Sefer Hamitzvot
Encyclopedia
Sefer Hamitzvot is a work by the 12th century rabbi
, philosopher and physician
Maimonides
. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modifier refers to Maimonides' work. It is a listing of all the commandments
of the Torah
, with a brief description for each.
It originally appeared in Arabic
under the title "Kitab al-Farai'd", and was translated by the Provençal
rabbi
Moses ibn Tibbon
(first printed 1497). A new translation from the original Arabic was done by the Yemenite
scholar Rabbi Yosef Qafih
.
traditionally contained in the Torah
(Pentateuch). He describes the following fourteen shorashim
(roots or principles) to guide his selection. (Note: For each rule, Maimonides cites many illustrative examples. We present only one or two examples for each rule.)
, one titled Megillath Esther ("Scroll of Esther", by Isaac de Leon
, bearing no direct relationship with the Biblical Book of Esther
), and others titled Lev Sameach and Kin'ath Soferim. In an appendix, Nahmanides lists commandments that might have merited individual inclusion.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, philosopher and physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modifier refers to Maimonides' work. It is a listing of all the commandments
Mitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, with a brief description for each.
It originally appeared in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
under the title "Kitab al-Farai'd", and was translated by the Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Moses ibn Tibbon
Moses ibn Tibbon
Moses ibn Tibbon was a Jewish physician, author and translator. The number of works written by Moses ibn Tibbon makes it probable that he reached a great age....
(first printed 1497). A new translation from the original Arabic was done by the Yemenite
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
scholar Rabbi Yosef Qafih
Yosef Qafih
Yosef Qafih , widely known as Rabbi Kapach , was one of the foremost leaders of the Yemenite Jewish community, first in Yemen and later in Israel. He was the grandson of Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh, also a prominent Yemenite leader and grandson of the founder of the Dor Deah movement in Yemen...
.
Premise
In the work, Maimonides lists all the 613 mitzvot613 mitzvot
The 613 commandments is a numbering of the statements and principles of law, ethics, and spiritual practice contained in the Torah or Five Books of Moses...
traditionally contained in the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
(Pentateuch). He describes the following fourteen shorashim
Shorashim
Shorashim is a Hebrew word meaning roots which may refer to:* Shorashim, a village in the Galilee* Shorashim, a nonprofit organization devoted to building bridges between Jews in Israel and around the world....
(roots or principles) to guide his selection. (Note: For each rule, Maimonides cites many illustrative examples. We present only one or two examples for each rule.)
- Commandments of Rabbinic origin (from the Oral LawOral lawAn oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community application, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is orally transmitted....
) are not counted. This rule excludes lighting candles on HanukkahHanukkahHanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
and reading Megillat EstherEstherEsther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
on Purim. - Commandments that were derived using the 13 hermeneutic rules (Rabbi Yishmael's Rules) are not counted. This rule excludes reverence for Torah scholars, which Rabbi Akiva derived from the verse, "You must revere God your Lord" (Deut. 10:20).
- Commandments that are not historically permanent are not counted. This rule excludes the prohibition that LeviteLeviteIn Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...
s aged 50 years or older may not serve in the TabernacleTabernacleThe Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
(Numbers 8:25). - Commandments that encompass the entire Torah are not counted. This rule excludes the command to "keep everything that I have instructed you" Exodus 23:13).
- The reason for a commandment is not counted as a separate commandment. For example, the Torah forbids a wife to remarry her first husband after she has married a second husband. The Torah then adds, "and do not bring guilt upon the land" (Deut. 24:4). This last statement is a reason that explains the preceding prohibition, so it is not counted separately.
- For a commandment with both positive and negative components, the positive component counts as a positive instruction, while the negative component counts as a negative prohibition. For example, the Torah commands to rest on the SabbathShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and forbids against doing work on that day. Resting counts as a positive instruction, and working counts as a negative prohibition. - Details of a commandment, that define how it applies, are not counted. For example, the Torah commands certain sinners to bring an animal sin-offering. If they cannot afford it, they may bring two birds instead; and if they cannot afford birds, they may bring a flour-offering instead (LeviticusLeviticusThe Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
chapter 5). Thus, a wealthy sinner sacrifices an animal, but a destitute sinner brings a flour-offering. This type of variable sin-offering (the korban `oleh ve-yored) counts as one commandment, even though it includes three different scenarios, depending on the wealth of the sinner. - The negation of an obligation (Hebrew: shelilah, "is not") is not treated as a prohibition (azharah, "do not"). This appears obvious, but confusion arises because the Hebrew word lo can mean either "is not" or "do not." The rule excludes the statement that a Jewish maidservant "shall not leave [her master] the way other slaves leave" (Exodus 21:7). A master who causes his male slave to lose an eye, tooth or limb must grant him freedom, but the female maidservant is not granted such freedom. The verse simply states a fact; it does not command or forbid any activity, so it does not count.
- Even if the same instruction or prohibition is repeated many times, it counts only once. In other words, it is correct to count the number of concepts, not the number of statements. For example, the Torah prohibits eating blood in seven different verses (Lev. 3:17, 7:26 and elsewhere), but this prohibition counts only once.
- Introductory preparations for performance of a commandment are not counted separately. For example, priests are commanded to place show-bread (lechem ha-panim) on the Table (shulchan) in the TabernacleTabernacleThe Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
. The details regarding how to bake the bread (Lev. 24:5-7) are not counted. - The parts of a commandment are not counted separately if their combination is necessary for that commandment. For example, the four speciesFour SpeciesThe four species are four plants mentioned in the Torah as being relevant to Sukkot. Karaite Jews build their Sukkot out of branches from the four specified plants , while Talmudic Jews take three types of branches and one type of fruit which are held together and waved in a special ceremony...
for SukkotSukkotSukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
are considered one commandment, not four, because a person cannot fulfill this commandment without all four species. - The activities necessary to fulfill a commandment are not counted separately. For example, the slaughtering of a burnt-offering (`olah), and sprinkling its blood, and removing the animal's hide, etc. are not counted separately. Rather, the entire process of sacrificing an olah counts as one commandment.
- A commandment that is performed on many days is only counted once. For example, the additional mussaf offering for the seven days of Sukkot counts as one commandment, even though a different number of cows is offered each day. (See positive commandment number 50.)
- Each form of punishment is counted as a positive instruction. For example, the Torah commands Beit Din to apply capital punishment by stoning to a blasphemer (Lev. 24:16), a Molech worshipper (20:2), and other sinners. This punishment counts once, even though it appears in many different contexts.
Commentaries
The work is the subject of a number of commentaries, including one from NahmanidesNahmanides
Nahmanides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Naḥman Girondi, Bonastruc ça Porta and by his acronym Ramban, , was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.-Name:"Nahmanides" is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Naḥman"...
, one titled Megillath Esther ("Scroll of Esther", by Isaac de Leon
Isaac de Leon
Isaac de Leon, who lived at Toledo, Spain, was one of the last rabbis of Castile. He was a native of Leon, and a pupil of Isaac Campanton, and, like Moses de Leon, a kabbalist and a believer in miracles...
, bearing no direct relationship with the Biblical Book of Esther
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
), and others titled Lev Sameach and Kin'ath Soferim. In an appendix, Nahmanides lists commandments that might have merited individual inclusion.
Influence
This work is regarded as the most authoritative listing of the commandments, and numerous later works rely on its enumeration (some with minor variations).External links
- Hebrew fulltext (Kafah translation)
- Sefer Hamitzvot for Youth chabad.org