Positive Commandment 1 (Digest)
Belief in G-d
"I am the L-rd, your G‑d"—Exodus 20:2.
The very first mitzvah is to believe in G‑d—a primal entity that is the cause and origin of all that exists.
The first mitzvah is that we are commanded to acquire knowledge of the nature of G‑d's existence, i.e., to understand that He is the Original cause and Source of existence Who brings all creations into being.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "I am G‑d your Lord."
[We see that this commandment is included in the total of 613 from] the end of the tractate Makkos, which states, "613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai. From which verse do we see this? — 'The Torah which was commanded to us by Moshe.' " This indicates [that the number of mitzvos which Moshe commanded us equals] the numerical value of the word Torah. The Gemara than asks, "But is this the proper numerical value? It only totals 611!" The answer was given, "The two commandments 'I am G‑d your Lord' and 'Do not have any other gods' were heard from G‑d directly" [and not through Moshe. They are therefore not alluded to in the word Torah in this verse, which refers only to those 611 mitzvos which were given through Moshe. It is included, however, in the total of 613.]
It is clear from this passage that "I am G‑d your Lord," i.e., knowledge of G‑d, as explained above, is counted as one of the 613 mitzvos.
Negative Commandment 1 (Digest)
Idol Worship
"You shall have no other gods besides Me"—Exodus 20:3.
The very first prohibition is against ascribing G‑dly powers to any entity other than G‑d.
The first prohibition is that we are forbidden from entertaining the thought that there is any deity other than G‑d.
The source of this prohibition is G‑d's 'statement' (although He is so exalted that the term "speech" cannot really be applied to Him), "Do not have any other gods before me."
In the end of Makkos it is explained that this prohibition is included among the 613 commandments, as they state there, "613 commandments were given to Moshe at Sinai." We have explained this proof in the 1st of the Positive Mitzvos.
Positive Commandment 2 (Digest)
G-d’s Unity
"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G‑d, the L-rd is One"—Deuteronomy 6:4.
We are commanded to believe and acknowledge that the One who provides existence to all of creation is one.
The 2nd mitzvah is that we are commanded to acquire knowledge of the nature of G‑d's Unity, i.e. to understand that the Original Creator and Source of all existence is One.
The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement (exalted be He), "Hear [i.e. "understand"] O Israel, G‑d is our Lord, G‑d is One."
In most Midrashim you will find this mitzvah described [in the context of G‑d's statement that a certain kindness was done to the Jewish people,] "on condition that they unify My Name," "on condition that they unite Me," or a similar expression. They mean to say that G‑d took us out of bondage and heaped kindness upon us upon condition that we have His Unity firmly fixed in our minds — since we are required to do so. [From this we see that knowledge of His Unity is an actual requirement, and is therefore counted as one of the 613 commandments.]
In many places the expression is used, "the mitzvah of His Unity" [the word "mitzvah" also indicating that this counts as one of the 613 commandments.]
Our Sages also called this mitzvah "Kingdom," saying that [the paragraph Shema is read before V'haya] "in order to accept upon oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven," i.e. to acknowledge and comprehend His Unity.
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