It was just 10 days ago.  When another crazed terrorist decided to attack a Jewish institution  And, amazingly, this past Shabat, when we returned (perhaps with more trepidation) to shul, we experienced the reassurance of being granted the 10 Commandments.

Yes, Yitro, named after Moshe’s father-in-law,  was the weekly reading from the Tora this past weekend.  As if the Supreme Being knew we’d need affirmation to keep on keeping on.

The weekly reading starts out with our affirmation- before we know what the rules will be- to  accept the laws.  Our reply- “we will do and we will adhere”.

Obviously, that was utterance is often easier said than performed, because we’ve often failed to follow the 613 mitzvot.  OK, some of us actually even fail to adhere to the more basic 10 Commandments.

When the 10 Commandments were provided the Jewish people, though our prophet and leader Moshe (Moses),  the words were both seen and heard.

Just imaging that sound was akin to the ones heard a few days ago in New Zealand and Alaska- thousands of miles away from that volcano eruption in Tonga.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4j05KvTRA

But, back to the matter at hand.  What does the 10 Commandments teach us?

1. I am Hashem*, your God…
   This is a key utterance. After all, should we fail to acknowledging that Hashem is ‘it’, nothing else really matters. Knowing that Hashem is the Supreme Being helps us strive to be the best we can be.
2. You shall have no other gods before Hashem…
   Think about this.  It’s not money, prestige, or stardom. What counts is just Hashem- the only true Supreme Being. So, we can truly understand what are the most important things in this world.
3. You shall not take the name of Hashem, your God, in vain
   This is the most broken commandment in the world. So many misguided people believe that Hashem is on their side- so they assert they can do no wrong. Yet, those same folks discriminate against others; they kill innocent people. There simply is no right to misuse or demean Hashem’s name to justify doing evil.
4. Remember Shabat and keep it holy  (this version of the commanment is changed when we get the second utterances (after Moshe breaks the tablets upon seeing the Jews creating and praying to a “golden calf”,  to “keep” Shabat. You do know that the Ten Commandments are listed twice in the Bible- once in the Book of Sh’mot [Exodus] and the other in the Book of D’varim [Deuteronomy]).
   This holiday of Shabat is simply a commandment to just rest. We are told to not let the world encroach upon our lives. Instead we spend the day rejuvenating our spirits and rejoicing (and relaxing) with our families.  And, in so doing, we are testifying to others that Hashem matters.  In these days of the pandemic, when we work from home (feeling it 24X7), this requirement to take a day of rest is even more welcome than in previous times
5. Honor your father and your mother…
   This 5th commandment is found on the first tablet. Because we, as parents, are commanded to teach our children well, to insure they understand their role in the continuing creation and perfection of this world. So, it is manifest on child and parent alike to maintain this continuum.  And, because we (you and me) were created by Hashem- with the direct help of our mothers and fathers.
6. You shall not murder
   This is the first commandment inscribed on the second tablet.  Here,  we get to the commandments that we can better comprehend. After all, civilization cannot survive if murder is tolerated. But, did you realize that this directive is the counterpart to recognizing that Hashem is God.  After all,  only Hashem may create or destroy life- not us.   Moreover, this commandment means we must protect from destroying another human’s reputation.
7. You shall not commit adultery
   Family life is critical for maintaining and extending our culture. Having an affair with a married woman is no different from straying from belief in Hashem. (This is the second commandment on the second tablet- the parallel to the second commandment on the first tablet).
8. You shall not steal
   This commandment, despite what you may think, is not simply discussing theft per se. NO, the concept of thievery is more extensive; for example, it also covers the need to fulfill one’s obligations.  We can’t expect compensation without justification.  Again, we note that the first five commandments are commitments between Man and Hashem, while the second five are the parallels to those first five and describe relations between Man and Man.  As such, this concept of theft, where we don’t live up to our obligations, is akin to not taking Hashem’s name seriously- both are failure to meet our promises.
9. You shall not bear false witness
   This missive is not just discussing the problem of lying in court. It includes things like harmful speech, slander, rumors, and gossip- all of which are outlawed by this commandment. And, just like we need to keep the Shabat, ensuring the portal for Hashem to be part of our life and this world is opened, we need to follow the 9th commandment, insuring that the portal never gets closed. (The Torah version of leprosy was not the disease we know by that name today- but a malaise that arose from bearing false witness or engaging in slander- whereby the perpetrator was separated from the community and lost the aura of Shabat in the community.)
10. You shall not covet
    From this commandment, we recognize that it’s not just speech and actions that are a concern for us, but so are our thoughts. We need to guard our thoughts from crossing the line- akin to the job our parents provide to teach us right from wrong, to follow the precepts of Hashem. Moreover, when we covet, we fail to realize that there may be enough to satisfy our needs- but never enough to satiate our greed.

 

After that reading, we are ready to meet the world. To confront those that deny our ability to exist in this world.

Because Hashem has outlined the path for us.

*Hashem:  This simply means “The Name”.  We lost the ability and knowledge to pronounce the holy name of the Supreme Being.  (It was uttered by the High Priest, the Kohen HaGadol, on Yom Kipur to the congregation.  And, the last Kohen HaGadol died some 1950 years ago.

 

Yesterday was the first day we could file our personal taxes.  There’s still time to obtain the book I wrote to help y’all pay the lowest amount of taxes required by law.