The 613 Commandments (Taryag Mitzvot) are the core of the Torah. They are traditionally divided into 248 Positive Commandments ("Do this") and 365 Negative Commandments ("Do not do this"). Maimonides (Rambam) categorized them into 14 distinct books.
1. God & Fundamental Beliefs (Sefer HaMada)
- To know there is a God (Ex 20:2)
- To have no other gods (Ex 20:3)
- To know that He is One (Deut 6:4)
- To love God (Deut 6:5)
- To fear God (Deut 10:20)
- To sanctify His Name (Lev 22:32)
- Not to profane His Name (Lev 22:32)
- Not to test the prophet personally (Deut 6:16)
2. Torah & Worship (Sefer Ahavah)
- To learn Torah and teach it (Deut 6:7)
- To honor the old and the wise (Lev 19:32)
- To pray to God (Ex 23:25)
- To recite the Shema morning and night (Deut 6:7)
- To wear Tefillin (Deut 6:8)
- To fix a Mezuzah on doorposts (Deut 6:9)
- To grace after meals (Deut 8:10)
- To circumcise male children (Gen 17:10)
3. Times & Seasons (Sefer Zemanim)
- To keep the Sabbath holy (Ex 20:8)
- Not to do work on Sabbath (Ex 20:10)
- To eat Matzah on Passover (Ex 12:18)
- To hear the Shofar on New Year (Num 29:1)
- To dwell in a Sukkah (Lev 23:42)
- To fast on Yom Kippur (Lev 23:27)
4. Family & Relations (Sefer Nashim & Kedushah)
- To honor father and mother (Ex 20:12)
- Not to commit adultery (Ex 20:14)
- Not to marry close relatives (Lev 18:6)
- To marry by Ketubah and Kiddushin (Deut 24:1)
- Dietary: Not to eat unclean animals (Lev 11:4)
- Dietary: Not to cook meat and milk together (Ex 23:19)
5. Interpersonal & Civil Laws (Sefer Nezikin & Mishpatim)
- To love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18)
- Not to hate your brother in your heart (Lev 19:17)
- To rebuke the sinner (Lev 19:17)
- Not to bear a grudge (Lev 19:18)
- Not to gossip or tale-bear (Lev 19:16)
- To give charity (Tzedakah) to the poor (Deut 15:8)
- Not to charge interest on loans to a Jew (Lev 25:37)
- Just weights and measures (Lev 19:36)
6. Agriculture & The Land (Sefer Zera'im)
- To leave the corner of the field (Pe'ah) for the poor (Lev 19:9)
- To leave the gleanings for the poor (Lev 19:9)
- Not to sow diverse seeds together (Lev 19:19)
Key Lesson: The "yoke of the commandments" was meant to sanctify every moment of life. In the New Covenant, Jesus fulfilled the requirement of the Law, writing God's law on our hearts through the Spirit (Jeremiah 31:33).
