Commandment

Verse

481   You shall not pity a murderer.

             The “you” is singular.

Deut. 19:13

482   You shall not move a landmark of your neighbor.

             The “you” is singular.  The interpretation of this verse is controversial.  The sages and rabbis

             interpret this verse to refer to an individual field possessed by an Israelite, assuming that it

             prohibited one from stealing another’s property by moving his boundary marker.  But I believe

             this verse is a commandment to the congregation in general.  Therefore, I see this verse as

             referring to the landmarks or boundaries between the three areas mentioned in Commandment

             481, vss.19:1-3.  For more on this, see rubinspace.org.

Deut. 19:14

483   Guilt for an iniquity or sin shall be established on the basis of no less than

          two witnesses.

Deut. 19:15

484   You shall do to a false witness what he tried to do to his neighbor.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment is addressed to the priest or a judge.

Deut. 19:18,19

485  When you are preparing to go into battle the priest shall remind the

          warriors of God's being with them.

             The “you” is plural.

Deut. 20:2-4

486   When preparing for battle the officers shall excuse those with new homes

          not yet lived in, those having planted vineyards not yet harvested, those

          who have not consecrated their marriage, and those who are faint-hearted.

Deut. 20:5-8

487   When you will approach a far away city to fight it, you shall make it an offer

          of peace.

             The “you” is singular.  This refers to a city that is not in the land of Israel.

Deut. 20:10

488   If a city responds with peace, all of its people shall be tribute for you and

         shall serve you.

             The two instances of “you” are singular.  Presumably, they would be slaves to Israel.

Deut. 20:11

489   If a city fights with you, you shall lay siege on it and you shall smite all its

         males.

             The three instances of “you” are singular.

Deut. 20:12,13

490   The women, children, and cattle and all that is in the conquered city shall

          be spoil for you.

             The “you” is singular.

Deut. 20:14

491   From the cities of these peoples, the inheritance that the Lord, your God,

         will be giving you, you shall not let anything breathing live.

             The “your” and the two instances of “you” are singular.  This is commanded after the spoil

             (Commandment 493) has been removed.

Deut. 20:16

492   When you lay siege to a city you shall not destroy any fruit trees.

             The “you” is singular.  In preparing battering rams, do not use fruit trees.

Deut. 20:19

493   When you lay siege to a city you may cut down only trees that will bear no

          fruit.

             The “you” is singular.

Deut. 20:20

494   The procedures for an unsolved murder shall be followed.

Deut. 21:1-9

495   The procedures for the captive woman shall be followed.

Deut. 21:10-14

496   A man who has two wives shall give double to his first born son if he is of

          the less desirable wife.

Deut. 21:15-17

497   Parents of a chastened but unrepentant rebellious and stubborn son who

          is a glutton and a drunkard shall take him to be stoned to death by the

          men of the city.

             This seems unduly cruel, but the Lord knows the most loving alternative in this circumstance.

             It also ensures that the parents will do everything in their power to prevent this consequence.

Deut. 21:18-21

498   The body of a convicted sinner who is put to death and has been hanged

          on a tree shall be taken down and buried the same day.

Deut. 21:22,23

499   You shall return anything lost by your kinsman to him.

             The “you” is singular.  This means as soon as an individual is aware of it.  This commandment

             applies to any Jew who finds something lost.

Deut. 22:1-3

500   You shall not keep hidden anything your kinsman loses.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment also applies to the same Jew.

Deut. 22:1-3

501   You shall help your kinsman to lift his burdened fallen animal.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment applies to any Jew who comes upon this situation.

Deut. 22:4

502   A woman shall not wear anything of a man's.

             This is why you will never see an orthodox woman in pants.

Deut. 22:5

503   A man shall not wear anything of a woman's.

Deut. 22:5

504   You shall not take a mother bird perched on its young or eggs in the nest.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment applies to any Jew who encounters a nest.

Deut. 22:6

505   You shall drive away the mother bird before taking its eggs or chicks from

          its nest.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment also applies to the same Jew.

Deut. 22:7

506   When building a house you shall put a parapet around the roof.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment applies to any Jew who builds a house in Israel.

Deut. 22:8

507   You shall not sow your vineyard with diverse seed.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment applies to any Jewish farmer.

Deut. 22:9

508   You shall not pull your plow with two different kinds of animals.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment also applies to any Jewish farmer.

Deut. 22:10

509   You shall not wear a garment of wool and linen fibers mingled together.

                This commandment is an elucidation of Commandment 232, Lev. 19:19.

Deut.  22:11

510   You shall make twisted threads on the four corners of the garment with

          which you cover yourself.

             The two instances of “you” and the “your” are singular and masculine.  This is similar to

             Commandments 365 and 366, Numb. 15:38, except that there the second-person pronouns are

             plural.  So this commandment applies only to any Jew who wears a four-cornered garment.

Deut.  22:12

511   The procedures regarding a hateful husband and his virgin wife shall be

          followed.

Deut.  22:13-21

512   The statutes regarding rape shall be obeyed.

Deut. 22:23-29

513   A man shall not uncover the skirt of his father.

Deut. 23:1

514   One with crushed testicles or maimed private parts shall not enter into the

          assembly of the Lord.

             The term “the assembly of the Lord” is found only in these three verses (four commandments)

             and in Deut. 23:9 below.  It must be presumed to mean the children of Israel.

Deut. 23:2

515   A bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.

Deut. 23:3

516   Even the tenth generation of a bastard shall not enter into the assembly of

          the Lord.

             Presumably this is a euphemism for “never.

Deut. 23:3

517   An Ammonite or a Moabite shall never enter into the assembly of the Lord.

Deut. 23:4

518   You shall never seek the peace or favor of the Ammonite or Moabite.

             The “you” is singular..

Deut. 23:7

519   You shall not detest an Edomite.

             The “you” is singular.

Deut. 23:8

520   You shall not detest an Egyptian.

             The “you” is singular.

Deut. 23:8

521   The children of the third generation of an Edomite or Egyptian shall not be

          prevented from entering into the assembly of the Lord.

             This has to mean the great grandchildren of an Edomite or Egyptian whose families had lived in

             Israel continuously as strangers or sojourners for two generations following their entry into

             Israel.

Deut. 23:9

522   The statutes regarding a man’s night occurrence in camp shall be followed.

             Ordinarily this verse would not yield a commandment, since it appears to be temporary.  But

             it could also apply to times of war or preparation for war.  As such, it applies only in Israel.

Deut. 23:11-14

523   You shall follow the statutes regarding an escaped servant.

             The “you” is singular.  See my remarks about this in rubinspace.org.

Deut. 23:16,17

524   There shall be no sodomite from the sons of Israel.

Deut. 23:18

525   You shall not bring the wage of harlotry or the gain of male prostitution in

          the house of the Lord.

             The “you” is singular.  Those who bring offerings to the Tabernacle/Temple shall not be engaged

              in either of these activities.

Deut. 23:19

526   You shall not lend with interest to your kinsman.

             The “you” is singular.  Those who are able to lend may not collect interest from a fellow Jew.

Deut. 23:20

527   You shall not delay making good a vow to the Lord.

             The “you” is singular.  Those who would make a vow are addressed here.  They shall fulfill a vow

             as soon as they are able.

Deut. 23:22

528   You shall do freely what you have promised aloud to the Lord.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment is addressed to those who would promise (aloud) to

             the Lord.  Why doesn’t this include those who might make a silent promise?  Who knows?  But

             it doesn’t.

Deut. 23:24

529   You may reasonably eat grapes in your neighbor's vineyard.

             The “you” is singular.  This commandment is addressed to those who have a neighbor with a

             vineyard.

Deut. 23:25

530   You may not take away grapes from your neighbor's vineyard.

             The “you” here is also singular.

Deut. 23:25

531   You may strip off ears of standing corn from your neighbor's field.

             The “you” here is also singular.

Deut. 23:26

532   You may not wield a sickle against the standing corn of your neighbor's

          field.

Deut. 23:26

533   A man may not remarry his ex-wife if she had married another and was

          divorced again.

Deut. 24:1-4

534   A man newly married shall not go to the army or be required for any

          business for one year.

             The first part of this commandment is somewhat reminiscent of Commandment 490 above,

             Deut. 20:5-8.  This goes further than the other.

Deut. 24:5

535   A mill or millstone shall not be taken for collateral for a loan.

Deut. 24:6

536   You shall not enter a man's house to fetch his collateral for a loan.

             All the instances of “you” or “your” from this commandment until the last one are singular.

Deut. 24:10

537   You shall wait outside a borrower's house to get collateral for a loan from

          him.

Deut. 24:11

538   If a borrower is poor, you shall not keep his collateral overnight.

Deut. 24:12

539   You shall return a poor borrower's collateral at sunset.

Deut. 24:13

540   You shall pay the wage of a poor hired servant before sunset.

Deut. 24:14,15

541   Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children.

Deut. 24:16

542   Children shall not be put to death because of their fathers.

Deut. 24:16

543   Fathers or children shall each be put to death for their own sins.

Deut. 24:16

544   You shall not take a garment as collateral from a widow.

Deut. 24:17

545   If you forget a sheaf when you are reaping your harvest, you shall not go

         back to get it.

Deut. 24:19

546   When you beat your olive tree, you shall not glean after yourself.

Deut. 24:20

547   When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean after

          yourself.

Deut. 24:21

548   You shall leave a forgotten sheaf, olive tree gleanings, and vineyard

          gleanings for the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.

Deut. 24:19-21

549   When judging between a righteous one and a wicked one, the judge shall

          direct lashes for the latter sufficient for the degree of his wickedness.

Deut. 25:1,2

550   No more than forty lashes shall be permitted for punishment in a dispute

          before the judge.

Deut. 25:3

551   You shall not muzzle an ox working in a corn crop.

             The assumption is that the ox may feed from the crop.

Deut. 25:4

552   The laws of the surviving brother-in-law shall be observed.

Deut. 25:5-10

553   If a woman grabs the private parts of a man fighting with her husband, you

         shall cut off her hand.

             There must be mitigating circumstances so the wife’s hand is not cut off.  Say, if she was sure

             that the man was going to kill her husband.  Say also, her husband commanded her to do it.

             Wouldn’t she be obligated to obey him?

Deut. 25:11,12

554   You shall not forget to blot out the memory of Amalek.

             Remember, Joshua fought Amalek and defeated him while the Israelites were in the wilderness.

             See Exodus Chapter 17, verses 8 to 16.

Deut. 25:19

555   You shall give the basket of first fruits of the land to the priest and declare

          and testify these words to him.

             The words specified begin in Deut. 26:5 and continue from there until the beginning of v.10.

Deut. 26:3-10

556   When you have completed your third-year tithe, you shall say before the

          Lord the declaration in vss. 13 - 15.

Deut. 26:12-15

557   One in mourning, thus unclean, may not eat of the third-year tithe.

             Recall that the third-year tithe was for the stranger, the widow, the orphan, and the Levite who

             was in the town and was not serving in the Temple.

Deut. 26:14

558   None of the third-year tithe may be given for the dead.

             The verse may be interpreted to mean that the person whose tithe it is, if a mourner,  has not

             eaten any of the third-year tithe or sold any of it for a coffin or a shroud.  One other implication of

             the wording of this verse may be that the mourner would have been in the first day of mourning,

             since he would hint at not buying a coffin or shroud with the tithe.  Dead Jews are to be normally

             buried within 24 hours of their death.

Deut. 26:14

559   Every seventh year on Sukkoth in the year of release, the Torah shall be

          read to all assembled before the Lord.

             The assumption must be that the entire Torah is read aloud throughout the seven days of the

             festival every seven years.

Deut. 31:12