Mitzvah #256 - Men cross-dressing

Men are forbidden to wear clothing or jewelry that is specifically for women.

This Halacha is location-specific; the norm of the place you are in, defines what is feminine.

Included in this prohibition is grooming like women; to look younger than one's age. This includes removing or dyeing white hair from one's beard or head.

Applies to men, everywhere, always.

Verse: "...and men should not wear women's clothing" (Devarim 22:5)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 179

- Danny
Wednesday, 19 Marcheshvan 5771

Mitzvah #254 - Must a Jew have a beard?

There are 5 sections of the beard that may not be shaved with a razor.

Since we no longer are sure where these 5 places are, it's forbidden to use a razor to shave any part of one's beard.

One who shaves his beard with a razor or knife has transgressed 5 times.

Trimming or cutting one's beard with scissors is permitted.

Applies to men, everywhere, always.

Verse: "...and do not destroy the corners of your beard" (Vayikra 19:27)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 177

- Danny
Monday, 17 Marcheshvan 5771

Please daven for

Rachel Rivka bat Aharona Zissel Sara (Lebetkin, 28)

who is missing since last Sunday.

Details at - http://tinyurl.com/Lebetkin

 

Mitzvah #253 - Payot; the Torah haircut

One is forbidden to shave off the corners of the head of a Jewish male.

Even cutting them off with scissors is forbidden. Trimming them is allowed.

("The corners of the head" is the hair that grows in the triangular area from the top of the ear to the forehead to the sideburns all the way to the bottom of the skull near the hole in the ear.)

One who shaves off both corners has transgressed twice.

The one who does the shaving has transgressed; a woman's "corners" may be shaved, but a woman may not shave a man's "corners".

The one being shaved has not transgressed, unless he assists in the process.

It is also forbidden to shave a boy's "corners" - even if he is under Bar Mitzva.

Applies to everybody, on males only, everywhere, always.

Verse: "Do not round off the corners of your heads" (Vayikra 19:27)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 176

- Danny
Sunday, 16 Marcheshvan 5771

Mitzvah #206 - Keep the Cohen away from corpses

A Cohen is not allowed to become ritually impure - except for his parents, his father's sons and unmarried daughters, his own children and his wife.

He may not touch nor carry corpses, nor be under the same roof nor hover over a corpse.

The same applies to body parts as well as to blood from a corpse.

A Cohen who becomes ritually impure deserves 39 lashes by Bet Din.

A Cohen may help in the burial of a מת מצוה - if the burial will not happen without his assistance.

Applies everywhere, always, to Kosher male Cohanim, but not to a Chalal

Verse: "He may not become impure for a non relative" (Vayikra 21:1)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 141

- Danny
Sunday, 28 Av 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 #143 - Circumcision - Brit Mila

It's a Mitzva for a father to circumcise his son when he is 8 days old.

The Brit Mila must be done during the day.

If the newborn is not 100% healthy then the Brit Mila is postponed.

If the Brit Mila is on time (on the 8th day) then it is done even on Shabbat, Yom Tov and Yom Kippour.

A person who was not circumcised by his father needs to get himself circumcised when he grows up. If he dies without having done so, he deserves Karet.

Applies to men, everywhere, always

Verse: "And on the 8th day he shall be circumcised" (Vayikra 12:3)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 47

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 22 Iyar 5770 - 37th day of the Omer

Mitzvah #131 - Getting married

It's a Mitzva for men to get married and have children.

The obligation begins when he turns 18 unless he prefers to spend all his time learning Torah, in which case he can delay getting married until his 25th birthday.

Applies to men, everywhere, always

Verse: "And He said to them:be fruitful and multiply" (Breishith 1:28)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 43

- Danny
Monday, 5 Iyar 5770 20th day of the Omer

Mitzvah #107 - The 4 Species on Sukkoth

It's a Mitzva to pick up a Lulav, Etrog, 3 Hadasim and 2 Aravot on the first day of Sukkoth.

The 4 species need to be held the right way up - in the direction they grow.

All 4 species must belong to oneself; borrowed and stolen ones are invalid.

The Rabbis decreed that one shake the 4 Species on all days of Sukkoth besides for Shabbat.

On Chol HaMo'ed one may use a borrowed set of the 4 Species.

Parents have a Rabbinic Mitzva of Chinuch (education) to ensure their boys old enough to handle the 4 Species also shake them.

Applies to males, always, everywhere

Verse: "And you shall take on the first day...." (Vayikra 23:40)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 36

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 18 Adar 5770

Mitzvah #104 - Sit in the Sukka during Sukkoth

It's a Mitzva to sit in a Sukka during Sukkoth.

One should eat, drink and live in the Sukka during the day and the night.

On the first night one has to eat at least a Kezayit (size of an olive) of bread in the Sukka. The rest of the time if you want to eat bread it needs to be in the Sukka, if you want to eat fruit you may do so out of the Sukka.

Children old enough to understand also need to eat in the Sukka, by Rabbinic decree.

Applies to males, always, everywhere.

Verse: "In booths you shall sit for seven days" (Vayikra 23:42)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 35

- Danny, who celebrates Purim tomorrow.

Sunday, Purim, 14 Adar 5770

Next Mitzva-a-Day on Tuesday

Mitzvah #88 - Hearing the Shofar on Rosh Hashana

It's a Mitzva to hear the Shofar being blown on the first day of the month of Tishrei.

One has to hear 3 sets of "Tekia (long single sound), Teru'a (broken-up sound), Tekia".

Since there are 3 possibilities as to what constitutes a Teru'a, we need to blow a total of 9 sets to properly fulfil this Mitzva.

Applies to males, always, everywhere.

Verse: "It shall be a day of Teru'a-blowing for you" (Bemidbar 29:1)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 30

Shabbat Shalom

- Danny
Thursday, 20 Shvat 5770

Mitzvah #75 - Count the Omer

There's a Mitzva to count 7 week from the time the Omer sacrifice was brought in the Bet Hamikdash.

The Omer is counted every night, starting from the second night of Pessach - 16 Nissan.

One needs to count both days and week.

The counting should be done standing, and a Bracha is said beforehand.

Applies to males, everywhere, always.

Verse: "Count 7 complete weeks" (Vayikra 23:15)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 26

- Danny
Monday, 3 Shvat 5770

Mitzvah #64 - Denying a wife her rights

A husband is forbidden to deny his wife her Torah-given rights: food, clothes and conjugal rights.

One who denies his wife any of these has transgressed.

By Rabbinic decree a husband owes his wife another 7 rights, as needed: Her Ketuba, medical attention, redeeming her from captivity, a decent burial, the use of his estate as long as she's widowed, her daughters' use of the estate until they get married, her dowry get bequeathed only to her descendants.

Applies to husbands, everywhere, always.

Verse: "He may not deny his wife her food, clothing and conjugal rights" (Shemot 21:10)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Prohibition 42

- Danny
Sunday, 17 Tevet 5770

Mitzvah #42 - Write your own Sefer Torah

All men have a Mitzva to write to their own Sefer Torah.

If he cannot write one himself, he can buy a Sefer Torah, or have a Sofer write one for him.

Even somebody who inherited a Sefer Torah, needs to write his own copy.

Nowadays (according to the Rosh) there is a Mitzva to buy a Chumash, Mishna and Talmud with commentaries, so that one can learn them.

Applies to males, everywhere, always.

Pasuk: "Write for yourselves this song" (Devarim 31:19)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 15

- Danny
Wednesday, 15 Kislev 5770

Mitzvah #39 - Learn and teach Torah

It's a Mitzva to learn Torah so that one has comprehensive knowledgeable of all of it.

It's a Mitzva to teach the entire Torah to ones sons. If needed on can hire a teacher to do so.

Applies to all males all the time, everywhere.

Women are exempt from Torah learning, however, a father should ensure his daughters are well versed in all Halachot that apply to them.

Pasuk: "And teach it well to your sons" (Devorim 6:7)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 14

- Danny
Sunday, 12 Kislev 5770

Mitzvah #36 - Grace after meals

It's a Mitzva to say Birkat HaMazon after eating bread and being sated.

Before eating one obviously has to make a blessing; if one has to bless when sated, all the more so when still hungry.

Applies everywhere, always, to men, and maybe also to women.

By Rabbinic decree it's a Mitzva for everybody to say Birkat HaMazon even after eating a Kezayit (olive's worth) of bread.

Pasuk: "and you shall eat, be sated and bless" (Devorim 8:10)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 13

- Danny
Tuesday, 7 Kislev 5770

Mitzvah #30 - Read the Shma twice daily

It's a Mitzva to read the 3 chapters of the "Shma" twice daily; once in the morning and again at night.

The first chapter (Shma) mentions the Mitzvot of Hashem's oneness, loving Hashem and learning Torah.

The second chapter (VeHaya) mentions accepting the responsibility of keeping all the Mitzvot.

The third chapter (VaYomer - Tzitizit) mentions keeping all the Mitzvot as well as recalling the Exodus from Egypt.

Applies to males, everywhere, always.

Pasuk: "And speak about it... when you arise in the morning and retire at night." (Devorim 6:7)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 11

Chodesh Tov,

- Danny
Monday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Kislev, 29 Marcheshvan 5770

Mitzvah #27 - Tzitzit

It's a Mitzvah to put Tzitzit on all 4-cornered garments that are worn during the day.

Both wool garments and linen garments require Tzitzit from the Torah. Other garments require Tzitzit by Rabbinic decree.

Garments with more than 4 corners also require Tzitzit.

Applies to males, everywhere, always.

Pasuk: "Make for yourselves Tzitzit on the corner of your garments". (Bemidbar 15:38)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 10

- Danny
Wednesday, 24 Marcheshvan 5770

Mitzvah #24 - Tefillin on ones head

It's a Mitzvah to put Tefillin on one's head.

The entire Tefillin must be placed above one's [original] hairline, and below the frontal ridge which is soft in babies.

Tefillin contain the 4 chapters in the Torah where Tefillin are written.

Applies to males, everywhere, every weekday.

Pasuk: "...it shall be as a sign between your eyes" (Devorim 6:8)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 9

- Danny
 Sunday, 21 Marcheshvan 5770

Please daven for Marina bat Ludmila for a full recovery

Mitzvah #21 - Tefillin on ones arm

It's a Mitzva to tie Tefillin on one's left arm. Those born with mancinism put it on their right arm.

The correct place is on the elevated (muscle) part of the upper arm.

Applies to males, everywhere, every weekday.

Pasuk: "and tie them for a sign on your arm" (Devarim 6:8)

Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot haKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 8

- Danny
Tuesday, 16 Marcheshvan 5770