So did "Jesus" abolish those 613 commandments?
In a word: NO!
Many Christians, in order to show Torah observant believers the "error of their ways," gleefully and with undertones of sarcasm bring up the fact that "no one can keep those old 613 commandments." Fact is, hardly any of these Christians realize what the 613 commandments were, in the first place, nor that no one (including Yeshua) has ever kept them all - because most were for the priests; some were only for men while others only for women; some were only for a certain point in time; some for Nazirite vows, and 200+ related to the Temple which is not standing!
They also don't realize that the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments) were more of a man-made tradition rather than an actual number of commandments sent down by YHWH (Yahweh). The idea originated in the Talmud which says there are both "positive" and "negative" mitzvot (do's and don'ts) which can be divided into 365 Negative Mitzvot (to remind us not to do bad things every day of the year) plus 248 Positive Mitzvot (the number of bones in the human body - for a total of 613. In this way, we are able to obey the mitzvot with our entire body.
Similarly, the tzit-tzit (knotted fringes) of the tallit (prayer shawl) are also connected to the 613 commandments. Torah commentator Rashi declared that the number of knots on a tzit-tzit (in its Mishnaic spelling) has the value of 600. When doubled over, each tassel has eight threads and five sets of knots, which totals 13 - for a grand total of 613. This concept reminds tallit wearers of all Torah commandments.
The above way of tying the knots is done by the Ashkenazi Jews, whereas the Sephardic Jews tie the knots in a way that causes them to spell out the Name of YHWH. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value; consequently, the knots of the tzit-tzit on the four corners of a tallit spell out the name of YHWH/Yahweh. When Yeshua returns as "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" (Rev. 19:11-13,16), the tzit-tzits of His tallit will fall - where else, but across his thighs when He returns to earth atop a white horse....
The world needs to be made aware of the fact that, while God gave us many commands to follow, including the Ten Commandments, He did NOT "do away with Torah" (His Divine Instructions in Righteousness found in the first five Books of the Bible without which man would have NO blueprint for moral, holy living). Yeshua attempted to abolish the rabbinical, man-made "stuff" - the opinions and traditions that kept people in bondage. Neither He nor His apostles ever spoke against Torah nor suggested that after Yeshua's death Torah was to become null and void! (That is a strictly Christian concept which cannot be verified in the Scriptures!) Paul (upon whose much-misunderstood writings Christianity has based its entire theology) verified this when he said: Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. (Romans 3:31)
For those who are truly interested in learning more about the God we serve, we invite you to join us as we examine this issue in detail!
Matt 5:20 (KJV)