The Book of Commandments

Chapter 1

The First of the Twenty-Six Chapters Is the Gate of Divine Service, Consisting of Twenty-Two Commandments

The first [commandment] is belief in the omnipotence of the Lord, mighty and majestic is He, in the heavens and the earth. As it says: Know this day, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord, [He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else] (Deuteronomy 4:39).

The second is desire for Him, for He has power over all pleasures. Of this it says: You shall love the Lord your God, etc. [with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might] (Deuteronomy 6:5).

The third is fear [or, reverence] of Him, for He is the mighty reprover. Of this, it says: You shall fear the Lord your God, etc. (Deuteronomy 6:13).

The fourth is recitation of the section [of the Torah] on [God’s] oneness daily, through which the believer bears witness that the Lord is a unity with no accomplice. As it says: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4).

The fifth is the performance of daily prayer, as expressly enjoined: He is your glory and He is your God, etc. (Deuteronomy 10:21). Tradition prescribes three types. Regarding the prayer on Yom Kippur, [there are] five. On Sabbaths, festivals, and the new month, four. And on the rest of the days, three.

The sixth is when swearing in His name, one swears in truth and not falsely. As it says: You shall not swear by My name falsely (Leviticus 19:12).

The seventh is renunciation of hypocrisy when performing commandments and prayer, so as not to invalidate them. This is called a profanation of the Lord. Of this it says: You shall not profane My holy name (Leviticus 22:32).

The eighth is that the believer shall not test his God, saying, “Is the Lord able to do this thing or no?” As it says: Do not try the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 6:16).

The ninth is study of the Torah and its observance, as He commanded, “Study them and observe them faithfully!”

The tenth is teaching it [i.e., the Torah] to [one’s] children and those under [one’s] guidance. As it says: And teach them to your children, etc. (Deuteronomy 11:19).

The eleventh is thankfulness for the good things He has provided you, as, for example, in the scripture regarding first fruits, in which it says: And [you shall] say to him, “I acknowledge this day” and [all] the rest concerning this.

The twelfth is to praise Him for all the precepts he has enjoined upon his servants and to perform them with joy, as described in the declaration of the tithe: You shall say before the Lord your God, “I have put away the hallowed things out of my house” (Deuteronomy 26:13) and [all] the rest concerning this.

The thirteenth is that one shall not desecrate His places of worship, nor His altars, nor anything that is His, as He forbade, after directing to smash and destroy [their] idols—in accordance [with]: You shall not do so to the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 12:4).

The fourteenth is reverence for His sanctity and all that has been prepared for Him. As it says in scripture: And [you shall] reverence My sanctuary (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2).

The fifteenth is obedience to His appointed prophets for whom indisputable wonders are performed. As His prophet says: A prophet will the Lord your God raise up for you, from your midst, of your brethren, like me; him [you shall heed] (Deuteronomy 18:15).

The sixteenth is disavowal of one who claims to be a prophet yet contradicts that which the Lord brought in His Torah, as He forbade, saying: You shall not heed the words of that prophet (Deuteronomy 13:4).

The seventeenth is to shear [the foreskin of one’s] heart to Him and have pure intent, as it says: Circumcise, [therefore,] the foreskin of your hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16).

The eighteenth is inscribing the covenant on the bodies of the male believers by way of circumcision, as it says: You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin (Genesis 17:11).

The nineteenth is circumcision of male servants owned by believers.

The twentieth is circumcision of males born to your household, as it says of all [such persons]: He that is born in your house, [and he that is bought with your money,] must needs be circumcised (Genesis 17:13).

The twenty-first is the prohibition on adding [commandments] or beliefs to those brought by the Prophet, either written or transmitted by tradition.

The twenty-second is abstention from diminishing this [i.e., the number of commandments]. Both [adding and diminishing] are prohibited, as it says: Neither add to it nor diminish it (Deuteronomy 13:1).