Roots Outstretched — English Translation

A study of Maimonides’ fourteen methodological roots in his Sefer HaMitzvot, organized in 16 lessons across 5 conceptual categories.

Contents

1. Lesson 1: General Introduction
2. Lesson 2: Category 1 — The First Root
3. Lesson 3: Category 1 — The Second Root
4. Lesson 4: Category 2 — The Third Root
5. Lesson 5: Category 2 — The Thirteenth Root
6. Lesson 6: Category 3 — The Fourth Root
7. Lesson 7: Category 3 — The Ninth Root
8. Lesson 8: Category 3 — The Sixth Root
9. Lesson 9: Category 4 — The Fifth Root
10. Lesson 10: Category 4 — The Eighth Root
11. Lesson 11: Category 4 — The Tenth Root
12. Lesson 12: Category 5 — The Fourteenth Root
13. Lesson 13: Category 5 — The Seventh Root
14. Lesson 14: Category 5 — The Eleventh Root
15. Lesson 15: Category 5 — The Twelfth Root
16. Lesson 16: Appendix — The Seven Noahide Commandments

The Structure of the Book: Five Categories of Roots

In the introductory essay, Rabbi Avraham organizes Maimonides’ fourteen roots into five conceptual categories
based on the reason a given root excludes (or includes) commandments from the count of 613.
The lessons in this volume follow that conceptual order, not the original numerical order. As the author himself
notes, the classification is preliminary and not airtight — the fourteenth root in particular is hard to place
firmly in any one category.

Category	Roots	Principle
1. Legal Status (rabbinic vs. biblical)	Roots 1, 2	A commandment is excluded because it does not have full biblical force — either it is a rabbinic enactment (root 1) or it is derived through one of the thirteen hermeneutical principles (root 2).
2. Temporal (the time axis)	Roots 3, 13	Exclusion based on the time at which a commandment applies — non-eternal commandments (root 3) and the rule that a commandment is not multiplied by the number of days on which it applies (root 13).
3. Duplication	Roots 4, 6, 9	Avoiding double-counting within the 613 — general commands that encompass the whole Torah (root 4), how to count a verse with both a positive and a negative element (root 6), and counting the matters prohibited or commanded rather than the verbal formulations (root 9).
4. Nature of the Commandment as Command	Roots 5, 8, 10 (and possibly 14)	The question of whether the item in question is itself an act of commanding at all — the reason for a commandment (root 5), the absence of obligation (root 8), preparatory steps toward a single act (root 10), and possibly the setting of bounds (root 14).
5. Parts of a Commandment	Roots 7, 11, 12 (and possibly 14)	Rules that prevent counting parts of a commandment as separate items — legal details and fine points (root 7), parts whose totality forms one commandment (root 11), and component acts of a single labor (root 12).

Note: Most of the roots are rules of exclusion — they state what should
not be counted. The single exception is root 6, which is a positive rule about how
to count a verse that contains both a positive and a negative obligation.