Blessings over Miṣvot. The origins of a category
The category of blessings over miṣvot (ברכת המצות) occurs for the first time as a category in t.Ber. 6. This essay traces the origins of this category. I identify a variety of blessing practices in Second Temple Judaism and early rabbinic Judaism that likely played roles in the emergence of the ברכת...
| Published in: | Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
College
2008
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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| RelBib Classification: | BH Judaism RC Liturgy |
| Further subjects: | B
Mishnah
B Liturgy B Legislation Theology B Prayer |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | The category of blessings over miṣvot (ברכת המצות) occurs for the first time as a category in t.Ber. 6. This essay traces the origins of this category. I identify a variety of blessing practices in Second Temple Judaism and early rabbinic Judaism that likely played roles in the emergence of the ברכת המצות: blessings highlighting Israel's election; blessings over undertakings (particularly virtuous ones); and blessings associated with tithes. The crucial step from these practices to the category of the ברכת המצות was the transformation of the notion of מצוה itself in rabbinic Judaism, so that it came to refer, paradigmatically, to discrete, positive ritual acts. An appendix pursues a topic connected to the discussion of tithes in the body of the essay: the acquisition by the word מצוה of the meaning, "alms." |
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| ISSN: | 0360-9049 |
| Contains: | In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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