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When asked how many commandments are in the Torah, most Jewish scholars will answer 613, based on Jewish tradition (the number 613 is sometimes called "taryag" (תריג), an abbreviation for the letters Tav (400) + Resh (200) + Yod (10) + Gimmel (3) = 613). Despite several attempts made over the centuries, however, there has never been a definitive list of these commandments, and of those who tried to compile such, no two agree... Some say the number 613 comes from a fanciful midrash that teaches that since there are 365 days in a year (corresponding to the 365 negative commandments) and 248 "parts" of the body (corresponding to the positive commandments), each day we should use our body to serve God.
Regardless of the exact count, however, the Talmud (Makkot 23b-24a) says, "Moses gave Israel 613 commandments, David reduced them to eleven (Psalm 15), Isaiah to six (Isaiah 33:15-16), Micah to three (Micah 6:8), Isaiah reduced them again to two (Isaiah 56:1); but it was Habakkuk who gave the one essential commandment: v'tzaddik be'emunato yich'yeh, literally, "the righteous, by his faithfulness - shall live." In the New Testament, the apostle Paul had (earlier) distilled the various commandments of the Torah to this same principle of faith (see Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, and Heb. 10:38).
This small phrase, consisting of just three words (וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה), is perhaps the pivotal axis upon which our salvation turns, since it distills the requirement that we are justified by our faith in God, and not by "works of righteousness which we have done" (Titus 3:5). In other words, salvation is "of the LORD," it is his righteousness given to us through his love...
All the Torah's commandments may be derived from the Ten Commandments given at Sinai, the most basic of which is the very First Commandment, namely, "I AM the LORD your God (אָנכִי יְהוָה אֱלהֶיךָ) who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exod. 20:2). This is the starting point for the law, namely to believe that God exists and has personally redeemed you from the slavery of your past. This is the very first step of Torah, since until you personally believe that the Lord is your God who redeems you, none of the other commandments will have any traction within your heart... Amen, Yeshua taught us the law of faith in God's love (תורת האמונה), which preempts, overrules, and informs all the others...
Hebrew Lesson
Habbakuk 2:4 Hebrew reading (click):
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