Sefer Hamitzvot ("Book of Commandments", ) is a work by the 12th-century rabbi, philosopher, and physician, Moses Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modifier refers to Maimonides' work. It is a listing of all the commandments of the Torah, with a brief description for each. It originally appeared in Judaeo-Arabic under the title "Kitab al-Farai'd", and was translated into Hebrew by the Provençal rabbi Moses ibn Tibbon (first printed 1497) as well as by ibn Hasdai, in the 13th century. A new Hebrew translation from the original Judaeo-Arabic was made by the noted Yemenite scholar, Rabbi Yosef Qafih.

Premise

In the work, Maimonides lists all the 613 mitzvot traditionally contained in the Torah (Pentateuch). He describes the following fourteen principles (Hebrew: כללים) to guide his selection. (For each rule, Maimonides cites many illustrative examples. We present only one or two examples for each rule.)

Commentaries

The work is the subject of a number of commentaries, including one from Nahmanides, one titled Megillath Esther ("Scroll of Esther", by Isaac Leon ibn Zur (although often incorrectly attributed to Isaac de Leon), bearing no direct relationship with the Biblical Book of Esther), and others titled Lev Sameach (by Rabbi Abraham Allegri) and Kinath Soferim. In an appendix, Nahmanides lists commandments that might have merited individual inclusion in his estimation.

Influence

This work is regarded as the most authoritative listing of the commandments, and numerous later works rely on its enumeration (some with minor variations). After their promotion by the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, several of Maimonides's works are studied daily by followers of the Chabad movement.