"Yisro — Part V — Mitzvah #1 and the First Word of Obligation"

5.1 — Is “אָנֹכִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ” a Mitzvah? Abarbanel’s Foundational Question

The Question That Precedes All Questions

The Torah opens the Aseres HaDibros not with a command, but with a declaration:
[אָנֹכִי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ — “I am Hashem your G-d”].

Abarbanel asks the question that determines the architecture of Torah itself: Can this be a mitzvah? If mitzvot command action, how can existence—or belief—be commanded? And if belief cannot be commanded, what is this statement doing at the head of all obligation?

This is not a technical problem. It is the foundation upon which every command rests.

Abarbanel’s Dilemma: Command or Premise?

Abarbanel formulates the dilemma sharply. If “Anochi” is a mitzvah, it commands belief. But belief, by its nature, is not an act of will; one cannot choose to believe what one knows to be false. If “Anochi” is not a mitzvah, then the Dibros begin only with prohibitions—leaving the Torah without a positive foundation.

Either option seems untenable.

Abarbanel refuses both shortcuts.

Belief Cannot Be Legislated

Abarbanel insists on an intellectual honesty that many avoid: belief cannot be coerced. A command that presupposes acceptance cannot create acceptance. To command belief would be to misunderstand the human mind and undermine Torah’s credibility.

Yet Abarbanel also rejects the idea that Torah begins without obligation. If “Anochi” is merely descriptive, the covenant floats without anchor.

Anochi as the Ground of Obligation

Abarbanel’s resolution is profound: “Anochi” is not a command among commands—it is the source of command.

It does not legislate belief; it establishes authority. The statement “I am Hashem your G-d” functions as the reason mitzvot obligate at all. It is not one brick in the structure; it is the foundation beneath it.

Before there can be “you shall” or “you shall not,” there must be “I am.”

Why Sinai Matters Here

This is why Sinai had to precede mitzvah. Abarbanel emphasizes that “Anochi” only works because it is grounded in public revelation. Authority is not asserted; it is encountered. The declaration binds because it refers back to an experienced reality.

Without Sinai, “Anochi” would be philosophy. With Sinai, it becomes obligation.

Rambam and the Count of the Mitzvot

Rambam famously counts “Anochi” as Mitzvah #1 — to know there is a G-d. Abarbanel does not dispute Rambam’s conclusion, but he clarifies its nature. The mitzvah is not to believe, but to know—to maintain fidelity to the truth already revealed.

Knowledge can be preserved, deepened, and protected. That is commandable.

From Existence to Relationship

Notice the language: “your G-d.” Abarbanel stresses that authority here is relational, not abstract. “Anochi” does not announce a metaphysical fact alone; it establishes a covenantal bond. Obligation flows from relationship, not coercion.

This explains why “Anochi” precedes law but is not reducible to law.

Chassidic Insight: Truth Before Avodah

Chassidic masters frame this as the difference between emet and avodah. Truth is not achieved through effort; it is recognized. Avodah begins only after truth is acknowledged. “Anochi” names truth so that service can follow without distortion.

Application for Today

Modern culture often treats belief as preference. Abarbanel insists it is foundation. Torah does not ask us to invent faith, but to remain loyal to what was made known. Obligation does not suppress freedom; it anchors it in reality.

Before asking what we should do, Torah teaches us who stands before us.

📖 Sources

• Full sources available on the Mitzvah Minute Parshas Yisro page under insights and commentaries.