A mitzvah is a Torah commandment. The root of the Hebrew word Mitzvah means "to connect" or "to join". A mitzvah is a way of connecting to God and drawing divine light into ourselves and the world.
The mitzvot (plural for mitzvah) nourish the soul
which in turn gives vitality to the body.
Kabbalah teaches that there are 248 limbs in the body and 365 sinews. There are 248 positive (what to do) mitzvot in the Torah and 365 negative (what not to do).
Every mitzvah corresponds and gives life to a different 'spiritual limb' of our bodies.
The Forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in spiritual harmony with the world and intuitively sensed the mitzvot many hundreds of years before they were revealed at the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. |
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In ancient times the connection between body and soul was very close and whatever the spirit felt manifested in the body, people were able to sense the power of the mitzvot, even today that possibility exists, but regardless of our awareness the mitzvot are a potent force in bringing wholeness into our lives.
Every mitzvah draws us closer not only to God but to our own souls as well. The Zohar, one of the seminal works of Kabbalah, describes the mitzvot as "613 pieces of good advice".
Another way to think of a mitzvah is as a specific channel of divine blessing that is opened by actions that we take.
A general principle of Judiasm is that all the mitzvot are eternal, we observe the mitzvot not becuase of our understanding of them, though deep understanding is possible, but because they stem from a source of wisdom far above our own and are God's will..
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