Questions about mitzvoth and worship for fellow Messianic posters.

Hamilton Ramos

Shalom (not sure if right term to greet you all).

Just to ask for clarification on some simple topics:

1 Do you know if the 613 mitzvoth have been classified by some other abstract categories? 

Example: Faith, hope, love, weightier matters of the Law, etc.

If so can you point to some resources that do show that (or links, sites, etc.).

2 I read somewhere that there are generally 4 ways to worship but details were not given.

Googling I found an article that mentioned elements of worship:

a acts of purity, diet, study, etc

b tithing, offering, help, etc.

c observance: Sabbath, Feasts, etc.

d Prayer and public worship

Question: are they roughly the key elements? are there a certain number? are they described in any resource you know of?

Thanks ahead of time for any input.

Shalom.

Hamilton Ramos

Really interesting:

https://www.logos.com/product/80638/850-intriguing-questions-about-judaism-true-false-or-in-between

MJ. Smith

• interactive of the mitzvot - Commandments of the Law (click on text to get classifications and Judaica references)
• the reading lists https://topics.logos.com/Law
• the resource Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles by Menachem Elon, Bernard Auerbach, Melvin J. Sykes

If your question re:elements of worship refers to what may not be done to an idol i.e. violates the mitzvah, I believe that the common list is:

• ritually slaying a sacrifice
• burning a ritual substance on an altar
• pouring a libation [of wine]
• prostrating oneself

for example:

[quote]

One is liable only for something that involves a concrete deed, such as sacrificing, offering incense, pouring out a libation, or prostrating oneself [T. San. 10:3B–C].

Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 16 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 342.

Or from Maimonides' Mishneh Torah:

[quote]One who worships idolatry out of love, for instance, he coveted a given image because it was made superbly beautiful, or he worshiped it out of fear lest it perpetrates harm against him, as its devotees imagine that it can do good and evil, if he accepted it as a god he is guilty of an offense punishable by stoning; but if he worshiped it after its mode or worship, or with one of the four kinds of worship  either because of love for art or because of superstitious fear, he is guiltless. He embraces an idol, or kisses it, or who prostrates himself before it, who washes it, anoints it, puts shoes on it, or does any other like service of honor violates a prohibitive commandment, for it says: "Nor serve them" (Ex. 23.24.), and, of course, such attention is included in service. Nevertheless, no lashes is inflicted upon him for doing any of these, seeing that none of them are mentioned in detail.. If, however, one of these attentions was a mode of service and he did it in order to worship it, he is guilty. [continues through multiple sections] (Sanhedrin, 63.a)

If your were looking for the elements of Christian worship, it depends upon who is making the list and for what purpose. An Anglican answer of "penitence, prayer, praise, and proclamation" gets a lot of play. People keen on Justin Martyr will answer "ministry of the Word, prayer, the Eucharist, and alms". Another common set is "gathering, Word, table (Communion), and sending" - some version of which is acknowledged by most liturgical churches" . . .

Sorry if what you wanted was a Messianic Jew's response. I'm often uncertain as to what kind of response you want - here I leaned toward the "light overview".