Parshat Vayikra

OU Torah

Parshat Vayikra: The Taryag Mitzvot

Rabbi Bernie Fox

 

The torah contains 613 commandments. The torah does not actually contain all the mitzvoth, rather it contains the categories that these mitzvoth can be placed under. Rambam wrote a book dedicated to this issue, Sefer Mitzvoth. In this book, Rambam presents his list of the mitzvoth with a short explanation for each one. Rambam also gives a comprehensive explanation for how he came to the list. Probably more popular than Rambam’s work is the work of the man who identifies himself only as Aharon Haleyve of Barcelona. Other than this name, he provides no information about himself. His work is called the Sefer Hachinuch, which lists the mitzvoth just like Rambam, only providing a different opinion in a few cases. The Sefer Hachinuch’s explanation of each mitzvah consists of four parts:

1)      A brief discussion of the basic laws of the commandment

2)      A reason for the commandment

3)      Areas of discussion related to the mitzvah and the places in the gemara where these discussions take place.

4)      To whom the mitzvah applies, when it applies, and the consequences for violating it.

There are two questions raised here: why does the author include a reason for each mitzvah, and why does he make up reasons when there is no clear reason in the torah?

We must take into account the target audience of the Sefer Hachinuch. In the introduction to the book, the author details that one of his objectives in writing this book is to teach the youth. He hopes that young students will read the book and learn the miztvot and basic laws of each commandment. Why is it necessary for a budding young Talmud chacham to have a reason for the commandments? Because, as the Sefer HaChinuch writes, not providing a reason could be potentially harmful to the young man’s development. It could drive him off the derech if he is commanded with no reason. Modern day Rabbis disagree with the Sefer Hachinuch’s position of always providing a reason. They claim that that providing young people with a reason for everything takes away from the experience of just obeying the torah because that is what Hashem said, and for no other reason.

I feel, as a young budding torah scholar, that the Sefer Hachinuch has the right idea. I feel that having a reason for everything may in fact detract a little from the pure obedience factor, but if I didn’t have reasons, the chances for not obeying at all would be somewhat higher.

 Yaakov Linder

Elliot Eisenberg