Mitzvah #200 - Who can a Mamzer marry?

A Mamzer may marry another Mamzer or a convert - and their children will be Mamzerim - but they may not marry a regular Jew.

A Mazer is defined as:

- a child born from a forbidden relationship where the punishment is Karet, with the exception of Niddah.

- a child who has a parent who is a Mamzer.

A child found in the market whose parentage is unknown, or the child of an unmarried mother who doesn't know who the father is or she refuses to tell us who he is, is considered a Safek Mamzer and the child may only marry a convert.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "A Mamzer may not marry into the congregation..." (Devarim 23:3)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 137

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 18 Av 5770

Mitzvah #199 - Who can a castrated male marry?

If a male who's reproductive system has been injured - such that he can no longer beget children - marries a regular Jewess, they both get 39 lashes by Beth Din.

Such a person is allowed to marry a convert - even if he is a Cohen.

A man who was born with a non-functional reproductive system is not included in the above prohibition.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not marry into the congregation..." (Devarim 23:2)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 136

- Danny
Wednesday, 17 Av 5770

Mitzvah #198 - Returning collateral

It's a Mitzva to return the collateral to the borrower , if and when he needs it.

Items needed at night - like bedding - must be returned at night and can be taken back in the morning.

Tools needed for his trade must be returned in the morning and can be taken back at night.

One who does not return the collateral when required loses this Mitzva and has also transgressed a prohibition, as per Mitzva #92 - http://mitzvoh.blogspot.com/2010/02/mitzvah-92-withholding-collateral.html

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "You shall surely return to him the collateral" (Devarim 24:13)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 63

- Danny
Tuesday, 16 Av 5770

Erratum to Mitzva #197: If a person dies without children, his widow is NOT allowed to marry anybody except for one of her late husband's brothers.

Mitzvah #197 - Marrying a childless widow

If a person dies without children, his widow is not allowed to marry anybody except for one of her late husband's brothers.

If somebody other than a brother marries her, they have both transgressed.

The prohibition applies until she does Chalitza with one of the brothers, as per positive Mitzvah #140 - Chalitza, an alternative to Yibum.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...the widow shall not be allowed to marry a non-brother..." (Devarim 25:5)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 135

- Danny
Monday, 15 Av 5770

Mitzvah #196 - Remarrying one's divorcee

One may not remarry one's divorcee if she was married to somebody else since the divorce.

If they do get remarried, Bet Din force them to get divorced.

If she had an affair after the divorce, the original couple are allowed to get remarried.

(A Cohen may not marry a divorcee; even his own divorcee.)

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "Her first husband make not remarry her... since she was wed to another" (Devarim 24, 4)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 134

- Danny
Sunday, 14 Av 5770

Mitzvah #195 - Prostitution

It is forbidden to have relations with an unmarried woman who is promiscuous, unless one marries her; both him and her transgress.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel" (Devarim 23:18)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 133

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 11 Av 5770

Mitzvah #194 - Lending money

It's a Mitzva to lend money to the poor.

This Mitzva is greater than giving charity.

If one has the money and refuses to lend it to the needy, one has sinned. (as per Devarim 15:9)

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "When you lend money to the poor..." (Shemot 22:24)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 62

- Danny
Wednesday, 10 Av 5770

Mitzvah #193 - Niddah

It is forbidden to have relations with a Niddah until she has gone to the Mikveh.

Included in Niddah are women who have given birth, had a period or are staining. The Niddah phase continues for 7 days after no blood is seen, and until she dips in a Mikveh under supervision of a trained Mikveh-lady.

The laws of Niddah are one of the few Mitzvot for which one should give up one's life  rather than transgress.

A couple may not get married until they have studied the Halachot of Niddah.

Applies to everybody, always, everywhere

Verse: "Do not draw close to a woman when she is a Niddah..." (Vayikra 18:19)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 132

For an overview of the laws of Niddah, try http://www.answers.com/topic/niddah. For some of the detailed Halachot, try http://www.beingjewish.com/cycle/niddah.html.


- Danny
Monday, 8 Av 5770

Mitzvah #192 - Love the convert

Even though converts are full fledged Jews, it's a Mitzva to love converts up and above the Mitzva to love all Jews.

Included in this Mitzva is the Mitzva to love strangers; those who arrived recently from other countries or cities.

"Love" being defined as "treating them the way you would like to be treated in similar circumstances".

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "And you shall love the convert" (Devarim 10:18 & 19)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 61

- Danny
Sunday, 7 Av 5770

Mitzvah #191 - Wife's sister

As long as one's wife is alive, one may not marry her sister.

This applies even to a divorcee's sister.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "And a woman and her sister you may not marry in her lifetime" (Vayikra 18:18)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 131

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 4 Av 5770

Mitzvah #190 - Mother's sister

It is forbidden to marry one's mother's sister.

One who has relations with his mother's sister gets punished with Karet.

This includes a mother's half sisters.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...mother's sister you may not..." (Vayikra 18:12)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 130

- Danny
Wednesday, 3 Av 5770

Mitzvah #189 - Love the Jews

It's a Mitzva to love all Jews.

As a result, one has to be as careful with other people's money and honor as with one's own.

Helping people get along with each other is included in this Mitzva

One who makes himself important by degenerating others, loses his portion in the World to Come.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "Love your fellow Jew as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 60

- Danny
Tuesday, 2 Av 5770

Mitzvah #188 - Father's sister

It is forbidden to marry one's father's sister.

One who has relations with his father's sister gets punished with Karet.

This includes a father's half sisters.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...father's sister you may not..." (Vayikra 18:12)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 129

- Danny
Monday, Rosh Chodesh Av 5770

Mitzvah #187 - Stepsister

One may not marry one's stepmother's daughter if one shares the same father.

One who has relationships with his father's daughter (even if she is not one's mother's daughter) gets punished by Karet.

One may marry one's stepsister if one doesn't share any biological parents.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...your father's wife's daughter..." (Vayikra 18:9)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 128

- Danny
Sunday, 29 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #186 - Sister

One may not marry one's sister, nor one's half sister, nor a sister who was born out of wedlock.

One who has relationships with his sister gets punished by Karet.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...your sister..." (Vayikra 18:9)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 127

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 26 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #185 - Brother's wife

One may not marry one's bothers's wife, even if he's only a half-brother.

One who has relationships with his brother's wife gets put to death by Beth Din by strangulation, like any adulterer.

If the brother divorced her or died, one gets punished by Karet.

However, if the brother died childless, there's a Mitzva of Yibum to marry his widow.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "And your brother's wife you may not..." (Vayikra 18:16)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 126

- Danny
Wednesday, 25 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #184 - Cohen to become ritually unclean

Even though a Cohen is not usually allowed to become Tameh - ritually impure - by being in contact or under the same roof as a corpse, it's a Mitzva for him to do so for his close relatives.

The close relative are: parents, his father's sons and unmarried daughters, his own children and his wife.
Applies to male Cohanim, everywhere, always

Included in this Mitzva is the obligation for all Jews to "sit Shiva" and mourn their close relatives for a day.

By Rabbinic decree "Shiva" is extended to 7 days, 30 days for lesser mourning and 12 months of mourning for parents.

Verse: "To his mother, father, son, daughter, bother and unmarried sister... he shall become ritually impure" (Vayikra 21:2-3)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 59

- Danny
Tuesday, 24 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #183 - Aunt

One may not marry the wife of one's father's brother - if father and uncle have the same father.

One who has relationships with his uncle's wife gets put to death by Beth Din by strangulation, like any adulterer.

If the father's brother already died, he gets punished by Karet.

By Rabbinic decree this includes the wife of one's father's half brother - if father and uncle share the same mother

By Rabbinic decree this includes one's mother's brother's wives.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "...and to his wife do not get close, she is your aunt" (Vayikra 18:14)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 125

- Danny
Monday, 23 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #182 - Adultery

It is forbidden to have relations with somebody else's wife.

The punishment for both him and her is strangulation by Beth Din, unless her father is a Cohen, in which case she gets burned to death.

If she is betrothed (i.e. only had Kidushin; the first part of the Jewish marriage ceremony) and she is still living at her father's home, then they both get stoned to death.

Applies to everybody, everywhere, always

Verse: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (7th of the 10 commandments - Shemos 20:13) and "With somebody else's wife you shall not" (Vayikra 18:10)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 124

- Danny
Sunday, 22 Tamuz 5770

Mitzvah #181 - Bless the nation

Every Cohen has a Mitzva to bless the Jews with the blessing:

יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ:  יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם

"May Hashem bless you, and guard you: May Hashem shine His face on you, and be gracious to you:  May Hashem lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." (Bemidbar 6:24 - 26)

If a Cohen does not go to up to bless the congregation when the leader calls out "Cohanim" (before the last Bracha in the Amida) he has missed doing this Mitzva.

Applies to Cohanim, always, everywhere.

Verse: "So shall you bless the children of Israel..." (Bemidbar 6:22)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 58

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 19 Tamuz 5770