Mitzvah #180 - Mother and her daughter's daughter

One may not marry and woman and her daughter's daughter.

One who marries a woman and then has relationships her mother's mother or her daughter's daughter gets burned to death by Beth Din.

If his wife died and he then has relationships her mother's mother or her daughter's daughter, he gets Karet.

By Rabbinic decree it's forbidden to have such relations even if neither are married to him.

By Rabbinic decree this applies to great-grandchildren as well.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...her son's daughter..." (Vayikra 18:17)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 123

- Danny
Wednesday, 18 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #179 - Mother and her son's daughter

One may not marry a woman and her son's daughter.

One who marries a woman and then has relationships her father's mother or her son's daughter gets burned to death by Beth Din.

If his wife died and then then has relationships with her father's mother or her son's daughter he gets Karet.

By Rabbinic decree it's forbidden to have such relations even if neither women are married to him.

By Rabbinic decree this applies to great-grandchildren as well.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...her son's daughter..." (Vayikra 18:17)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 122

- Danny
Tuesday, 17 Tamuz 5770
 

Please daven for a complete recovery of Pinchas ben Luba and his daughter Luba bat Ruth

Mitzvah #178 - Separating Challah

It's a Mitzva to separate Challah from dough and give it to a Cohen. (Nowadays, since the dough is impure, the Challah is burned, and not given to a Cohen.)

Applies to dough made of the 5 types of grains: wheat, barley, oats, spelt or rye.

Applies to dough the size of at least 43 1/5 eggs. (Opinions vary between 1.2 Kg and 2.5 Kg)

Applies to everybody, always, in Israel, and by Rabbinic decree outside of Israel, where it is burned.

Verse: "The first of your dough you should separate " (Bemidbar 15:20)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 57

- Danny
Monday, 16 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #177 - Mother and daughter

One may not marry and woman and her daughter.

One who marries a woman and then has relationships her mother or daughter gets burned to death by Beth Din.

If his wife died and then then has relationships her mother or daughter he gets Karet.

By Rabbinic decree it's forbidden to have relations with a mother and daughter even if neither are married to him.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "The nakedness of a woman and her daughter you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:17)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 121

- Danny
Sunday, 15 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #176 - Daughter

One may not marry one's daughter.

One who has relationships with his daughter - even if he never married her mother - deserves to be burned to death by Beth Din.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

There is no explicit verse for this sin, it's deduced by Kal-Vachomer and Gezeira-shava (Sanhedrin 76a)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 120

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 12 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #175 - Grandchildren

One may not marry the daughter of one's sons or daughters.

One who has relationships with his grandchildren deserves to be burned to death by Beth Din.

By Rabbinical decree this includes great-grandchildren.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always.

Verse: "The nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:10)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 119

- Danny
Wednesday, 11 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #174 - Chop off its head

One who does not want to redeem their firstborn male donkey with a sheep (as we learned in Mitzva #171), has a Mitzva to chop off it's head.

The Mitzva is to use an axe and chop the back of the neck until it dies.

Even after it's dead, it may not be used for anything and has to be buried.

Applies everywhere, always, to Israelites, since a donkey which belongs to a Cohen or Levi need not be redeemed.

Verse: "and if you don't redeem it then chop off its head" (Shemot 34:20)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 56

- Danny
Tuesday, 10 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #173 - Bestiality - Women

A woman who has sexual relations with an animal or bird gets stoned to death by Bet Din.

The animal or bird also gets stoned to death by Bet Din.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...neither shall any woman give herself to a beast to lie with it" (Vayikra 18:23)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 118

- Danny
Monday, 9 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #172 - Bestiality - Men

A man who has sexual relations with an animal or bird gets stoned to death by Bet Din.

The animal or bird also gets stoned to death by Bet Din.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "And you shall not lie with any beast and defile yourself with it" (Vayikra 18:23)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 117

- Danny
Sunday, 8 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #171 - Firstborn donkeys

A firstborn male donkey needs to be redeemed by giving a Cohen a sheep in its stead.

Even if the sheep costs a fraction of the price of the donkey, it can be used.

If one does not own a sheep, one can give the Cohen the monetary value of the donkey.

If the donkey belongs to a Cohen or Levi it need not be redeemed.

Applies to Israelites, everywhere, always

Verse: "...and a firstborn donkey redeem with a sheep" (Shemot 34:20) - "...the firstborns... shall be yours" (Bemidbar 18:15)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 55

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 5 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #170 - Be happy, but not gay

If two males have marital relationships they both deserve to be stoned to death by Beth Din.

If there are no witnesses they are punished with Karet.

If done unintentionally, they each need to bring a Chatat offering when the Bet haMikdash will be rebuilt.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "Do not have marital relationships with another male" (Vayikra 18:22)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 116

- Danny
Wednesday, 4 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #169 - Daughter-in-law

One may not marry one's son's wife - even after the son dies or divorces her.

One who has relationships with his daughter-in-law deserves to be stoned to death by Beth Din.

By Rabbinical decree this includes one's grandson's wives.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "The nakedness of your daughter-in-law you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:15)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 115

- Danny
Tuesday, 3 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #168 - Redeeming the firstborn

Thirty days after a firstborn son is born, his father needs to redeem him, by giving 5 Shekalim (~117 grams of silver) or items of equivalent value to a Cohen.

The Cohen can use the money for anything he wants, it has no Kedusha - sanctity.

One who had no father at the time, needs to redeem himself when he becomes an adult.

If the firstborn's father or mother are Cohanim or Levi'im, he does not need to be redeemed.

Applies to Israelites, everywhere, always

Verse: "..redeem the firstborn male son. Redeem him at one month old." (Bemidbar 18:15-16)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 54

- Danny
Monday, 2 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #167 - Father's brother

One who has relationships with their father's brother deserves to be stoned to death by Beth Din.

One who accidentally has relationships with their father's brother needs to bring a Chatat offering when the Bet haMikdash will be rebuilt.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "The nakedness of your father's brother you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:14)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 114

Chodesh Tov!

- Danny
Sunday, 2nd day Rosh Chodesh Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #166 - Marrying one's father's wife

One is not allowed to marry one's father's wife, even after one's father died or divorced her - and even of she is not one's mother.

One who has relationships with their father's wife deserves to be stoned to death by Bet Din.

By Rabbinic decree this includes grandfathers' wives as well.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always.

Verse: "The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:8)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 113

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 28 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #165 - Marrying one's mother

One is not allowed to marry one's mother.

One who has relationships with their mother deserves to be stoned to death by Bet Din.

By Rabbinic decree this includes grandmothers as well.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...and the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:7)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 112

- Danny
Wednesday, 27 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #164 - Firstborn Kosher animals

It's a Mitzva to sanctify all firstborn male Kosher animals, by declaring "This animal is Kadosh".

Even if one did not do so, the animal is still holy.

Nowadays first born Kosher male animals have to be given to a Cohen who can eat them after they becomes permanently blemished.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "Sanctify for Me all firstborn... animals" (Shemot 13:1)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 53

- Danny
Tuesday, 26 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #163 - Marrying one's father

One is not allowed to marry one's father.

One who has relationships with their father deserves to be stoned to death by Bet Din.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "The nakedness of your father... you shall not uncover" (Vayikra 18:7)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 111

- Danny
Monday, 25 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #162 - Kissing and cuddling

One may not have affectionate contact with close of kin - even if it does not involve marital relations.

One who hugs, kisses or has close physical contact with those they may not marry (except for one's children and parents), deserves 39 lashes by Bet Din, and is considered to be suspect of being promiscuous.

One is not allowed to seclude oneself with those one may not marry (except for one's children and parents), a prohibition known as Yichud.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "None of you shall approach anybody who is near of kin to him" (Vayikra 18:6)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 110

- Danny
Sunday, 24 Sivan 5770

Please daven for a complete recovery for

Chagai Yitzchak ben Pnina - חגי יצחק בן פנינה

Mitzvah #161 - First shearing is given to the Cohen

If one shears 5 or more sheep and the wool of each sheep is at least 12 Sela (about 170 gram or 6 oz.) then one gives 1/60th of the total to a Cohen.

This gift - known as Reishith haGez - has no sanctity and the Cohen can do with it whatever he wants.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always according to some opinions, while others are lenient and say it does not apply nowadays.

Verse: "..and the first shearing shall be given to him" (Devarim 18:4)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 52

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 21 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #160 - Redeeming a firstborn Kosher animal

It is forbidden to redeem a firstborn male Kosher animal.

It has to be given to a Cohen, who may sell it, but the buyer has to continue treating it with all the laws of a firstborn.

If the firstborn is blemished permanently, it may be sold live or slaughtered, but not in the meat market.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "but the first born ox... shall not be redeemed" (Bemidbar 18:17)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 109

- Danny
Wednesday, 20 Sivan 5770

Mitzvah #159 - Slaughtering cow and calf

One may not slaughter a Kosher animal and its offspring on the same day.

If one did, both animals are still Kosher and may be eaten.

The day starts and ends at nightfall:

- If the mother was slaughtered at night, the calf may not be slaughtered the following day.

- If the calf was slaughtered before sunset, the mother may be slaughtered later that evening.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "And whether it be cow or ewe, you shall not kill it and her young both in one day" (Vayikra 22:28)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 108

- Danny
Tuesday, 19 Sivan 5770