10-Minute Mitzvah

A Talmudic tale teaches that all of God's creations can play a holy role. 

How a commandment about grain offerings shows that God is sensitive to the economic status of all His subjects.

While grain offerings usually include olive oil, an exception is made when the grain is brought as a sin offering.

Jews are prohibited from placing a stumbling block before the blind. What does that have to do with a unique Holocaust memorial project?

The prohibition of publicly displaying an executed body reminds us that we are all created in God’s image.

The daily offering, brought in the morning and afternoon, serves as a reminder of the power of regular ritual.

The juxtaposition of the songs of Moses and Miriam in the Book of Exodus speaks to the strong bond between the siblings.

The poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” helps provide a better understanding of the commandment to eat the paschal lamb on Passover’s first night.

To Maimonides, the locations of Temple vessels have both physical and spiritual implications.

The contrast between Soloveitchik’s Talmud study and Kant helps explain why the Torah study blessing is only said once daily.

Two types of shekel, one historic and the other midrashic, speak to the exilic and redemptive history of the Jewish people.

The origin of the idiom “the devil is in the details” helps explain a notable inversion in the book of Deuteronomy.

A nearly forgotten mitzvah teaches us that we must constantly seek God in all experiences, big or small.

The story of Korach helps us understand the difference between arguments for the sake of truth and arguments for the sake of victory.

The blue strands on the tzitzit serve as a reminder of art’s power to both inspire and lead astray.

Letters written by the American Founding Fathers and Nachmanides’s commentary on the Bible share a similar attitude toward the nature of Providence.

The nazir’s final offering reminds them that some pleasures are good—when enjoyed with sanctity, fellowship, and faith.

Aristotelian ethics can offer an explanation as to why a nazir is commanded to bring a sin offering.

Rembrandt’s portrayal of the tragic end of the Israelite hero Samson captures the essence of the prohibition forbidding a nazir from cutting their hair.

A nazir must avoid grapes, not just wine. Why? The answer ties back to Noah’s story—and the deeper dangers of overindulgence.

Jewish history teaches that all wines, whether made from the finest grapes or the driest of raisins, can be used to commemorate our covenantal celebrations.

A nazir’s prohibition from cutting their hair reveals a poignant irony in Rembrandt van Rijn’s painting, “David and Jonathan.”

The Jews’ craving for meat in the desert teaches us to sanctify what we have—and resist the pull of unchecked hedonism.

The prohibition against speaking ill of your fellow applies to everyone. So why does the Bible specifically mention deaf people?

While kohanim and Levites are granted shares of Israelite farmers’ crops, only kohanim are given shares of Israelite shepherds’ wool as well. Why?

Rather than embracing, parents bless children with outstretched hands—creating a small yet theologically meaningful space between them.

The character arc of Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables sheds light on the biblical prohibitions of both secretive burglary and public robbery.

The commandment against making false claims extends beyond the courthouse into our everyday lives.

Blessings over food are a way of sanctifying both our ownership over the specific food item and God’s greater ownership of all.

Expressions of thanks and confessions are described with the same Hebrew language. Why is that, and what does it have to do with the leek?