The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments THE 10 = 613 + 7 Mitzvot The 10 = 613 + 7 Mitzvot Notice the phrase the Ten Commandments, which reads: Elohim spoke all these words [devarim], saying (see Exodus 20:1). The Hebrew word for commandments is mitzvot, while the Torah here refers to these commandments as devarim, a Hebrew word meaning words or statements. So, it would be more accurate to say that the Jewish people received the Ten Statements at Mount Sinai, not the Ten Commandments. Indeed, there are actually 613 Mitzvot in the Torah, not just 10! So, you might ask, if there are 613 Mitzvot in the Torah, why were these ten singled out at Mount Sinai? Most Bible commentators explain that these ten statements are actually ten principles of Judaism which incorporate within them the rest of the Torah Mitzvot. Indeed, Rashi, in his commentary to Exodus 24:12, cites Saadia Gaon who composed a special poem of the 613 Mitzvot called Azharos in which he specified which of the 613 Mitzvot are connec