''Sefer ha-Chinuch'' (, "Book of Education") is a rabbinic text which systematically discusses the

613 commandments According to Jewish tradition, the Torah contains 613 commandments (). Although the number 613 is mentioned in the Talmud, its real significance increased in later medieval rabbinic literature, including many works listing or arranged by the . Th ...

of the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

. It was written in 13th-century

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

by an anonymous "Levite of Barcelona".

Content

The work's enumeration of the commandments (; sing. ''

mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew language, Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment Divine law, from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of disc ...

'') is based upon

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

' system of counting as per his

Sefer Hamitzvot ''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", ; ) is a work by the 12th-century rabbi, philosopher, and physician, Moses Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "''Sefer Hamitzvot''" without a modifier refers ...

; each is listed according to its appearance in the

weekly Torah portion The weekly Torah portion refers to a lectionary custom in Judaism in which a portion of the Torah (or Pentateuch) is read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' (), is popularly abbre ...

and the work is structured correspondingly. The book separately discusses each of the 613 commandments, both from a legal and a moral perspective. For each, the Chinuch's discussion starts by linking the ''mitzvah'' to its Biblical source, and then addresses the philosophical underpinnings of the commandment (here, termed the "''shoresh''", or "root"). Following this, the ''Chinuch'' presents a brief overview of the ''

halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

'' (practical Jewish law) governing its observance - based on Maimonides' ''

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...

'', while cross referencing the Talmudic tractate in question - and closes with a summary as to the commandment's applicability. Because of this structure, the work remains popular to this day. The philosophic portions are widely quoted and taught, while the legal discussion provides the basis for much further study in '' yeshivot''. The '' Minchat Chinuch'' by "Rabbeinu Yosef" ( Yosef Ben Moshe Babad, 1800–1874),

Av Beit Din The ''av beit din'' (), abbreviated ( ''avad''), was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period and served as an assistant to the nasi. The av beit din was known as the "Master of the Court;" he was consid ...

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

, serves as a legal commentary.

Authorship

The author does not reveal his name in any manuscript, writing only that he is a "Jew of the House of Levi in Barcelona". Scholars have proposed various attributions.

Aaron

The ''editio princeps'' (Venice, 1523) attributes the book to "Aaron", on the basis of a purported hint within the text, but scholars have rejected this interpretation. Relying on the ''editio princeps'', Gedaliah ibn Yaḥyah (''Shalshelet haQabbalah'' (c. 1550)) went further, suggesting that it might have been written by Aaron HaLevi of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

(1235-c. 1303). However, there are numerous contradictions between the ''Chinuch'' and HaLevi's works, and HaLevi's teacher (Nachmanides) is not cited by the ''Chinuch''.Rabbi Chaim Dov Chavel, Mosad HaRav Kook ed. of Sefer HaChinuch, 5762 p. 797

Adolf Jellinek Adolf Jellinek ( ''Aharon Jelinek''; 26 June 1821 in Drslavice, Moravia – 28 December 1893 in Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar. After filling clerical posts in Leipzig (1845–1856), he became a preacher at the Leopoldstädter Temp ...

(1878) argues that "Aaron" is correct, but that it is a different Aaron HaLevi.

Other Proposals

David ibn Abi Zimra (''Metzudat David'' (1556)) attributes it to a certain "Rabbi Barukh", without giving his source. Adolf Neubauer (1872) attributes it to Abraham ben Hassan HaLevi. Shaul Chana Kook (1940) suggests the author's name was Mordechai HaLevi. Israel Ta-Shma argues that the Aharon HaLevi's brother, Pinchas ben Joseph haLevi, composed the book.Israel Ta-Shma, "Mehabbero ha-'amitti shel Sefer ha-hinnukh," Kiryat Sefer 55 (1980): 787-90

References

External links

Sefaria.org: Sefer HaChinuch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sefer Ha-Chinuch Rabbinic legal texts and responsa 13th-century books Jewish medieval literature Works published anonymously Hebrew-language religious books