The Book of Commandments

Sefer ha-mitsvot (The Book of Commandments), IV.1-2, V.1-4.

Mid-8th Century

About This Entry

Rabbanites maligned ‘Anan for writing his Aramaic legal handbook, called The Book of Commandments (Sefer ha-mitsvot), saying that “he made a Talmud for himself” (Natronay Ga’on), but surviving passages demonstrate that ‘Anan was writing a new code of biblical law. Curiously, ‘Anan’s generally strict methodology bears striking similarities to early rabbinic biblical interpretations. In the first excerpt here, ‘Anan seeks to limit the consumption of fowl to pigeons and turtledoves, as only these were offered as sacrifices in the biblical text. In the second excerpt, ‘Anan, contra the talmudic rabbis, finds support for his position that on the Sabbath it was prohibited to use even a fire that had been lighted before the Sabbath, a stringent position that was initially adopted but later abandoned by Karaites.

IV.

Dietary Law

1. All birds are forbidden to us for use as food, excepting pigeons and turtledoves, since it is written concerning Noah: And he took of every clean beast and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings upon the altar (Genesis 8:20). The clause and offered burnt offerings upon the altar indicates that Noah used for burnt offerings only such beasts and fowl as were ritually proper for such a purpose, for if Scripture had merely said “and offered them upon the altar,” it would have been sufficient; nevertheless it took pains to make the wording precise, by saying and offered burnt offerings, to teach us that Noah employed as burnt offerings only that which was ritually suitable.

2. Now we do not find that any birds were used for burnt offerings save turtledoves and pigeons, as it is written: And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering be of fowls, let him bring his offering of turtledoves or of young pigeons (Leviticus 1:14). The juxtaposition of the words of every clean bird and he offered burnt offerings thus proves that the only clean birds are turtledoves and pigeons.

Sabbath

1. Carrying a burden, which is forbidden on the Sabbath, signifies only the act of carrying upon one’s shoulder, since it is written: they carried upon their shoulders (Numbers 7:9).

2. [It is forbidden to light fire in Jewish homes on the Sabbath or to permit fire kindled before the arrival of the Sabbath to continue burning into the Sabbath, as it is written: Ye shall not kindle fire in all your dwellings upon the sabbath day (Exodus 35:3).]

3. One might perhaps say that it is only the kindling of fire on the Sabbath which is forbidden, and that if the fire had been kindled on the preceding weekday it is to be considered lawful to let it remain over the Sabbath. Now the Merciful One has written here: Ye shall not kindle fire, and elsewhere: thou shalt not perform any work (Exodus 20:10), and both prohibitions begin with the letter taw. In the case of labor, of which it is written: thou shalt not perform any work, it is evident that even if the work was begun on a weekday, before the arrival of the Sabbath, it is necessary to desist from it with the arrival of the Sabbath. The same rule must therefore apply also to the kindling of fire, of which it is written: Ye shall not kindle, meaning that even if the fire has been kindled on a weekday, prior to the arrival of the Sabbath, it must be extinguished.

4. In the case of work, just as one is forbidden to perform it himself, so also is he forbidden to have others perform it for him. [So, too, in the case of fire, one is forbidden to make others kindle it for him on the Sabbath, just as one is forbidden to kindle it himself.] Thus it is clear that we are forbidden to leave either a lamp or any other light burning on the Sabbath in any Jewish home.

Translated by Leon Nemoy.

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Notes

Words in brackets appear in the original translation.

Credits

‘Anan ben David, “Selections from the Book of Precepts,” from Karaite Anthology, ed. and trans. Leon Nemoy (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1952), 16–18. Used by permission of the publisher.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.