Surrounded by the Mitzvot: Gender and Daily Ritual in Tosefta Berakhot

t. Berakhot 6:9–10, 18, 24–25

70–300

9. One who performs any of the commandments must recite a benediction over them. One who makes a sukkah for himself says, “Praised [are You, O Lord . . . ] who has brought us to this occasion.”

[One who] enters to dwell in it says, “Praised [are You, O Lord . . . ] who has sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us to dwell in the sukk…

Please login or register for free access to Posen Library

Already have an account?

Engage with this Source

About Surrounded by the Mitzvot: Gender and Daily Ritual in Tosefta Berakhot

Tosefta Berakhot 6 portrays Jewish life as immersed in mitzvot—divine commandments and their blessings. Rabbi Meir teaches that each person fulfills “one hundred commandments” daily through prayers, rituals, and blessings. These acts form a web of sanctity around a man’s body: tefillin on the arm and head, tzitzit on garments, a mezuzah on the doorpost, and circumcision. Judaism emerges not as abstract belief but as embodied routine. Yet this routine reflects gendered norms: Rabbi Judah’s blessing thanking God for not making him a woman ties full ritual life to male identity. These texts reveal both the accessibility and the limits of rabbinic piety.

Discussion Questions

How do these texts portray daily life as surrounded by holiness? How do these blessings transform everyday actions into religious experiences?
In what ways might a life of constant ritual shape a person’s identity?
How does the text’s male-centered view of commandments limit its vision? What logic might explain why women are exempt from certain mitzvot?

Details

Surrounded by the Mitzvot: Gender and Daily Ritual in Tosefta Berakhot

Language:

Places:

Subjects: