thoughts before bed

How many mitzvos are "simply" mitzvos of machshava?
Anochi H' elokecha
Ahavas H'
Yiras H'
Yichud H'
Have no other gods

Is that it? There is a gemara in the second perek of brachos (daf 13b) that sparked this question:
אמר ליה רב נחמן לדרו עבדיה בפסקא קמא צערן טפי לא תצערן

The idea that it would be "enough" to simply say the first pasuk of krias shema is unbelievable, and rightly so; the meaning of this story is that the rabbis were makpid to accept עול מלכות שמימ during the correct zman, not that the first pasuk is the fulfillment of the obligation for krias shema. But why did Rav Nachman have to say the words of Shema in order to accept H's malchus? After all, the verbal acceptance (perhaps) stems from a mental assertion.

I think the answer can be found in a concept from Kiddushin (daf 50a) that states:
דברים שבלב אינו דברים
When creating an agreement for marriage, the parties create the aggreement by openly stating what conditions they wish to place on the agreement. Conditions that are not testified to at the time of the agreement and left in the mind (or "in the heart") cannot be used to break the agreement later. Where this concept intersects with the suggiya in brachos is that the acceptance of the Jewish people's "agreement" to accept G-d's personal rule over the Jewish people is the acceptance without any stipulations, but the main facet of the agreement must be stated out loud because an agreement that is left in the mind and the heart doesn't have the strength of law.

So the acceptance of Hashem's monarchy is not a mitzva that I'd add to the list of mitzvos that are accomplished through thought alone.

Labels: dating, judaism