The first mitzvah

General information only. Every case is decided by a rabbi.

Every mitzvah matters

Our sages taught that we should be as careful with a mitzvah that seems small as with one that seems great, because we don’t know the true value of each one (Pirkei Avot 2:1). So there is no simple list ranking one above another.

If you’ve lit Shabbat candles, put on tefillin, said Shema or given tzedakah, you’ve already connected. Each mitzvah is a door back in.

The first mitzvah given to the first Jew

But one mitzvah stands at the very beginning. When G-d made His covenant with Abraham, the first Jew, the sign of that covenant was brit milah:

“This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you.”Genesis 17:10

The word brit itself means covenant. For close to four thousand years, from Abraham until today, Jewish men have carried that sign, father to son, generation after generation.

The mitzvah Jews would not give up

The Talmud teaches that the mitzvot Jews were willing to give their lives for, like brit milah, are the ones they still hold firmly (Shabbat 130a).

History proved it again and again. In the Soviet Union, where a brit could cost a man his job or his freedom, families still arranged them in secret, in apartments, late at night. Many couldn’t. If you’re one of the men whose parents were never able to, the chain wasn’t broken by choice, and it can be restored.

If you never had a brit

You’re not too late. Abraham himself had his brit at the age of 99. For an adult it’s done under local anesthesia, after going through your medical history, with complete privacy. Read is it too late for me?

You don’t have to wait until you feel “religious enough.” For many men, the brit is where their return begins. And cost is never the reason to wait; when needed, a sponsor covers it.

If your circumcision was done in a hospital, or you’re not sure how it was done, see not sure your brit was kosher?

Short answers

What is the most important mitzvah in Judaism?

Our sages taught not to rank mitzvot, and to be as careful with a seemingly small one as with a great one. But brit milah holds a unique place: it was the first mitzvah given to Abraham, the first Jew, and it’s called the covenant itself.

What was the first mitzvah given to Abraham?

Brit milah. G-d commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and his descendants as the sign of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people (Genesis 17).

I’m just starting to reconnect with Judaism. Should I wait?

There’s no need to wait until you feel ready in every other way. Many men find that the brit is where their return begins. A private conversation is a good first step.