The 10 Commandments
The 10 commandments were given to Moses at Mount Sinae about 1300 years BC. The exact date is not known.
About 600,000 men at Mount Sinae chose to accept the commandments and entered into a covenant with God.
The covenant is a contract. Males who chose God entered into the covenant with God by circumcising male children 7 days after birth.
Thus, was born the Jewish people.
They chose God. God did not choose them.
The 7 Noahide Laws
Prior to the 10 Commandments, after the great flood about 2400 BC,
Noah railed against God for destroying life on earth.
God and Noah reached a fundamental agreement,
whereby
God would never destroy mankind again. “He would stay out of the affairs of Mankind” (Late Prof. of Judaic Antiquities. Jerusalem university)
and in return,
Mankind would agree to 7 laws to create a moral and just world.
The laws were clearly intended for all mankind, “the sons of Noah”, בני נח
The 7 Noahide Laws
1. Do not worship idols.
2. Do not curse God.
3. Do not to commit murder.
4. Do not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
5. Do not steal.
6. Do not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.
7. Establish courts of justice.
The laws were expanded and increased to 10 commandments. Therefore we will not delve into the deeper meaning of the Noahide laws.
The meaning of the 10 commandments in the Torah
The 10 commandments in the Torah (the original Old Testament) are intended for the ethical and spiritual survival of the Jewish people.
The commandments consist of two types.
5 Religious commandments, for example, belief in God.
5 Ethical commandments, for example, respect for life.
The 10 Commandments
Translated by Aryeh Kaplan
#1
A religious commandment
“I am יהוה ‘Yod Hey Vav Hey’ ‘Elohim’ who brought you out of bondage in Egypt”
אנכי יהוה אלהיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים
Believe in God and his goodness.
Allocation: Keter
#2
A religious commandment
“You shall have no other Gods אלהים, other than Me”
אלהים Elohim
Do not represent Elohim by a statue or a picture in heaven above or earth below.
Allocation: Chokmah
#3
A religious commandment
“Do not take the names of God ‘Adonai’ ‘Elohim’, in vain”
יהוה Adonai Elohim אלהים
Do not speak on behalf of God. Do not use His name trivially or unnecessarily.
Allocation: Binah
#4
A religious commandment
“Remember the Sabbath day (Shabat, Saturday). Keep it holy”
שבת Shabat
One must work only 6 days and not on Shabat, the 7th day. Shabat commences at sunset on Friday evening and closes on sunset Saturday evening.
Allocation: Chesed
#5
A religious commandment
“Honor thy father and thy mother”
כבד את אביך ואת אמך
Respect and preserve your heritage. Respect who and what you are.
Allocation: Netzach
#6
An ethical commandment
“You shall not murder”
לא תרצח
Respect for life. Do not commit murder.
Allocation: Binah
#7
An ethical commandment
“Do not commit adultery”
לא תנאף
Protect the sanctity of marriage. This commandment condemns incest, bestiality, and homosexuality.
Allocation: Gevurah
#8
An ethical commandment
“Do not steal”
לא תגנב
This commandment condemns all forms of dishonesty, for example, plagiarism.
Allocation: Hod
#9
An ethical commandment
“Do not bear false witness”
לא תענה ברעך עד שקר
This commandment condemns gossip, slander לשון הרע Lashon hara (Evil speech), and judging others.
Allocation: Yesod
#10
An ethical commandment
“You shall not covet”
לא תחמוד אשת רעך ולא תחמוד בית רעך ושדהו ועבדו ואמתו ושורו וחמרו וכל אשר לרעך
The 10th commandment prohibits selfish desire for anything that belongs to others.
Allocation: Malkut
Commentary on the Commandments
The 7 Noahide laws are intended for all mankind.
The 10 commandments are intended for Jewish people.
In the Jewish tradition it is blasphemous to consider Jesus as any form of God.
Jesus did not exist when the commandments were accepted at Mount Sinai. Jewish tradition views Jesus as a man, not a divine entity, and the concept of God having a son is considered nonsensical, as all humans are considered children of God.
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