reasons for the commandments (ta'amei ha-mitzvot)
E81587
Reasons for the commandments (ta'amei ha-mitzvot) are the Jewish philosophical and theological explanations that seek to uncover the purposes, moral logic, and spiritual meanings underlying the biblical commandments.
Statements (56)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Jewish philosophical concept
ⓘ
area of Jewish thought ⓘ theological doctrine ⓘ |
| addressesQuestion |
how commandments promote moral and spiritual perfection
ⓘ
what benefits mitzvot provide to humans ⓘ why God commanded specific mitzvot ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
biblical commandments
ⓘ
mitzvot ⓘ |
| debatedIssue |
whether all commandments have knowable reasons
ⓘ
whether reasons affect the binding nature of mitzvot ⓘ whether reasons are primarily for human benefit or divine will ⓘ |
| discussedBy |
Bahya ibn Paquda
ⓘ
Hasidic masters ⓘ Judah Halevi ⓘ Kabbalah ⓘ
surface form:
Kabbalistic literature
Maimonides ⓘ Nachmanides (Ramban) ⓘ
surface form:
Nachmanides
Saadia Gaon ⓘ Sefer HaChinuch ⓘ |
| fieldWithin |
Jewish philosophy
ⓘ
Jewish theology ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
moral logic of the commandments
ⓘ
purposes of the biblical commandments ⓘ spiritual meanings of the commandments ⓘ |
| hasApproach |
ethical explanations
ⓘ
historical explanations ⓘ mystical explanations ⓘ rationalist explanations ⓘ symbolic explanations ⓘ teleological explanations ⓘ |
| hasHebrewName | טעמי המצוות ⓘ |
| hasKeyWork |
Guide for the Perplexed
ⓘ
Mount Sinai ⓘ
surface form:
Horeb
Sefer HaChinuch ⓘ Sefer HaMitzvot commentaries ⓘ |
| includesDiscussionOf |
chukkim
ⓘ
edot ⓘ mishpatim ⓘ |
| influences |
Jewish educational literature
ⓘ
contemporary Jewish outreach materials ⓘ popular explanations of mitzvot ⓘ |
| methodologyIncludes |
allegorical interpretation
ⓘ
ethical analysis ⓘ mystical symbolism ⓘ philosophical reasoning ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Jewish ethics
ⓘ
Kabbalah ⓘ
surface form:
Jewish mysticism
commandment observance ⓘ halakha ⓘ |
| viewedAs |
means to attach the soul to God
ⓘ
means to create a just society ⓘ means to cultivate fear of Heaven ⓘ means to cultivate love of God ⓘ means to refine human character ⓘ means to remember historical events ⓘ means to separate Israel from idolatry ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.