Negative Mitzvahs according to Chofetz Chaim

[muman613]

Shalom,

I would like to post the first ten negative mitzvahs which are enumerated by the Chofetz Chaim in his Sefer "The Concise Book of Mitzvoth". If anyone would like to make comments on these mitzvot we could discuss them here.

http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=0-87306-494-1&type=store&category=search


Negative Mitzvoth

1) Not to eat the sinew of the thigh vein.
"Therefore the Children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh vein", Breshith 32:33

2) Chametz must not be seen in the domain or in possession of any member of the Jewish people the entire seven days of Pesach.
"No leavened bread shall be seen with you...seven days", Shemoth 13:7

3) Chametz must not be found in the possession of a Jew during Pesach.
"Seven days leaven bread shall not be found in your houses", Shemoth  12:19

4) Do not eat Chametz on Pesach.
"And no leaven bread shall be eaten", Shemoth 13:3

5) Eat no mixture with Chametz on Pesach
"You shall eat nothing leavened", Shemoth 12:20

6) Do no work on Shabbat.
"You shall not do any work...", Shemoth 20:10

7) Do not go out on the Shabbat beyond the Sabbath limit.
"let no man go out from his place on the seventh day", Shemoth 16:29

8) Do not entertain thoughts about there being any G-d besides Hashem.
"You shall have no other gods before Me", Shemoth 20:3

9) Do not make an idol to worship it.
"You shall not make yourself a graven image", Shemoth 20:4

10) Do not make any idol which will be worshiped by a non-Jew.
"and do not make yourselves molten gods", Vayikra 19:4

[muman613]

These are the second ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


11) Not to bow down in front of an idol.
"You shall not bow down to them", Shemoth 20:5

12) Not to worship an idol in the manner it is normally venerated.
"You shall not serve them", Shemoth 20:5

13) Not to swear in the name of an idol.
"and make no mention of the name of other gods", Shemoth 23:13

14) Not to lead a town of Israel into idol worship.
"neither let it be heard out of your mouth", Shemoth 23:13

15) Not to eat or drink of the offerings to an idol.
"Take head to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land... and one will call you, and you will eat of his sacrifice", Shemoth 34:12-15

16) Not to turn attention to idolatory.
"Do not turn to idols", Vayikra 19:4

17) Not to benefit from an idols decoration or ornament.
"you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself", Devarim 7:25

18) Not to benefit from an idol, its offerings or its attendants, or anything done on its behalf.
"and you should not bring and abomination into your house", Devarim 7:26

19) Not to intermarry with a non-Jewish person.
"neither shall you make marriage with them", Devarim 7:3

20) Not to have mercy on idol worshippers.
"nor shall you show mercy on them", Devarim 7:2

[muman613]

These are the third ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:

21) Do not follow the customs of the heathen.
"and in their statues you will not walk", Vayikra 18:3

22) Do not pay heed to a person prophesying in the name of an idol.
"You shall not listen to the words of that prophet", Devarim 13:4

23) Do not entice anyone in Israel to idol worship.
"If your brother... entices you secretly, saying "Let us go and serve other gods"... Then all Israel shall hear and shall fear, and shall never again do any such wickedness as this", Devarim 13:7-12

24) The enticed must not bear affection for the enticer.
"you shall not incline in affection to him", Devarim 13:9

25) The enticed must not relinquish hatred for the enticer.
"neither shall you listen to him", Devarim 13:9

26) Do not rescue the enticer if his life is in danger.
"nor shall your eyes pity him", Devarim 13:9

27) Do not prophesy in the name of an idol.
"and make no mention of the name of other gods", Shemoth 23:13

28) Do not make gashes or incisions in your skin for idol worship or for grief for ones dead.
"you shall not gash yourself", Devarim 14:1

29) Do not swear in vain.
"You shall not take the name of Hashem your G-d in vain", Shemoth 20:7

30) Do not swear falsely in business dealings.
"nor shall you lie one to another", Vayikra 19:11

[muman613]

These are the fourth ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


31) Do not swear an oath of expression over a falsehood.
"And you shall not swear by my name falsely", Vayikra 19:12

32) Do not kill a living human being.
"You shall not murder", Shemoth 20:13

33) Do not kidnap a living Jewish person.
"You shall not steal", Shemoth 29:13

34) Do not steal an object or item of monetary value.
"You shall not steal", Vayikra 19:11

35) Do not take from your fellow anything by force by robbery.
"nor shall you rob him", Vayikra 19:13

36) Do not deny debt which is owed.
"neither shall you deal falsely", Vayikra 19:11

37) Do not wrongfully retain anything belonging to your fellow.
"You shall not wrongfully deprive your fellow", Vayikra 19:13

38) Do not delay the payment of a hired workers wages.
"The wages of a hired man shall not remain with you till morning", Vayikra 19:13

39) Do not give false testimony.
"You shall not bear false witness against your fellow", Shemoth 20:13

40) Do not covet things which belong to your fellow.
"You shall not covet", Shemoth 20:14

[muman613]

These are the fifth ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


41) Do not crave in your heart the belongings of your fellow.
"Neither shall you crave...", Devarim 5:18

42) Do not withhold from your wife : Food, Clothing, and Conjugal rights (intimacy).
"her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights shall not diminish", Shemoth 21:10

43) Do not strike your fellow Jew.
"Forty lashes he may give him, he may not add more.", Devarim 25:3

44) Do not strike your mother or father.
"And he who strikes his mother or father shall surely be put to death", Shemoth 21:15

45) Do not curse any decent person of Jewery.
"You shall not curse the deaf", Vayikra 19:14

46) Do not curse your mother or your father.
"And he who curses his mother or father shall surely be put to death", Shemoth 21:17

47) Do not cheat one another in buying and selling.
"And if you sell something... or buy from your fellows hand, you shall not wrong one another", Vayikra 25:14

48) Do not oppress ones fellow-man with words.
"And you shall not wrong one another", Vaykra 25:17

49) Do not oppress a righteous proselyte with words.
"And a ger you shall not wrong", Shemoth 22:20

50) Do not wrong a righteous proselyte in matters of monetary value.
"neither shall you oppress him", Shemoth 22:20

[Spectator]

Do you mean these are the negative mitzvot that can be fulfilled TODAY?

Overall, there should be 365 negative mitzvot.

[q_q_]

Do you mean these are the negative mitzvot that can be fulfilled TODAY?

Overall, there should be 365 negative mitzvot.

The chafetz chaim's list.. that book by Feldheim anyway, is only of mitzvot that can be fulfilled today.

of course, he didn't do them in groups of 10 either , I would just let muman continue on auto-pilot.

[muman613]

Do you mean these are the negative mitzvot that can be fulfilled TODAY?

Overall, there should be 365 negative mitzvot.

The chafetz chaim's list.. that book by Feldheim anyway, is only of mitzvot that can be fulfilled today.

of course, he didn't do them in groups of 10 either , I would just let muman continue on auto-pilot.

Yes, I have been posting the negative mitzvot by 10s because it is easy for me to do in the morning or evening when I get home.

This book breaks the mitzvahs into mitzvahs which are universal {applicable in all situations} and those which can only be accomplished in Eretz Yisroel.  According to the Chofetz Chaims list there are 194 Negative mitzvot which are universal {incumbent both in Eretz Yisroel and out}. There is much more behind each of the mitzvot than I copy here and it can be purchased from Feldheim books @
 
http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=0-87306-494-1&type=store&category=search

There is "A Daily Companion" which teaches  Chofetz Chaims concepts and laws of proper speech. It is arranged for daily study by Rabbi Yehudah Zev Segal and is available from Mesorah Publications which is the publisher for Artscroll series.


http://www.artscroll.com

[muman613]

These are the sixth ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


51) Do not inflict suffering on an orphan or a widow.
"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child",  Shemoth 22:21

52) Do not demand payment from a debtor whom you know cannot pay.
"You shall not be to him as a collector...", Shemoth 22:24

53) Do not get involved in any transaction which involves lending at interest.
"neither shall you put interest upon him", Shemoth 22:24

54) Do not lend anything to a fellow Jew with interest.
"You shall not give him your money at interest, nor give him your provisions of food in usury", Vayikra 25:37

55) Do not borrow at interest from a fellow Jew.
"You shall not give interest to your brother", Devarim 23:20

56) Do not withhold lending money to a fellow Jew for fear of the debt being erased due to the Schmitta.
"Beware lest there be a base thought in your heart, saying "The seventh year, the year of release is at hand", and your eye may be evil...", Devarim 15:9

57) Do not demand payment of a loan over which the seventh year has passed.
"he shall not exact it from his fellow and his brother, because Hashems release has been proclaimed", Devarim 15:2

58) Do not take as collateral any utensils which are needed to make sustaining food.
"No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone to pledge, for he takes a mans life to pledge", Devarim 24:6

59) Do not take an object pledged in a loan by force.
"You shall not go into his house to take a pledge", Devarim 24:10

60) Do not take a widows garment in pledge for a loan.
"nor shall you take a widows raiment for a pledge", Devarim 24:17

[muman613]

These are the seventh ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


61) Do not withhold an object held in pledge from its owner at his time of need.
"You shall not sleep with his pledge", Devarim 24:12

62) Do not harden your heart or restrain your hand from helping a poor Jew.
"you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your needy brother", Devarim 15:7

63) Do not curse a judge.
"You shall not revile G-d", Shemoth 22:27

64) Do not appoint a judge who is not suitable.
"You shall not respect persons in judgement", Devarim 1:17

65) A judge must not hear an argument in a case if the opposing party is not present.
"You shall not take up a false report", Shemoth 23:1

66) Do not have pity on a poor man in a trail.
"neither shall you favor a poor man in his cause", Shemoth 23:3

67) Do not pervert justice for a sinner on account of his wickedness.
"You shall not pervert the judgments of your poor in his suit",  Shemoth 23:6

68) A judge must not pervert justice for a convert or or an orphan.
"You shall not pervert the judgements of a ger or an orphan", Devarim 24:17

69) Do not commit any injustice in rendering a judgment.
"You shall do no injustice in judgment", Vayikra 19:15

70) A judge must not show honor to an eminent man in court judgment.
"neither shall you favor the person of the mighty", Vayikra 19:15

[muman613]

These are the eighth ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


71) A judge may not accept a bribe.
"And you shall take no bribe.", Shemoth 23:8

72) A judge must not fear a party in the lawsuit.
"you shall not be afraid of the presence of any man",  Devarim 1:17

73) A judge will not establish any fact based on testimony of a single witness.
"A single witness shall not stand up against a man for any iniquity  or for any sin.", Devarim 19:15

74) A court must not accept the testimony of a close relative.
"Fathers shall not be put to death through children", Devarim 24:16

75) A court must not accept the testimony of a man of sin.
"You shall not set your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness", Shemoth 23:1

76) Do not cause your fellow man to stumble over anything.
"nor shall you place a stumbling block before the blind.", Vayikra 19:14

77) Do not tell people things that others have said against him.
"You shall not go about as a tale-bearer among your people", Vayikra 19:16

78) Do not hate in your heart any decent person in Jewry.
"Do not hate your brother in your heart", Vayikra 19:17

79) Do not shame your fellow man.
"and you shall not bear sin because of him", Vayikra 19:17

80) Do not take revenge on your fellow man.
"You shall not take vengeance", Vayikra 19:18

[muman613]

These are the ninth ten mitzvoth according to Chofetz Chaims enumeration:


81) Do not harbor hatred in your heart for your fellow.
"nor shall you bear any grudge", Vayikra 19:18

82) Do not refrain from rescuing your fellow from danger.
"neither shall you stand idly by the blood of your brother", Vayikra 19:16

83) Do no wrong in business using weights and measures.
"You shall do no wrong in Mishpat, in size, in weight, or in M'surah", Vayikra 19:35

84) Do not keep any incorrect weights or measures in your possession.
"You shall not have in your bag two kinds of stone weights, two kinds of measures great and small.",  Devarim 25:13-14

85) Do not encroach on a neighbors land boundries.
"You shall not move your neighbors landmark.. in your inheritance which you shall inherit", Devarim 19:14

86) Do not eat animals which died on its own.
"You shall not eat something which dies of itself", Devarim 14:21

87) Do not eat flesh which is torn from an animal.
"and you shall not eat any flesh in the field, it is Trefah, torn from a beast", Shemoth 22:30
 
88) Do not eat forbidden fat.
"and you shall eat no Helev {forbidden fat} of ox or sheep or goat.", Vayikra 7:23

89) Do not eat any blood at all.
"And you will eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or animal", Vayikra 7:26

90) Do not eat any limb from a living creature.
"and you will not eat the life with the flesh", Devarim 12:23

[Nadav]

Great thread. This book is an essential addition to any Jewish library. This and the Chafetz Chaim: A Lesson a Day: The Concepts and Laws of Proper Speech Arranged book as well.

[muman613]

Great thread. This book is an essential addition to any Jewish library. This and the Chafetz Chaim: A Lesson a Day: The Concepts and Laws of Proper Speech Arranged book as well.

Shalom Nadav,

Thank you very much. I agree with you on the "A Lesson a Day"... I have that one in pocket book form. I remember reading it while staying with my Rabbi in Berkeley over the Yom Kippur yom tov about three years ago... Ah what good memories...

[muman613]

Shalom my Good Friends,

It has been quite a few months since I last posted the list of negative mitzvahs for us to learn and discuss. I just recently thought how good it is to learn mitzvahs with fellow Jews who share the desire that we should live in Israel.

I am going to list negative mitzvahs 91-100


 91) Do not cook meat in milk.
"You shall not boil a kid in its mothers milk", Shemoth 23:19

 92) Do not eat meat which has been cooked in milk.
"You shall not boil a kid in its mothers milk", Shemoth 34:26

 93) Do not eat the meat from a non-kosher or untamed animal.
"But these you shall not eat...", Vayikra 11:4

 94) Do not eat un-kosher fowl.
"And these you shall hold in abomination among the fowl; they shall not be eaten.", Vayikra 11:13

 95) Do not eat un-kosher fish.
"and they shall be an abomination to you; of their flesh you shall not eat." Vayikra 11:11

 96) Do not eat a winged swarming creature.
"And all winged swarming creatures are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.", Devarim 14:19

 97) Do not eat a swarming creature of the ground.
"And every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten.", Vayikra 11:41

 98) Do not eat worms of fruits or seeds.
"even all the swarming things that swarm upon the earth; them you shall not eat.", Vayikra 11:42

 99) Do not eat a swarming creature of the water.
"You shall not make yourself detestable with every swarming thing that swarms.", Vayikra 11:43

100) Do not eat a creeping thing.
"neither shall you defile yourself with any swarming thing that crawls upon the earth.", Vayikra 11:44


Baruch Hashem!

[Moshe92]

I know which foods are kosher and which aren't, but what classifies a water animal as "swarming?"

[muman613]

I know which foods are kosher and which aren't, but what classifies a water animal as "swarming?"

Shalom Moshe92,

I am looking into this question right now...

First we should define the word 'swarm'

From google.com @
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=define%3Aswarm&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

The term swarm (shoaling, swarming or flocking) is applied to fish, insects, birds and microorganisms, such as bacteria, and describes a behavior of an aggregation of animals of similar size and body orientation, generally cruising in the same direction.

I have found the following interesting sites which explain some of these laws:

http://www.torah.org/learning/halacha-overview/chapter28.html

http://www.vbm-torah.org/parsha.60/26shemin.htm

[AsheDina]

I believe that the WORST negative mitzvah of ALL, is to accuse a fellow brethren of a falsehood, by making ASSUPMTIONS.

[muman613]

I believe that the WORST negative mitzvah of ALL, is to accuse a fellow brethren of a falsehood, by making ASSUPMTIONS.

Shalom AsheDina,

Do you know what the scriptural source for such a commandment? Does this not fall under the category of being a tale-bearer against your fellow?

[muman613]

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/speech.htm

Tale-Bearing

There are two mitzvot in the Torah that specifically address improper speech:  "Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people" (Leviticus 19,16), and "ye shall not wrong one another" (Leviticus 25,17, which according to tradition refers to wronging a person with speech).

Tale-bearing is, essentially, any gossip.  The Hebrew word for tale-bearer is "rakheel" (Resh-Kaf-Yod-Lamed), which is related to a word meaning trader or merchant.  The idea is that a tale-bearer is like a merchant, but he deals in information instead of goods.  In our modern "Information Age", the idea of information as a product has become more clear than ever before, yet it is present even here in the Torah.

It is a violation of this mitzvah to say anything about another person, even if it is true, even if it is not negative, even if it is not secret, even if it hurts no one, even if the person himself would tell the same thing if asked!  It is said that the telling of gossip leads to bloodshed, which is why the next words in the Torah are "you shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed".  The story of Do'eig the Edomite (I Samuel Chs.  21-22) is often used to illustrate the harm that can be done by tale-bearing.  Do'eig saw Achimelekh the Kohein give David bread and a sword, a completely innocent act intended to aid a leading member of Saul's court.  Do'eig reported this to Saul.  Do'eig's story was completely true, not negative, not secret, and Achimelekh would have told Saul exactly the same thing if asked (in fact, he did so later).  Yet Saul misinterpreted this tale as proof that Achimelekh was supporting David in a rebellion, and proceeded to slaughter all but one of the kohanim at Nob.

The person who listens to gossip is even worse than the person who tells it, because no harm could be done by gossip if no one listened to it.  It has been said that lashon ha-ra (disparaging speech) kills three:  the person who speaks it, the person who hears it, and the person about whom it is told.

In Jewish law, all things are considered to be secret unless a person specifically says otherwise.  For this reason, you will note that in the Torah, God constantly says to Moses, "Speak to the Children of Israel, saying" or "Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them".  If God did not specifically say this to Moses, Moses would be forbidden to repeat his words!  Nor is there any time-limit on secrets.  The Talmud tells the story of a student who revealed a secret after 22 years, and was immediately banished from the house of study!

The gravest of these sins of tale-bearing is "lashon ha-ra" (literally, "the evil tongue"), which involves discrediting a person or saying negative things about a person, even if those negative things are true.  Some sources indicate that lashon ha-ra is equal in seriousness to murder, idol worship, and forbidden sexual relations (the only three sins that you may not violate even to save a life).

It is forbidden to even imply or suggest negative things about a person.  It is forbidden to say negative things about a person, even in jest.  It is likewise considered a "shade of lashon ha-ra" to say positive things about a person in the presence of his enemies, because this will encourage his enemies to say negative things to contradict you!

One who tells disparaging things that are false is referred to as a motzi sheim ra, that is, one who spreads a bad report.  This is considered the lowest of the low.

It is generally not a sin to repeat things that have been told "in the presence of three persons".  The idea is that if it is told in the presence of three persons, it is already public knowledge, and no harm can come of retelling it.  However, even in this case, you should not repeat it if you know you will be spreading the gossip further.

[msd]

I said I wouldn't post here anymore, but I guess I broke my promise.

I wanted to say that this passage from JewFaq makes no sense, in particular this part:

It is a violation of this mitzvah to say anything about another person, even if it is true, even if it is not negative, even if it is not secret, even if it hurts no one, even if the person himself would tell the same thing if asked!

Does that mean any stories and anecdotes you tell about other people are bad? That would mean all journalism, all non-fiction, including the Bible, is a violation of this mitzvah!

I guess it's possible that the Bible stories are fictional, and then it wouldn't be a violation of this mitzvah to talk about the various people and their lives in the Bible, since they aren't real.

I'll try not to post here anymore after this.

Also regarding "lashon hara," disparaging speech, I think that includes most of this website and forum posts, which have speech disparaging Muslims, criminal blacks, liberals, and other people. Then again it also includes this paragraph, because I've now disparaged the people here by saying they've committed lashon hara.

As a gentile I'm allowed to break promises and use lashon ha-ra all I want because it's not against any of the Noahide Laws.

It feels like it is, though, like there could be something wrong with it, even though I don't see it listed in the Noahide Laws.

Also that website says that someone who listens to lashon hara is worse than the person who says it or repeats it. I think it said that at that website (maybe it was a different one). Whatever the case, that makes anyone reading my post here, which engages in a bit of lashon hara (criticism, disparaging speech), worse than me! So you better stop reading this!!!!

--

I think it's intriguing to consider that the Bible is actually fictional. That way it can not be considered a work that itself is engaging in tale-bearing and lashon hara. It does tell stories that are either positive or negative about individuals. Again, I'm just going by what's said in Jewfaq, specifically that one paragraph which reads, again:

"It is a violation of this mitzvah to say anything about another person, even if it is true, even if it is not negative, even if it is not secret, even if it hurts no one, even if the person himself would tell the same thing if asked! "

Now it's probably the case that whoever wrote that didn't realize the absurdity of what they're saying, because if it's interpreted strictly, it would mean that any time you're talking about another person, like saying "oh I heard so-and-so say this the other day," that it's bad. But is it really? Because that would seriously make ALL journalism, all news reporting, and all non-fiction writing (books, or also movies that are "based on true stories") to be breaking this mitzvot. It seems to imply that Jews are supposed to be a much tighter-lipped people than they are!

And it would imply that the Bible itself is tale-bearing or something like that. Think about it. because the Bible tells tales about people (Moses, Abraham, etc) that are both positive and negative. It's history. All historical writings are considered a violation of this mitzvot!?

Lashon hara. It's something I'm skeptical about. It seems like calling people out for their sins is a good thing? Maybe I'm wrong.

It's confusing to me. I guess it shouldn't concern me that much since I'm a gentile though.

Probably it's just Jewfaq that's stupid. Whoa, this post got a lot longer than i wanted. I kept editing it. Sorry.

[msd]

Wait, I just thought of something. If the Bible is written by God, then it couldn't count as lashon hara or tale-bearing, or what the Jewfaq described when it said you can't talk about what people do in any way, positive or negative.

Also it may not be okay for me to commit lashon hara because it could lead to crimes that do violate the noahide laws (for instance, in a court setting, if I testified against someone and lied). I don't know. there's a lot I don't understand.

[muman613]

Shalom Alechem Chaverim,

Here is the next installation of negative mitzvahs from the Chofetz Chayims "The concise Book of Mitzvoth".

I will cover negative mitzvahs 101-110:


101. Do not eat bread from the new crop before the Omer offering.
"And you shall eat neither bread, nor Kali, nor Karmel until this very day", Vayikra 23:14

102. Do not eat Kali (five species of grain roasted in fire) from the new grain before the Omer offering
"And you shall eat neither bread, nor Kali, nor Karmel until this very day", Vayikra 23:14

103. Do not eat Karmel (grain crushed by hand and not roasted) from the new grain before the Omer offering.
"And you shall eat neither bread, nor Kali, nor Karmel until this very day", Vayikra 23:14

104. Do not eat Chametz on the day before Passover, after noon.
"You shall eat no leavened bread over it", Devarim 16:3

105. Do not eat the fruit of a tree during the first three years after planting.
"Three years it shall be as forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten", Vayikra 19:23

106. Do not eat the food of the wayward and rebellious son.
"You shall not eat over blood", Vayikra 19:26

107. Do not sow two kinds of seed in one field.
"you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seeds", Vayikra 19:19

108. Do not slay either a kosher or unkosher animal and its child on the same day.
"and whether it is a cow, or an ewe, you shall not slay it and it's young on the same day", Vayikra 22:28

109. Do not redeem the firstborn of the kosher animals.
"But the firstling of an Ox... you shall not redeem", Bamidbar 18:17

110. Do not come in close contact with your family relations, even without conjugal intimacy.
"None of you shall approach anyone near of kin to him, to uncover nakedness", Vayikra 18:6

[Ulli]

Which book is Devarim in English?

[Moshe92]

Which book is Devarim in English?

Deuteronomy