Mitzvah —
125
To have children with one's wife
This page is incomplete.
Help complete the
Mitzvah Minute website.
Do a Mitzvah — Join us in building a living digital Beit Midrash — your partnership makes it possible.
-
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכׇל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ - פָּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית
-
Genesis 1:28 - "And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth.""
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Family – מִשְׁפָּחָה
Fulfill the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying.
This mitzvah commands a man to have children with his wife, ensuring the continuity of the Jewish people. The Torah places great importance on bringing life into the world, as it fulfills Hashem’s blessing to humanity at creation and guarantees the survival of Israel. Beyond physical continuity, this mitzvah carries spiritual meaning: raising children to walk in the ways of Torah and mitzvot, thereby extending holiness to future generations.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Ishut 15:2): A man is obligated to strive to fulfill this mitzvah, ideally with at least one son and one daughter, reflecting the verse in Isaiah 45:18.
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 1): The root is to sustain the world through human continuity and to ensure the Jewish people endure to fulfill the Torah.
- Talmud (Yevamot 61b–62a): States that one who refrains from procreation is as if he diminishes the image of G-d and neglects a primary mitzvah of creation.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
