There are three hundred and sixty-five prohibitions in the
law, said the Rabbins, just as many as there are days in the
year, and two hundred and forty-eight positive commands,
corresponding to the number of members of the body, according
to their anatomy; the whole number making six hundred and
thirteen precepts. “There can be no more precepts or any less,”
reasoned the wise Pharisees, “because there are just six hundred
and thirteen letters in the decalog.” Or if one had not liked
this interpretation, they would have given him another equally
satisfactory reason why there should be just six hundred and
thirteen precepts. In Numbers 15:38, the Jews are commanded to
wear fringes, called in the Hebrew tsitsith, upon the border
of their garments. Now, as there are eight threads and five
knots in each fringe, making the number thirteen, and as the
letters of the word tsitsith stand in Hebrew for the number six
hundred, therefore, as was proved before, there must be just
six hundred and thirteen precepts in the Mosaic law. To such
silly word jugglery had the Pharisees recourse in placing upon
men’s shoulders burdens too grievous to be borne.--_The Golden
Rule._
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