613 mitzvot

In Judaism there is a tradition that the Torah contains 613 mitzvot (Hebrew for commandments, from mitzvah - מצוה - precept, plural mitzvot; from צוה, tzavah- command).

Works enumerating the commandments

In practice there is no one definitive list that explicates the 613 laws. The differences come about because in some places the Torah lists related laws together, so it is difficult to know whether one is dealing with a single law, which lists several cases, or several separate laws; Other "commandments" in the Torah are restricted as one-time acts, and would not be considered as "mitzvot". In rabbinic literature there are a number of works, mainly by the Rishonim, that were composed to determine which commandments belong in this enumeration:

Related Topics:
Torah - Rabbinic literature - Rishonim

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• Sefer ha-Mitzvoth ("Book of Commandments") by Rabbi Saadia Gaon (really just a list, later expanded by R' Yerucham Fishel Perlow)
• Sefer Hamitzvot ("Book of Commandments") by Maimonides, with a critical commentary of Nachmanides - see below;
• Sefer ha-Chinnuch ("Book of Education"), attributed to Rabbi Aaron ha-Levi of Barcelona (the Ra'ah);
• Sefer ha-Mitzvoth ha-Gadol ("Large book of Commandments") by Rabbi Moses ben Jacob of Coucy;
• Sefer ha-Mitzvoth ha-Katan ("Small book of Commandments") by Rabbi Isaac of Corbeil;
• Sefer Yere'im ("Book of the fearing") by Rabbi Eliezer of Metz (not a clear enumeration);
• Sefer ha-Mitzvoth by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the "Chafetz Chaim") - this work only deals with the commandments that are valid in the present time.

Maimonides' work

The most important of the above works is Sefer ha-Mitzvoth by Maimonides (Rambam). Maimonides went to great lengths to enumerate exactly which of the written Torah's (Pentateuch) commandments can be considered fixed forevermore, in contradistinction to many "commands" that God makes in the Torah at various points but are restricted as one-time acts. He employs a set of fourteen rules (shorashim) which determine inclusion into the list. In this work, Maimonides supports his specification of each Mitzvah through quotations from the Midrash halakha and the Gemara. Nachmanides makes a number of critical points and replaces some items of the list with others.

Related Topics:
Maimonides - Torah - Pentateuch - Shorashim - Midrash halakha - Gemara - Nachmanides

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