Rabbinic tradition has it that 613 commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, but it does not specify those included in the enumeration. Maimonides methodically and artfully crafts a list of 613 commandments in a work that serves as a prolegomenon to the Mishneh Torah, his monumental code of law.
This book explores the surprising way Maimonides put this tradition to use and his possible rationale for using such a tradition. It also explores many of the philosophical and ethical ideas animating the composition of such a list. In the book's second half, Friedberg examines the manner by which Maimonides formulated positive commandments in the Mishneh Torah, leading him to suggest new dimensions in Maimonides' legal theory.
- ISBN13 9781618113870
- Publish Date 3 April 2014 (first published 27 February 2014)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Academic Studies Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 400
- Language English