Q: What's wrong with the 613 commandments?

A: Nothing wrong. However, not all of them are applicable in a time without the Temple in Jerusalem.

Q. How many commandments are potentially applicable today?

A: According to the Chafetz Chaim, "The Little Book of Mitzvoth", a total of 297 are applicable today, however the exact total can vary widely depending on the exact circumstances of the individual (hence the creation of this site).

Q: What is the source for your listing of the commandments? I understand there are a number of lists that don't agree with each other.

A: Our source is the "Sefer Hachinuch", cross referenced where possible with Maimonides. All authoritative lists agree on a total of 613 Biblical commandments, however it is correct that various authorities have different choices of what the 613 are.

Q: Is it true that some commandments "repeat" themselves?

A: Each commandment makes a particular point, however there are a number of commandments that strongly resemble each other, such as "Don't desecrate the Sabbath", and "Keep the Sabbath". We provide a function to consolidate such parallel commandments.

Q: I find that many commandments that are listed for me are not particularly relevant.

A: That's fine. You can "hide" it, or make a group of the less relevant ones. (For example people will group all the various commandments on Illicit Relations into one - they got the point).

Q: Are these commandments just for Jews or do they apply to people of other faiths?

A: According to Jewish tradition the 613 commandments (or their derivatives) only apply to Jews. Non-Jews are only obligated in what is known as the 7 Noachide commandments, though many of the other commandments are fairly good advice. It's recommended that you seek religious guidance within your own faith or tradition.

Q: Am I a bad person if I don't keep the commandments?

A: Nobody is perfect. We all have our work cut out for us. An idea of the list is to enable a person to prioritize the commandments they want to work on. Good luck.

Q: Are you Rabbis?

A: Some of the contributors have Rabbinic ordination. However this program does not have any formal Rabbinic supervision or approval, though a few thought it was really cool.

Q: What makes you qualified to present this material?

A: Nothing in particular. Read a lot. Asked a lot of questions. We like making lists and no one else was doing anything like this.

Q: This is a great idea. How can we help out?

A: Donations will go a big way. See Support and Participate pages. If you have more ambitious ideas, don't hesitate to be in touch.

Q: Are you connected or affiliated with any organization?

A: No. But would be happy for some organization to bankroll us.