Êxodo 24:12 Halacá: Mishneh Torah, Transmission, Abudarham & Mishneh Torah, Blessings

BY OUR MASTER MOSES BEN MAIMON OF BLESSED MEMORY
"Then should I not be ashamed, when I have regard unto all Thy Commandments". (Ps. 119.6.)
All of the commandments which were given to Moses on Sinai were given together with their oral explanation for, it is said: "And I will give thee the tables of stone, and the Torah and the commandment" (Ex. 24.12.); the Torah, is Holy Writ; and the commandment, its oral explanation. Moreover, He commanded us to observe the Torah by the word of the commandment; thus it is this commandment which is called Oral Torah.

...We find the following in Tosefta Brachos: "Whoever fulfills a commandment must recite a blessing beforehand." This idea is mentioned in Yerushalmi Brachos and is supported by the following verse in Exodus 24: "And I will give you the stone tablets, the law, and the commandment." The law and the commandment are mentioned together because they have a common feature. So goes the argument there: "In the same way that one must recite a blessing when studying the law, one must also recite a blessing when fulfilling a commandment." But why must one recite a blessing when studying the law? We find this question under discussion in Tractate Brachos Chapter 3, as follows: "Whoever reads the Torah must recite a blessing beforehand and afterward. Why must one recite a blessing beforehand? Scripture states: 'When I read aloud the Name of the Lord, attribute greatness to our God' and, elsewhere, 'You are blessed, Lord; teach [us] your statutes.' The law is called the Name of the Lord because it is the study of His great Name. A similar idea is expressed in the following verse: '[When] you are careful to fulfill all the words of this law, to fear this honorable and awesome Name — the Lord your God.' Why must one recite a blessing afterward? It makes sense when using the following logical inference: If one must recite a blessing after eating, which only provides temporary sustenance, then one must certainly recite a blessing after reading the Torah, which provides eternal sustenance. But why must one recite a blessing after eating? Scripture states: 'You will eat, you will be sustained, and you will bless the Lord your God.' That supports the need to recite a blessing afterward, but why must one recite a blessing beforehand? Rabbi Isaac said that it is supported by the following verse: 'He will bless the sacrifice, and then the guests will eat.' Rabbi Nathan said that it is supported by the following verse: 'You must serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread.' The bread is only yours until you eat it. Rabbi felt that it makes sense when using the following logical inference: If one must recite a blessing afterward, when one is sustained, then one must certainly recite a blessing beforehand, when one is hungry." The blessing recited after reading the Torah should only be recited after a public Torah reading, as stated in Yerushalmi Brachos: "Rabbi Samuel son of Avdima said that the logical inference used to establish that a blessing be recited after reading the Torah based on the blessing that is recited after eating is only used to establish that a blessing be recited after a public Torah reading; however, an individual studying Torah alone should not recite a blessing afterward."

There are some affirmative precepts in regard to which there is an obligation sedulously to strive to fulfil them; as, for example, to put on phylacteries, dwell in a booth on the feast of Tabernacles, take in the hand a palm branch together with the other plants on that feast, hear the sound of the ram's horn on the New Year. These are termed obligatory because there is an unconditional obligation to fulfill them. Again there are religious duties which are not obligatory but are in a sense permissive; for example, to affix a Mezuzah to the doors of a house or build a parapet on the roof; since there is no obligation to dwell in a house that requires a Mezuzah to be affixed to it. One may, if one chooses, live all one's lifetime in a tent or on a ship. Similarly there is no obligation to build a house in order to erect a parapet round the roof. Every duty to God, whether permissive or obligatory, requires a blessing to be said before its fulfilment.