Sefer Hahinnuch Vol. 3: The Book Of Mitzvah Education (212-361)

By Talmudic tradition, there are 613 mitzvoth in the Torah: 248 positive precepts commanding us what we are to do, and 365 negative precepts'what we must not do. Yet what exactly are the 613 mitzvoth? Only later in time did scholars make their detailed listings. The clearest work we have on the subject is the famed Safer haMitzvoth (the Book ofPrecepts) by Rambam (Maimonides). And thisgave rise, in a way, to the Sefer Hahinnuch.In 13th-century Spain, a certain scholar, un-identified till recently, decided, to arrange the613 mitzvoth, as Rambam wrote of them, ina novel way. For each sidrah (weekly portionof the Written Torah read sabbath morning inthe prayer service) he would write about themitzvoth which the Torah commands in thatparticular portion. Why would he want to dothis? In his preface our author gives his reason'quite certainly the most unusual and mostcharming reason why a classic work of Torahliterature was ever written in olden times: 'Hewished to provide interesting reading matterfor his young son and the boy's friends'sothat on a Sabbath afternoon, instead of givingway to boredom, they should ask, What mitzvoth does the Torah give us in today's sidrah?'and the answer would be there, at hand, inhis Sefer baHinnueh.