613 commandments

[ntxime]

I know that Moses received the 10 Commandments from Yahweh but who deemed the 613 commandments in the Torah? I’m confused. I was in Bible Study on Sunday and someone commented and another agreed they came from God and that the Pharisees were just trying to figure out how to accommodate them. Could you give me some feedback on this please. I always thought that Moses added all the others to appease the grumbling Israelites.

 

[wiggbuggie]

In jewish tradition Moses wrote the torah so all the 613 laws were from him recieved by God. The 10 commandments are just categories or sayings. Deuteronomy is also known as second law.

Deuteronomy 31:9
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the ancients of Israel.

 

[Augustine3]

Jesus himself did not have an issue with the 613 commandments. He used to wear a tassel. The Jews traditionally wore tassels with 613 threads to symbolise the 613 commandments.

She came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his garment, and her bleeding stopped at once – Luke 8:44

Your brother in Christ,

 

[PeaceInChrist]

What about the laws regarding divorce, and eating of ‘unclean’ things? Were these invented after Moses?

 

[Augustine3]

Jesus himself did not have an issue with the 613 commandments. He used to wear a tassel. The Jews traditionally wore tassels with 613 threads to symbolise the 613 commandments.

She came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel of his garment, and her bleeding stopped at once – Luke 8:44

Your brother in Christ,

Also to add the tassels could be found in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers.

"Speak to the Israelites and tell them that they and their descendants must put tassels on the corners of their garments, fastening each corner tassel with a violet cord. When you use these tassels, let the sight of them remind you to keep all the commandments of the LORD, without going want only astray after the desires of your hearts and eyes. Thus you will remember to keep all my commandments and be holy to your God.” – Numbers 15:38-40

The 613 commandments could implicitly be found in this passage.

 

[Augustine3]

What about the laws regarding divorce, and eating of ‘unclean’ things? Were these invented after Moses?

No, these were written in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Both of these books are referred to as “the books of Moses”.

Your brother in Christ,

 

[PeaceInChrist]

No, these were written in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Both of these books are referred to as “the books of Moses”.

Your brother in Christ,

If they come from God, and not just from Moses as a way to keep order among the Israelites, then why do Catholics not keep most of them?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_commandments

There are many from the list that we do not keep. Christ came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. If this is so, why have many of these laws been ‘abolished’, so to speak, while the 10 Commandments have been fulfilled?

I’m asking in sincerity. I have heard many of these laws were to keep the Israelite nation in order, and that the 10 Commandments are the true laws of God.

 

[Augustine3]

If they come from God, and not just from Moses as a way to keep order among the Israelites, then why do Catholics not keep most of them?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_commandments

There are many from the list that we do not keep. Christ came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. If this is so, why have many of these laws been ‘abolished’, so to speak, while the 10 Commandments have been fulfilled?

I’m asking in sincerity. I have heard many of these laws were to keep the Israelite nation in order, and that the 10 Commandments are the true laws of God.

That’s cool, it’s good you ask these sort of questions in order to learn about our faith.

We are bound by the moral law not the ritual law. Morality is perpetual that applies to all peoples at all times. The ritual laws were specifically aimed at the Israelites to assist in improving their spiritual maturity. Now that we Christians are under the new covenant of Christ we are not bound to follow the ritual laws because Christ has redeemed us and taught us the heart of the law.

Here’s what Christ taught us about unclean foods:

"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." – Matthew 15:11

Your brother in Christ,

 

[wiggbuggie]

If they come from God, and not just from Moses as a way to keep order among the Israelites, then why do Catholics not keep most of them?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_commandments

There are many from the list that we do not keep. Christ came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. If this is so, why have many of these laws been ‘abolished’, so to speak, while the 10 Commandments have been fulfilled?

I’m asking in sincerity. I have heard many of these laws were to keep the Israelite nation in order, and that the 10 Commandments are the true laws of God.

Christ did fulfill the law. For example sacrificial and temple laws were fulfilled by him since Jesus is the third temple and final and eternal offering to God.

 

[edwest2]

bible.cc/galatians/2-16.htm

And see Acts 10:11 through 10:28

Peace,
Ed

 

[dissurnmnt]

NTxime, thanks for that great question, because it touches on one I’ve had forever: if it’s only ritual law that no longer applies, what about stuff like not planting 2 kinds of seeds in a field or not wearing mixed fiber clothing? (I’d have to agree with the latter: polyester is an abomination —oh, and not to mention that the stuff leaves a huge “carbon print” ).

PS: This verse always throws me for a loop when people say that only the moral/ethical part of the Law still applies, because don’t these verses seem to declare that ALL the Law is defunct?

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:2))

 

[thesmiter1]

That’s cool, it’s good you ask these sort of questions in order to learn about our faith.

We are bound by the moral law not the ritual law. Morality is perpetual that applies to all peoples at all times. The ritual laws were specifically aimed at the Israelites to assist in improving their spiritual maturity. Now that we Christians are under the new covenant of Christ we are not bound to follow the ritual laws because Christ has redeemed us and taught us the heart of the law.

Here’s what Christ taught us about unclean foods:

"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man." – Matthew 15:11

Your brother in Christ,

Thank you, but I still don’t understand how it is determined which of the 613 we follow. Are the ones that stem directly from the 10 Commandments the ones we keep, and then those that do not (afflict yourself on Yom Kippur, not to let Moabite and Ammonite males marry into the Jewish people, not to crossbreed animals, just to name a few), don’t apply to Christians? Or is it just the 10 Commandments that come directly from God?

Looking at the 613, it really seems as though the Ten were the only ones that came directly from God, and the others came from Moses, and the people were obligated to obey because of the authority given Moses by God. Do you have any citations stating that the 613 came from God? Because if they did, God can’t contradict Himself (forbidding unclean foods, then allowing them), and I doubt He’d do that.

 

[minichibi]

My opinion is that the Hebrew people were still a brute and savage people during Moses time, and the Mosaic law is there to make the 10 commandments accomplished…
when Jesus came, He came to make the LAW accomplished, which law? Not the Mosaic law, but the 10 commandments…

 

[patrick457]

A bit of semantics: there are ten “words” (debarim, i.e. ‘sayings’, ‘statements’, ‘declarations’) and 613 “commandments” (mitzvot).

 

[patrick457]

In jewish tradition Moses wrote the torah so all the 613 laws were from him recieved by God. The 10 commandments are just categories or sayings. Deuteronomy is also known as second law.

Deuteronomy 31:9
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the ancients of Israel.

Jewish tradition holds that Moses received the Torah in Sinai. A later legend has it that the Torah was one of the first things God created before He made the universe itself: the Torah, made “of black fire upon white fire,” was with God in the beginning. God is even portrayed as taking counsel with it (like a king does with his advisor) when He planned to create the world.

 

[gus]

I remember Scott Hahn saying the additional laws on the children of Isreal were somehow punitive for their making and worshipping the Golden Calf in Exodeus.
It was quite a few years ago so maybe I got it wrong.