613 commandments
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

According to
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
tradition, 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 () ...
contains 613 commandments (). Although the number 613 is mentioned in the
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, its real significance increased in later medieval rabbinic literature, including many works listing or arranged by the . The most famous of these was an enumeration of the 613 commandments by
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 ...
. While the total number of commandments is 613, no individual can perform all of them. Many can only be observed at the
Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...
, which no longer stands. According to one standard reckoning, there are 77 positive and 194 negative commandments that can be observed today, of which there are 26 commandments that apply only within the Land of Israel. In addition, some commandments only apply to certain categories of Jews: some are only observed by '' kohanim'', and others only by men or by women.


Symbolism of 613

Rav Hamnuna sourced the count of 613 in the verse ("Moses commanded us the Torah..."). The Talmud notes that the Hebrew numerical value (''
gematria In numerology, gematria (; or , plural or ) is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase by reading it as a number, or sometimes by using an alphanumeric cipher. The letters of the alphabets involved have standar ...
'') of the word ''Torah'' is 611 ( = 400,  = 6,  = 200,  = 5). Combining 611 commandments which Moses taught the people, with the first two of the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
which were the only ones directly heard from God, a total of 613 is reached.Babylonian Talmud
''Makkot'' 23b-24a
/ref> Other sources connect the '' tzitzit'' (ritual fringes of a garment) to the 613 commandments by gematria: the word (Hebrew: ציצית, in its Mishnaic spelling) has the value 600 ( = 90,  = 10,  = 400). Each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots. The sum of all these numbers is 613, reflecting the concept that reminds its wearer of all Torah commandments. Many Jewish
philosophical Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...
works (e.g., by Baal HaTurim, the Maharal of Prague and leaders of
Hasidic Judaism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...
) find allusions and inspirational calculations relating to the number of commandments.


Dissent and difficulties

Rabbinic support for the number of commandments being 613 is not without dissent. For example, Ben Azzai held that there exist 300 positive . Also, even as the number gained acceptance, difficulties arose in elucidating the list. Some rabbis declared that this count was not an authentic tradition, or that it was not logically possible to come up with a systematic count. No early work of Jewish law or Biblical commentary depended on the 613 system, and no early systems of Jewish principles of faith made acceptance of this
Aggadah Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...
(non-legal Talmudic statement) normative. A number of classical authorities denied that it was normative: *Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra denied that this was an authentic rabbinic tradition. Ibn Ezra writes "Some sages enumerate 613 in many diverse ways ..but in truth there is no end to the number of ..and if we were to count only the root principles ..the number of would not reach 613". *
Nahmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...
held that this particular counting was a matter of rabbinic
controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...
, and that rabbinic opinion on this is not unanimous. Nonetheless, he concedes that "this total has proliferated throughout the aggadic literature... we ought to say that it was a tradition from Moses at
Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Musa (), is a mountain on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It is one of several locations claimed to be the Mount Sinai (Bible), biblical Mount Sinai, the place where, according to the sacred scriptures of the thre ...
". * Rabbi Simeon ben Zemah Duran likewise rejected the dogma of the 613 as being the sum of the Law, saying that "perhaps the agreement that the number of is 613... is just Rabbi Simlai's opinion, following his own explication of the . And we need not rely on his explication when we come to determine nd affectthe Law, but rather on the Talmudic discussions". * Gersonides held that the number 613 was only one rabbi's (Rabbi Simlai's) opinion, and if the conclusion of a Talmudic discussion indicated that the number of commandments was greater or lesser than 613, Rabbi Simlai's opinion would be overruled. He argued that the number 613 was only intended as an approximation, and that the comparison to 248 limbs and 365 days was intended homiletically, to motivate Jews to keep the commandments. * The
Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...
suggested that there exist many more than 613 commandments (because otherwise large narrative parts of the
Pentateuch 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 () o ...
would be without commandments, which he considered difficult to accept) and that the count of 613 refers to "roots" () of the other commandments. Even when rabbis attempted to compile a list of the 613 commandments, they were faced with a number of difficulties: *Which statements were to be included amongst the 613 commandments? Every one of God's commands to any individual or to the entire people of Israel? *Would an order from God be counted as a commandment, for the purposes of such a list, if it could only be complied with in one place and time? Else, would such an order only count as a commandment if it could be followed at all times? (The latter is the view of
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 ...
.) *Does counting a single commandment depend on whether it falls within one verse, even though it may contain multiple prohibitions, or should each prohibition count as a single commandment? Ultimately, though, the concept of 613 commandments has become accepted as normative amongst practicing Jews and today it is still common practice to refer to the total system of commandments within the Torah as the "613 commandments", even among those who do not literally accept this count as accurate. However, the 613 do not constitute a formal code of present-day
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 ...
. Later codes of law such as the Shulkhan Arukh and the Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh do not refer to it. However,
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 ...
' Mishneh Torah is prefaced by a count of the 613 mitzvot.


Works which enumerate the commandments

There is no single definitive list that explicates the 613 commandments. Lists differ, for example, in how they interpret passages in 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 () ...
that may be read as dealing with several cases under a single law or several separate laws (se
here for a visual comparison
of several lists). Other "commandments" in the Torah are restricted as one-time acts, and would not be considered as "" binding on other persons. In
rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic ...
,
Rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; ; sing. , ''Rishon'') were the leading rabbis and ''posek, poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewis ...
and later scholars composed to articulate and justify their enumeration of the commandments: *'' Halachot Gedolot'' ("Great Laws"), thought to be written by Rabbi Simeon Kayyara (the , author of the ) is the earliest extant enumeration of the 613 . * ("Book of Commandments") by Rabbi
Saadia Gaon Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...
. Written during the period of the
Geonim ''Geonim'' (; ; also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura Academy , Sura and Pumbedita Academy , Pumbedita, in t ...
, Saadia's work is a simple list (though it was later expanded by Rabbi Yerucham Fishel Perlow.) *''
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 ...
'' ("Book of Commandments") by
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 ...
, with a commentary by
Nachmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...
. Maimonides employs a set of fourteen rules () which determine inclusion into the list. In this work, he supports his specification of each mitzvah through quotations from the '' midrash halakha'' and the
Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...
. Nachmanides makes a number of critical points and replaces some items of the list with others. *'' Sefer ha-Chinnuch'' ("Book of Education"). This work generally follows Maimonides' reckoning of the 613 commandments. It is written in the order in which the commandments appear in the Torah rather than an arrangement by category (as in Maimonides' work.) In addition to enumerating the commandments and giving a brief overview of relevant laws, the also tries to explain the philosophical reasons behind the . It has been attributed to various authors, most commonly Rabbi Aaron ha-Levi 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 ...
(the ), though its true authorship is unknown. *'' Sefer Mitzvot Gadol'' or SMaG ("Large book of Commandments") by Rabbi Moses ben Jacob of Coucy. * by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the ""). The 's work follows the reckoning of Maimonides but gives only the commandments relevant today. Notably, this listing omits commandments regarding temple service, ritual purity, sacrifices, and so on. Though the original work included only those commandments relevant in all places and at all times, later editions include agricultural laws relevant today only in the
Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...
.


Works in which the number of commandments is not 613

* by Eliezer ben Samuel lists only 417 commandments (including commandments only applicable when the Temple stood).Ohayon, Avraham.
Ha-ʾOmnam Taryag Miẓvot
(2009) p. 89-96
* Menahem Recanati, in his book , counted 250 positive and 361 negative commandments, for a total of 611. These 611 include the two commandments of , indicating that this list is incompatible with the approach of R' Hamnuna in the Talmud (who said that of the 613 commandments, the two in Exodus 20:2 were given directly by God, and the remaining 611 via Moses). *, by Rabbi Isaac of Corbeil, listed 320 commandments applicable nowadays. To reach a total of 613, one would have to add 293 commandments applicable only while the Temple stood. As the number of Temple-only commandments appears to be much lower than 293 (for example, Sefer haHinuch only counted 201 such commandments), it seems that the overall count of commandments would likely be lower than 613. *According to Asael Ben-Or, Gersonides' commentary to the Torah indicates that he counted a total of 513 commandments.


Maimonides' list

The following are the 613 commandments and the source of their derivation from the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' 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 ...
:


Canonical order


Typical order


See also

*
Jewish ethics Jewish ethics are the ethics of the Jewish religion or the Jewish people. A type of normative ethics, Jewish ethics may involve issues in Jewish law as well as non-legal issues, and may involve the convergence of Judaism and the Western phil ...
* Laws and customs of the Land of Israel in Judaism


References


Bibliography

* Eisenberg, Ronald L. ''The 613 Mitzvot: A Contemporary Guide to the Commandments of Judaism'', Rockville, Schreiber Publishing, 2005. *
Moses Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle A ...
, translation by Charles Ber Chavel and Moses ibn Tibbon. ''The book of divine commandments (the Sefer Ha-mitzvoth of Moses Maimonides)'' London: Soncino Press, 1940.


External links

*
Chabad.org: The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot)The 613 Interactive CommandmentsOhr.edu: Taryag - Origin of the 613 CommandmentsJudaism 101: A List of the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments)Jewish Virtual Library: The 613 Mitzvot (Commandments)
{{Authority control Jewish law and rituals Mitzvoth Commandments