Videos

In the first portion of the Torah, Adam and Eve receive the commandment to “be fruitful and multiply.” What are the parameters of this mitzvah today?

This commandment was addressed to both Adam and again to Noah and his offspring. More than just a repetition of a previous obligation, G-d reveals to Noah the extraordinary virtue of bearing many children. An analysis of Maimonides' treatment of the obligation to populate the world. (Likutei Sichos vol. 30)

The first mitzvah in the Torah is to have children. This class examines details of this commandment and five levels of understanding.

Torah’s first commandment is: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and conquer it.” This is not just a physical command, but a spiritual one: When it comes to building a family, one must conquer all the concerns that stem from the ‘earth’ — from worldly, materialistic considerations...

The first commandment in the Torah is to have children. When G-d created Adam and Eve, He blessed them and said: “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 over all the beasts that tread upon the earth.”

Judaism teaches us that each and every child born is a cherished blessing for its parents and the Jewish people as a whole. But where can parents gain the confidence to take on the financial burden of raising a large family? The real answer is that your success was never in your hands anyway.

The very first command of the Torah is: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Rashi explains: You might think that having one child is already being “fruitful,” so Torah adds “and multiply.” And to remove all doubt, the verse continues, “fill the earth and conquer it.”

The Torah tells us that both of Joseph’s sons were born before the famine began in Egypt. What do the commentaries say we are supposed to learn from this?