these laws or rules sometimes inconvenient?

There are several lists of the 613 mitzvot, one of the best known being the Sefer Hamitzvot. Judaism teaches that people can only truly be happy if they live their lives according to the way G-d wants.

Sefer Hamitzvot

1)Create a leaflet introducing a person new to Judaism to the mitzvot.

2)Make sure you can explain what they are and what they are used for.

3)Make sure you use a range of keywords and pictures.

‘No one can be expected to keep so many rules. Jews should just stick to the ten commandments’.

1) Do you agree with this statement? Please write half a page.

2) How would a Jew respond? Please write half a page and use key words.

3) Find a current news story that you can apply Jewish mitzvot to. You will need this next lesson

4) Complete key words in back of book with definition