Sefer HaMitzvot For Youth - Volumes 1 & 2

תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב
The Torah which Moses commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33:4).

This verse teaches us that from the moment a Jewish child is born, he acquires an infinitely abundant inheritance, the entire Torah belongs to him. Our Sages (Makkot 23b) explain that this verse also serves as the source, which teaches us the exact number of Mitvot.

When we add up the letters of the word min )5-1,6-1,400 ה 200, - л), we reach a total of 611. Moses conveyed min, 611 Mitzvot, to the Jewish people. The first two of the ten commandments: אני - am the Lord, your God," and לא יהיה לך - "You shall have no other gods before Me," we heard from God, Himself, at Mount Sinai. Thus, there are a total of 613 mitzvot which the Jewish people are commanded to observe.

There is a very close bond between these mitzvot, "the Torah which Moses commanded us," and Jewish children. Before God gave the Torah to the Jewish people, He demanded guarantors for this valuable treasure with which He had promised to entrust them. The only guarantors He was willing to accept were the Jewish children (Shir Hashirim Rabbah). Thus, it is the Jewish children's study and observance of these mitzvot which ensure our people's continued connection with the Torah.

This set of books was composed with the intention of clearly outlining these mitzvot and describing them in a manner that will allow a youth or child to conceive of them in terms that he can relate to.