The Beginner's Guide: Which Commandment to Start With?

In recent years, many individuals are seeking to strengthen their connection with the Creator. At the beginning of their journey to observe Torah and mitzvot, many beginners are beset with general questions and particularly about the initial steps.

Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger recounts that he visited Rabbi Steinman with the following question: "A young man who wants to become stronger and closer to Hashem, but doesn't know where to start - what should be his first step? Which mitzvot are the most important to observe first?"

The Rabbi didn't answer immediately. He immersed himself in thought, with his eyes closed. After a few minutes, he replied: "Start with three mitzvot and one condition. The three mitzvot are tefillin, tzitzit, and Shabbat. The condition is keeping kosher."

The elderly Rabbi explained his rationale.

Tefillin is a mitzvah that can be fulfilled in a few minutes, and even someone concerned about their environment can put on tefillin in the morning before work or school, without feeling uncomfortable. Take 5 minutes for yourself to put on tefillin, and you will be connected to the Creator. 

Tzitzit. The mitzvah of tzitzit is like a protective vest for a Jew, essentially shielding us from harm, and those who wear it fulfill a mitzvah at every moment. Although it might not be easy to start wearing tzitzit publicly especially at the beginning, it can be worn under your clothes.

"All that's left is to buy tzitzit from a Judaica shop for 15 shekels," says Rabbi Fanger. "If you don't want it to be seen, you can wear it under your shirt. It's not connected to wearing a kippah; you can walk around, be at home, be at work with tzitzit without a kippah. Once you put on tzitzit, you're connected."

Shabbat. When Rabbi Steinman mentioned "Shabbat," Rabbi Fanger asked him: "Perhaps Shabbat is a bit too much to start with for newcomers?" The Rabbi thought and said: "You don't have to observe all the laws of Shabbat immediately, but attending Shabbat prayers is the essential initial step."

"On the eve of the holy Shabbat, on Friday night, attend synagogue near your home, enjoy the Kabbalat Shabbat service, and the evening prayer. If you can, also attend the morning prayer with the Torah reading to experience the true taste of Shabbat," explains Rabbi Fanger, reiterating the words of a great sage.

Why did the Rabbi emphasize joining public Shacharit prayer rather than refraining from desecrating Shabbat? It seems the intention is that at the beginning of the challenging journey, the importance of praying with a minyan connects us to the positive aspect of "remember the Shabbat day, to keep it holy." This way, we focus on the bright aspects of Shabbat, mainly dedicating the time to ourselves to strengthen our bond with the Creator. As "remember" and "keep" were spoken in one utterance, the Rabbi chose to emphasize the "do good" part of Shabbat before imposing the burden of refraining from work, which might hinder the initial steps.

Kashrut - the Rabbi added one condition under "turn away from evil": maintaining kosher. To allow holiness to impact a person, the newcomer should avoid forbidden foods that dull the heart.

We all know Rabbi Fanger from his enriching lectures full of humor, here on Hidabroot. What is not widely known, is that Rabbi Fanger was not always what he is today.

"A few years ago, a program was made about me on Channel 2," recounts Rabbi Fanger. "We were at my parents' house with cameras and the interviewer, Haim Etgar, for about three hours. He asked me many varied questions about my life, all carefully filmed."

"I answered him: 'My dear Haim, I greatly respect you as a person, and I assume you hail from the academic world, but for your information, I also come from academia, so our knowledge is not so far apart, and we are equals in our knowledge. Even if not exactly equal, I know most of what you know, but what I know about Judaism, you do not know. Come and learn, and then we'll talk..."

"Our ignorance is the root of many of our problems," calls Rabbi Fanger. "The most important thing when approaching any system, especially one of Torah and mitzvot, is Torah study. It is only through knowledge that we can learn and draw closer to Judaism effectively. I invite you to come and learn, be it on our website, at the neighborhood synagogue if there's a Torah class - come, don't be shy. We all started this way."

"You attend Torah classes and progress, and an entire world opens up before you that you never knew existed," concludes Rabbi Fanger. "A world that is right in front of you- the world of Judaism."