The puzzle of the 613 commandments and why bother

Philip J. Caplan

This unique introduction to the TaRYaG begins with an overview of the literature on the subject, including the works of Maimonides and Nachmanides, the Zohar harakia, and contributions from twentieth-century scholars such as Haim Nachman Bialik. Certain controversial topics, including the religious validity of Zionism, and women's issues, are also explored as they are expressed within the TaRYaG literature, as are some of the deeper spiritual ideas embedded in the study of the 613 commandments. The second half of Caplan's work presents an in-depth look at particular commandments and topics elaborated on by the major authors, including the status of prayer in Jewish law, money-lending, and whether all of the 613 commandments were given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The material is presented in a way that makes it accessible to people with little formal knowledge of the sources, with extensive translations provided when the flavor of the original is necessary for its proper understanding.