The first printed edition of Sefer HaChinuch, 1523, is published.
The Sefer HaChinuch was composed in the Middle-Age Spain, c.1255 – c.1285 CE. The Sefer HaChinuch ("Book of Education") is an anonymous work written in thirteenth-century Spain that details the 613 commandments and explains their reasons.
In his introduction, the author explains that he wrote the book to "awaken the hearts" of his teenage son and his peers, hoping to foster in them a sense of connection to the commandments. For each commandment, the author cites a biblical source, addresses the philosophical underpinnings of the commandment, presents a brief overview of the details of its observance, and summarizes the commandment's applicability. The work remains popular today, especially in educational settings. The work's enumeration of the commandments is based upon Maimonides' system of counting as per his Sefer Hamitzvos; each is listed according to its appearance in the weekly Torah portion, and the work is structured correspondingly.
The book separately discusses each of the 613 commandments from a legal and moral perspective. For each, the Chinuch's discussion starts by linking the mitzvah to its Torah source and then addresses the commandment's philosophical underpinnings. Following this, the Chinuch presents a brief overview of the halakha governing its observance—usually based on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah—and closes with a summary of the commandment's applicability.
Because of this structure, the work remains popular to this day. The philosophic portions are widely quoted and taught, while the legal discussion provides the basis for much further study in yeshivas worldwide. The Minchas Chinuch by "Rabbeinu Yosef" (Rav Yosef Ben Moshe Babad, 1800–1874), Av Beit Din of Ternopil, serves as a legal commentary.
The author does not reveal his name in any manuscript, writing that he is a "Jew of the House of Levi in Barcelona." Scholars have proposed various attributions.
Shalsheles HaKabbalah (a controversial sefer) suggests it might have been written by Harav Aaron HaLevi of Barcelona (1235-c. 1303). However, numerous contradictions exist between the Chinuch and Harav Aaron HaLevi's works.
Harav David ibn Abi Zimra (Metzudat David (1556)) attributes it to a certain "Rabbi Barukh" without giving his source. Sone suggest Avraham ben Hassan HaLevi. Some even argue that Harav Aharon HaLevi's brother, Pinchas ben Yosef HaLevi, composed the book.
First printed edition of Sefer HaChinuch, 1523. It still makes the great Bar Mitzva gift 477 years later.