'These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgements, which Moses spoke to the Children of Israel, after they came out of Egypt...”
THE CATEGORIES OF MITSVOT
Generally, our Mitsvot are divided into three categories:
1. “Judgements” Civil laws, which are basic to society, such as prohibitions of Killing, stealing, etc. These are the type of Mitsvot that had we not been given them by our Torah, we would have realised the value of such laws and instituted them ourselves.
2. “Testimonies” Laws which are a testimonial in our belief in God, and to Certain great events in the history of the Jewish people. As for example by keeping the Shabbat holy, we testify our belief that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. By keeping the festival of Succoth, we Commemorate the time when the Jewish people enjoyed God's special protection and care and so on. These are the type of laws that had the Torah not commanded us to observe them, we would never have thought of them ourselves. Once, however, they were commanded to us, we can understand the reason for the observance of these laws.
3. “Statutes” refers to such decrees as Kashrut - the dietary laws. Sha'atnez, the prohibition of mixing wool and linen in garments, the laws of the red heifer, etc. These are the laws that even once they have been commanded to us, no reason was given and the purpose for their observance is still a mystery to us. It is these laws, more than the others which test our loyalty to God.
The Torah tells us that all three types of laws were given together at Mount Sinai to emphasise to us that Mitsvot should be performed with love and awe. With awe even though we understand the value of the Mitsvah ourselves. With love and enthusiasm even if the Mitsvah is beyond and above our comprehension.
THE PURPOSE OF TORAH AND MITSVOT
“And now, if you will listen to My voice and guard My covenant ... you will be to Me a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation.”
Altogether, we have been given 613 Mitsvot, 248 positive commandments and 365 prohibitions. Our Sages tell us that the 365 Mitsvot correspond to the 365 blood vessels and the 248 Positive Mitsvot correspond to the 248 organs of our body. When a person, therefore performs any of the 613 Mitsvot he purifies that part of the body which corresponds to it, At the same time, most Mitsvot are connected with some physical object, such as wool for Tsitsit- leather for Tephillin, wood for a Sukah wax or oil for candles, and so one while our body is sustained by the physical food over which we made a blessing before and after eating or drinking anything.
This then is the purpose of the Jew and the Torah and Mitsvot that have been given to him To purify and made holy not only our body, but our environment and nature around us.
“If you walk in My statutes and Keep My commandments,.....I will Walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be My people.”
Many and great are the rewards for the fulfilment of a Mitsvah.
Our Sages of the Talmud said that Mitsvot which God has commanded us to fulfil in our daily lives are called “fruits”. The Baal Hatanya explains, the reason for this in his Sefer, Likuttei Torah, Ha'azinu as follows: If you plant a seed of wheat or potato, the earth will produce many seeds and many potatoes, which will be exactly like the seed and potato planted. In other words; the work of your toil will be in kind, but many times over. On the other hand, if you plant the seed of an apple or a lemon, you will be rewarded not only by many seeds, but by an apple tree or a lemon tree, which will eventually produce many apples and many lemons. Here the reward is not in kind, for the tree and fruit that grow out of the seeds are nothing like the seed planted; the reward is quite extraordinary and wonderful. This is also one of the reasons why it takes longer for the planting of a fruitseed until the fruit is produced, then it takes a seed of wheat, or potato, to reproduce itself.
