What are mitzvot? Are there really 613 commandments?

The count

Rabbi Simlai taught: “613 commandments were said to Moses – 365 negative, like the days of the solar year, and 248 positive, like the limbs of the human body.” The Talmud there adds that the word Torah has the numerical value 611, the commandments Moses taught, and the first two of the Ten Commandments were heard directly from God.

Who listed them

The Torah does not number the commandments, so scholars differed on which verses count. Maimonides’ Book of the Commandments is the best-known list; Nachmanides wrote critical notes on it, and the Sefer HaChinuch arranges the 613 by weekly portion, explaining a reason for each.

How many apply today

Without the Temple, sacrifices and many laws of purity cannot be kept; agricultural laws apply only in Israel; some apply only to kohanim, kings or judges. Others depend on circumstances – like building a parapet on a new roof. In practice, the everyday mitzvot include prayer, tefillin, tzitzit, mezuzah, Shabbat, festivals, kashrut, charity, honouring parents and the many laws between people.

Rabbinic commandments

Beyond the 613, the sages instituted rabbinic mitzvot such as lighting Hanukkah candles, reading the Megillah and washing hands before bread. They are binding, and their blessings say “who commanded us”, because the Torah commands following the sages.

A good deed

In everyday speech “a mitzvah” means a kind act. That usage reflects the idea that every commandment is an opportunity to connect with God.