Sefer Hachinuch
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Misva #40: Using for the Altar a Stone That Had Come in Contact with Metal
September 27, 2021 13:00 - 12 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (20:22), “Lo Tibneh Et’hen Gazit” – that it is forbidden to build the altar in the Bet Ha’mikdash with stones that had been hewn with an instrument. The Sages understood that the Torah here prohibits using a stone that had come in contact with metal, even if a metal object had just touched the stone. A stone that had come in contact with metal is disqualified from being part of the altar in the Bet Ha’mikdash. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that the reas...
Misva #39: Making Images of Human Beings
September 24, 2021 13:00 - 10.3 MBThe Torah in Parashat Yitro (Shemot 20:20) commands, “Lo Ta’asun Iti,” which the Gemara interprets to mean, “Lo Ta’asun Oti” – “Do not make Me,” introducing a prohibition against making an image resembling G-d. As the Sefer Ha’hinuch explains, the only creature in the universe which bears any sort of resemblance to G-d is the human being, which is created “Be’selem Elokim” – in the divine image, in that we are endowed with an intellect. Hence, the command of “Lo Ta’asun Iti” forbids creating ...
Misva #38: “Lo Tahmod” – Coveting
September 23, 2021 13:00 - 10.4 MBThe final of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition of “Lo Tahmod” – “You shall not covet” (Shemot 20:14). This command forbids desiring somebody’s else’s possession, or even his wife, to the point where he applies pressure until he ultimately obtains the item in question. Even if one paid full price for the item, he violates this prohibition if the owner sold it under duress, due to the pressure that was applied. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that coveting another person’s possession or wife...
Misva #37: Giving False Testimony
September 20, 2021 13:00 - 8.98 MBThe ninth of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition of “Lo Ta’aneh Be’re’acha Ed Shaker,” which forbids testifying falsely against one’s fellow in court. This includes both presenting information which one knows is false, and testifying about something which one had heard about but did not actually witness. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that maintaining law and order among the nation requires a functioning legal system, and one who falsely testifies in court undermines the integrity of the sy...
Misva #36: Kidnapping
September 17, 2021 13:00 - 8.32 MBThe eighth of the Ten Commandments is “Lo Tignob” – “You shall not steal.” Many misinterpret this command as introducing the prohibition against stealing money or property, when in truth, this command refers to stealing human beings, meaning, kidnapping. Specifically, it forbids forcefully taking somebody and selling him as a slave. Needless to say, stealing money or property is also forbidden, but the Torah introduces that command in a different context. The command of “Lo Tignob” in the Ase...
Misva #35: Adultery
September 15, 2021 13:00 - 14.1 MBThe seventh of the Ten Commandments is the command of “Lo Tin’af” – adultery, which forbids having relations with a married woman (Shemot 20:13). The Sefer Ha’hinuch presents several different reasons for this prohibition. First, he explains, G-d wants every type of creature to reproduce together with a member of its species, rather than breeding with a creature of a different kind. This extends to the family unit, as well, requiring people to reproduce only with their spouse. Secondly, the S...
Misva #34: Murder
September 14, 2021 13:00 - 15.4 MBThe sixth of the Ten Commandments is the command of “Lo Tirsach,” the prohibition against murder (Shemot 20:12). The Sefer Ha’hinuch writes that G-d created the world with the intention that it should be inhabited and developed, and thus taking human life is contrary to G-d’s will for the world. By the same token, the Sefer Ha’hinuch adds, those who destroy the world through their evil conduct specifically should be killed, as their death is actually beneficial for the world’s development. Ne...
Misva #33: Honoring Parents
September 13, 2021 13:00 - 13 MBThe fifth of the Ten Commandments is “Kabed Et Abicha Ve’et Imecha” – the obligation to honor one’s father and mother (Shemot 20:12). The Sefer H’hinuch defines this Misva as a command to show one’s parents respect and to assist them with all their needs. He explains that this command is rooted in the concept of “Hakarat Ha’tob” – gratitude, as it is appropriate to express gratitude to one’s parents for bringing him into the world and for exerting immense efforts to care for him and raise him...
Misva #32: Refraining From the Thirty-Nine Melachot on Shabbat
September 10, 2021 13:00 - 18.7 MBIn the fourth of the Aseret Ha’diberot, we are commanded, “Lo Ta’aseh Kol Melacha” (Shemot 20:10) – to refrain from “Melacha” (“work”) on Shabbat. We are required to personally refrain from “Melacha,” as well as to ensure that our servants, animals and children also refrain from “Melacha.” The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that this Misva is intended to reinforce our belief in “Hiddush Ha’olam” – the notion that G-d created the world. There were philosophers, such as Aristotle, who acknowledged G-...
Misva #31: Kiddush and Habdala
September 09, 2021 13:00 - 12 MBWe are commanded in the fourth of the Aseret Ha’diberot (Shemot 20:8), “Zachor Et Yom Ha’Shabbat Le’kadesho” – “Remember the day of Shabbat, to regard it as sacred.” The Gemara understood the command of “Zachor” (“Remember”) as requiring not just cognitively remembering Shabbat, but verbally declaring its unique stature of sanctity both when it begins and when it ends. This command, then, is the source of the obligation to recite Kiddush when Shabbat begins and Habdala when Shabbat ends. In e...
Misva #30: You may not bear the Name of G-d in vain
September 06, 2021 13:00 - 12.8 MBThe third of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition, “Lo Tisa Et Shem Hashem Elokecha La’shav” – “You may not bear the Name of G-d in vain” (Shemot 20:7). The Gemara understands this command as forbidding several different kinds of false or meaningless oaths uttered in G-d’s Name. One is swearing about something which is obviously untrue, such as swearing that a rock is a piece of gold. The second example is an oath about something which is obviously true, such as swearing that a rock is a r...
Misva #29: Worshipping Aboda Zara
September 03, 2021 13:00 - 9.34 MBThe second of the Ten Commandments (Shemot 20:5) includes the prohibition, “Lo Ta’ovdem,” which forbids worshipping foreign deities. This prohibition differs from the preceding command – “Lo Tishtahaveh Lahem” (“Do not bow to them”) – which forbids performing certain rituals before a statue that express reverence and submission, such as bowing and sacrificing. The prohibition of “Lo Ta’ovdem,” by contrast, forbids worshipping a foreign deity in the accepted mode of worship for that deity, eve...
Misva #28: Serving a Foreign Deity
September 02, 2021 13:00 - 13.8 MBThe Torah commands in the second of the Aseret Ha’diberot (Shemot 20:5), “Lo Tishtahaveh Lahem” – that it is forbidden to bow to any foreign deity. Although the Torah speaks specifically about bowing, the Gemara teaches that there are four rituals which may not be performed before an idol, regardless of whether one intends to serve the idol, or whether this is the normal way of serving this particular idol. These four rituals are: bowing, slaughtering an animal as a sacrifice, placing an offe...
Misva #27: The Prohibition Against Making an Idol
September 01, 2021 13:00 - 10.2 MBThe term “Aseret Ha’diberot” is normally translated as “the Ten Commandments,” but this translation is imprecise, as at least one of the ten “Diberot” actually contains more than a single commandment. The “Aseret Ha’diberot” are actually ten pronouncements spoken by G-d to our ancestors at Mount Sinai, which together contain more than ten Misvot. This observation is made as an introduction to the 27 th Biblical command listed by the Sefer Ha’hinuch – the prohibition of “Lo Ta’aseh Lecha Pesel...
Misva #26: Believing in Other Deities
August 31, 2021 13:00 - 11.9 MBThe second of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition, “Lo Yiheyeh Lecha Elohim Aherim Al Panai” – “You shall not have other gods besides Me.” This command forbids believing in a force that is independent of Hashem. A separate prohibition forbids actively serving other deities; this command forbids even the thought that some person, thing, or force can act independently of G-d. Even if a person believes that G-d created everything in the universe, he violates this prohibition if he attributes...
Misva #25: Belief in G-d
August 30, 2021 13:00 - 13.2 MBThe Ten Commandments begin with the pronouncement, “I am Hashem your G-d who has taken you from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Shemot 20:2). According to the Rambam and Sefer Ha’hinuch, this verse establishes the obligation to believe in the existence of one G-d. In truth, the Sefer Ha’hinuch writes that the belief in the existence of a single Divine Being constitutes just one of several aspects of this Misva. This Misva obligates us to believe also that G-d created everything...
Misva #24: Tehum Shabbat – Walking a Distance Outside One’s City on Shabbat
August 27, 2021 13:00 - 14.2 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (16:29), “Al Yeseh Ish Mi’mekomo Ba’yom Ha’shebi’i” – “A man shall not leave from his place on the seventh day.” This verse establishes a prohibition forbidding walking beyond a certain distance on Shabbat, a prohibition known as “Tehum Shabbat” (literally, “the boundary of Shabbat”). The Torah prohibition of “Tehum Shabbat” forbids walking a distance of three Parsa’ot beyond the boundary of one’s city. One may walk as much as he wants within the city;...
Misva #23: Arifat Peter Hamor (Killing a Firstborn Donkey)
August 26, 2021 13:00 - 11 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (13:13) that if one’s donkey’s firstborn is a male, then the owner must redeem the firstborn donkey by giving a sheep to a Kohen. However, the Torah stipulates that if one chooses not to redeem the donkey, then he must perform “Arifa” – meaning, he must kill the donkey, and he may then not derive any benefit from the animal. He may not sell the carcass, or make any use of any part of it. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that this Halacha, forbidding the ow...
Misva #22: Redeeming a Firstborn Donkey
August 25, 2021 13:00 - 8 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (13:13), “Ve’chol Peter Hamor Tifdeh Be’seh” – that every firstborn donkey must be “redeemed” by giving a sheep. This means that if a person owns a female donkey, and its firstborn is male, then the owner must give a sheep to a Kohen, in exchange for which he receives rights to keep his firstborn donkey. The donkey is then considered the property of its owner, and the sheep becomes the property of the Kohen. Both the donkey and the sheep are Hulin – re...
Misva #21: Telling the Story of the Exodus on the Night of the 15th of Nissan
August 24, 2021 13:00 - 12.9 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (13:8), “You shall tell your son on that day…” – introducing the obligation to relate the story of Yesi’at Misrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) on the first night of Pesach, the 15 th of Nissan. Although the Torah states simply that one should speak of the Exodus “on that day,” without specifying which day, the Rabbis understood that this refers to the first night of Pesach, when we have an obligation to eat Masa. The Sefer Ha’hinuch writes that the Torah ...
Misva #20 – The Prohibition of Having Hametz in One’s Possession During Pesach
August 23, 2021 13:00 - 6.39 MBThe twentieth commandment in the Torah is the prohibition presented in the Book of Shemot (13:7), “Ve’lo Yera’eh Lecha Hametz Ve’lo Yera’eh Lecha Se’or,” which forbids having in one’s possession during Pesach either Hametz (leavened products) or Se’or (a leavening agent). One who has either of these two products in his possession at any point during Pesach is in violation of this Biblical prohibition. The Sefer Ha’hinuch notes that this prohibition is punishable by Malkut (lashes) if it is vi...
Misva #19: The Prohibition Against Eating Hametz on Pesach
August 20, 2021 13:00 - 2.63 MBThe Torah famously commands in the Book of Shemot (13:3), “Ve’lo Ye’achel Hametz” (“and leaven shall not be eaten”), establishing a Biblical prohibition against eating Hametz during the seven days of Pesach. This prohibition, of course, applies even after the destruction of the Bet Ha’mikdash, in all locations, and to both men and women. One who ate a Ke’zayit of Hametz on Pesach knowingly violating this prohibition is liable to the severe punishment of Karet (eternal excision from the Jewish...
Misva #18: The Sanctity of Firstborn Animals
August 19, 2021 13:00 - 8.36 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (13:2), “Kadesh Li Kol Bechor, Peter Kol Rehem Bi’Bneh Yisrael” – “Consecrate for Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb among Beneh Yisrael.” This command requires us to declare as sacred the male firstborn of every kosher Behema (domesticated animal), as well as every male firstborn donkey. At the birth, the owner must proclaim, “Hareh Zeh Kadosh” – “This is hereby sacred,” and then give the newborn animal to a Kohen. The Kohen must then o...
Misva #17: The Consumption of the Korban Pesach by an Uncircumcised Male
August 18, 2021 13:00 - 9.83 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:48), “Ve’chol Arel Lo Yochal Bo” – an uncircumcised male is forbidden from eating the meat of the Korban Pesach. If a Jewish male is not circumcised, even if this is due to the fact that two of his brothers died as a result of Berit Mila, indicating a hereditary medical condition that makes circumcision dangerous, nevertheless, he may not partake of the Korban Pesach. Although a person in this situation is not required to undergo circumcision, give...
Misva #16: Breaking a Bone of the Korban Pesach
August 17, 2021 13:00 - 13.4 MBThe Torah commands in regard to the Korban Pesach, “Ve’esem Lo Tishberu Bo” (Shemot 12:46) – that it is forbidden to break a bone of the sacrifice. As long as the sacrifice is Tahor (pure), and has not been exposed to Tum’a (halachic impurity), it is forbidden to break any of the bones, and one who does transgresses this prohibition and is liable to Malkut (lashes). The Sefer Ha’hinuch’s discussion of this Misva has become one of the most famous passages in this work, as therein he establishe...
Misva #15: Bringing Meat of the Korban Pesach to a Different Location
August 16, 2021 13:00 - 6.77 MBThe Torah commands amidst its discussion of the Pesach sacrifice in the Book of Shemot (12:46), “Lo Tosi Min Ha’bayit Min Ha’basar Husa” – that Beneh Yisrael were not allowed to bring any meat of the Korban Pesach outside their homes on the night of the Exodus from Egypt. This verse establishes a prohibition against bringing meat of the Pesach sacrifice away from the original place where it is eaten. One who brings meat of the Korban Pesach away from its original location has transgressed thi...
Misva #14: Feeding the Korban Pesach to a “Toshab” or “Sachir”
August 13, 2021 13:00 - 9.14 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:45), “Toshab Ve’sachir Lo Yochal Bo,” introducing a prohibition against feeding the meat of the Korban Pesach to a “Toshab” (literally, “resident”) or a “Sachir” (literally, “employee”). The Sefer Ha’hinuch, based on the Rambam, explains that “Toshab” refers to a non-Jew who has renounced foreign worship but has not converted to Judaism, and a “Sachir” is a gentile in the process of conversion, who has undergone circumcision but has yet to immerse ...
Misva #13: Feeding the Korban Pesach to a “Meshumad”
August 12, 2021 13:00 - 12.7 MBAmidst its discussion of the laws of the Korban Pesach, the Torah commands, “Kol Ben Nechar Lo Yochal Bo” (Shemot 12:43), which literally means, “No foreigner may partake of it.” At first glance, it appears that the Torah here forbids gentiles from eating the meat of the Pesach sacrifice. However, tradition teaches that the term “Ben Nechar” (“foreigner”) in this verse refers to one “She’nitnakeru Ma’asav Le’abib She’ba’shamayim” – “whose actions became foreign to his Father in heaven.” Meani...
Misva #12: Eating Food Containing Hametz on Pesach
August 11, 2021 13:00 - 8.7 MBThe 12 th Biblical command is the prohibition of “Kol Mahmeset Lo Tochelu” (Shemot 12:20), which the Rambam understood as a prohibition against eating foods which contain Hametz. The Torah forbids not only eating Hametz directly, but also eating non-Hametz foods with which Hametz had been mixed. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that the Torah issued this command to reinforce our commemoration of the miraculous events of the Exodus, when our ancestors were rushed out of Egypt before their dough ha...
Misva #11: The Prohibition Against Having Hametz in One’s Possession During Pesach
August 10, 2021 13:00 - 8.41 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:19), “Shib’at Yamim Se’or Lo Yimaseh Be’batechem” – “Leaven shall not be present in your homes for seven days,” establishing the prohibition against having Hametz in one’s possession during Pesach. This prohibition commemorates the miraculous events of the Exodus from Egypt, when Beneh Yisrael were rushed out of Egypt and needed to leave so quickly that their dough did not have time to rise before their departure, resulting in their baking Masa. We...
Misva #10: The Obligation to Eat Masa
August 09, 2021 13:00 - 6.99 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:18), “Ba’ereb Tochelu Masot” – “In the evening, you shall eat Masot,” introducing the obligation to eat Masa on the night of the 15 th of Nissan (the first night of Pesach). One fulfills this Misva only with Masa baked from one of the five principal grains. The reason behind this Misva, of course, is to recall how our ancestors were rushed out of Egypt after having been held there as slaves for over two centuries. The miraculous redemption unfolded...
Misva #9: Eliminating Hametz From One’s Property on the 14th of Nissan
August 06, 2021 13:00 - 10.1 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:15), “Ach Ba’yom Ha’rishon Tashbitu Se’or Mi’batechem” – that we must eliminate Hametz from our homes “on the first day” of the festival of Pesach. While this command at first seems to require eliminating Hametz from our homes only on the first day of Pesach, the 15 th of Nissan, the Gemara (Pesahim 5) explains that in truth, it means that the Hametz must be eliminated by the onset of the first day of Pesach, and thus this is required already on th...
Misva #7: Eating the Meat of the Korban Pesach That Has Not Been Fully Roasted
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 12.8 MBThe Torah commands in the Book of Shemot (12:9), “Al Tochelu Mimenu Na U’bashel Mebushal Ba’mayim” – that one may not eat the meat of the Korban Pesah when it is in a state of “Na,” or if it had been boiled in water (or any other liquid). The word “Na” is commonly translated as “raw,” but in truth, it means “not fully roasted.” If one eats the meat of the Korban Pesach when it is completely raw, he fails to fulfill the affirmative command to eat the meat roasted, but he does not violate the p...
Misva #3: Gid Ha’nashe
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 11.4 MBThe command of Gid Ha’nashe forbids eating the sciatic nerve of an animal. The source of this prohibition is the story of Yaakob Abinu’s wrestle with an angel, during which he sustained an injury to this part of the thigh. The Torah writes that in commemoration of this incident, “Lo Yochelu Beneh Yisrael Et Gid Ha’nashe” – the Jewish People abstain from the Gid Ha’nashe. This verse is understood as not merely stating a historical fact, but rather establishing a prohibition against eating this...
Misva #5: Offering the Korban Pesach
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 11.5 MBThe Misva to offer the Korban Pesach on the 14 th of Nissan in the afternoon is introduced in the Book of Shemot (12:6), where the Torah says, “Ve’shahatu Oto Kol Adat Yisrael Ben Ha’arbayim” – “The entire congregation of Israel shall slaughter it in the afternoon.” The sacrifice must be a male, one-year-old sheep, and the Misva requires the slaughtering of the animal and the subsequent procedures, culminating with the sprinkling of the blood on the altar. After the sacrifice, those who had “...
Misva #2: Berit Mila
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 12.4 MBThe Torah introduces the Misva of Berit Mila in two contexts. First, in the Book of Bereshit (17:10), G-d commands Abraham Abinu and his descendants, “Himol Lachem Kol Zachar” – that every male must undergo circumcision. Secondly, the Torah instructs in the Book of Vayikra (12:3), “U’ba’yom Ha’shemini Yimol Besar Orlato” – “And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that this Misva consists of two components – the removal of the actual...
Misva #8: Leaving Over Meat of the Korban Pesach
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 10.6 MBIn its discussion of the laws of the Korban Pesach in the Book of Shemot (12:10), the Torah commands, “Ve’lo Totiru Mimenu Ad Boker,” forbidding one to leave over meat of the Korban Pesach until morning. Meat which was left over must be burned. The Sefer Ha’hinuch explains that the Korban Pesach celebrates not merely our nation’s deliverance from slavery, but also our attaining a stature of “Malchut U’gdula” – “royalty and prestige.” We must therefore conduct ourselves with regard to this sac...
Misva #4: Kiddush Ha’hodesh
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 18.6 MBThe Misva of Kiddush Ha’hodesh requires the leading Sages to declare new months on either the 30 th or 31 st day of the previous month, based upon the testimony of two witnesses who saw the new moon. The source of this Misva is G-d’s command to Moshe and Aharon in Egypt before the Exodus, “Ha’hodesh Ha’zeh Lachem Rosh Hodashim” – “This month is for you the first of the months” (Shemot 12:2). As the Sefer Ha’hinuch explains, this verse is understood to mean that when the new moon is sighted, t...
Misva #6: Eating the Korban Pesach
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 10.1 MBBesides the Misva to offer the Korban Pesach during the afternoon of the 14 th of Nissan, there is also a separate obligation to eat the meat of the sacrifice that night, the night of the 15 th . This Misva is introduced by the Torah in Sefer Shemot (12:8), where it commands, “Ve’achelu Et Ha’basar Ba’layla Ha’zeh” – “They shall eat the meat on this night.” This Misva, of course, like the other commands relevant to the Pesach celebration, serves to commemorate and remind us of the great mirac...
Misva #1: Periya Ve’riba – Procreation
August 01, 2021 13:00 - 8.3 MBThe first of the Torah’s 613 Misvot is Periya Ve’riba – the obligation to procreate. The source for this Misva is G-d’s command to Adam and Hava right when they were first created, “Peru U’rbu” – “be fruitful and multiply” (Bereshit 1:28). The Sefer Ha’hinuch writes about this command, “Ve’hi Misva Gedola” – this is an especially important Misva, because it in a sense encompasses all Misvot in the Torah, as the children one produces will, please G-d, fulfill all the Misvot. The Misvot are int...