THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: What is the First Commandment really saying?

אנכי ה ‘אלקיך

Yesterday, we explained that the opening statement of the Ten Commandments “I am HaShem your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Ex. 20: 2) can be seen as an introduction to the 10 Commandments, or as an independent precept, a Mitsva. Following this second opinion, the Rambam’s, we must ask, what exactly is the particular obligation that this commandment is indicating us to do or to believe?

Traditionally, it is understood that this commandment expresses our duty to believe in the “existence” of God. Which, as we saw, was questioned by some rabbis who felt that our belief in God should not be the subject of a biblical “ordinance.”

 

There may be, however, a slightly deeper way of understanding this commandment which I believe will help us to understand it better, and it would make easier for us to harmonize between the two conflicting opinions.

To begin with, we must read carefully the brief but very precise words of the Rambam in Sefer HaMitsvot and in MT, Yesode HaTora 1: 5-6, which shows that Maimonides refers to the belief in God’s existence as an ‘iqar, a principle of our faith, rather than as an “order” to fulfill. We, the Jewish people have acquired the knowledge of the existence of God, first, by our ancestors, who were eyewitnesses to the revelation of God at Mount Sinai. We “inherited” their experience, and we became “witnesses” of His existence. Based on this experience that we inherited, we also develop our own intellectual perception and our personal experience of God’s existence.
If so, if this command does not express the order to believe in the “existence” of God, what is this commanding ordering us?

We should examine in depth two words. The first, is the verb “to be” in the present tense (I am) and the second, is the Hebrew word ELOQEJA (conventionally translated as “your God”).

I AM
Let us read again the first three words of the First Commandment: “אנכי ה אלקיך”. Traditionally they are translated as “I am HaShem ELOQEJA (= your God)”. But here we can identify an ambiguity. In Hebrew, the verb “to be” in the present tense is never written. The word “am” (=I am) in Hebrew, does not exist, it is rather implicit in the sentence. This, therefore, gives us some room to try a different translation, without straying at all from the literal meaning of this verse. Instead of “I am HaShem ELOQEJA” we could translate it as “I, HaShem, I am ELOQEJA”.
What is the difference?

When understood as a commandment, “I am HaShem ELOQEJA” would seemingly indicate the obligation to believe in the existence of God. While “I, HaShem, am ELOQEJA” would be saying that HaShem, Whom we already know and believe in Him, He is our ELOQEJA. In this second reading, God’s existence is a given, a known fact. And the obligation that follows here is to affirm and behave knowing that HaShem is our ELOQEJA.

ELOQEJA
Now, the million dollar question is what does “ELOQEJA” mean? The name Eloqim, usually translated as “God”, actually means “Supreme and Sovereign Judge,” in other words: the Highest Authority. Thus, this commandment would NOT be indicating our obligation to believe in the “existence” of God but to accept Him as the supreme authority which governs our lives; our Sovereign.

The difference between these two readings of the First Commandment may seem insignificant. But think about this: many people with liberal values might believe in the existence of a Creator, but might still be unwilling to accept Him as Someone they must obey. Saying that HaShem is our ELOQIM, is asserting that He has the authority to establish what is right and what is wrong.
To conclude, we could rephrase the first Commandment as follows: “You must know that I, HaShem, I am your ELOQEJA, your Sovereign. I freed you from slavery in Egypt, and now you are no longer under the authority of Pharaoh. Now you are exclusively under MY jurisdiction.”

 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: A Mitsva or a preamble?

Today we begin to analyze the first of the Ten Commandments. As we shall see, understanding what this commandment is saying is not easy. Why? Mainly because the First Commandment is not formulated in the imperative mode. Thus the Tora says: “I am HaShem your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.” Here, seemingly, there is NO specific order as in the case for example of “You Shall Not Kill”. The First Commandment does not tell us that we have to do something or avoid doing anything …
Therefore, the first question we need to address: is this Commandment a Biblical precept, an order we must follow, or is it just a preamble to the other commandments, that is: the way the Creator presents Himself to the people of Israel before pronouncing His commandments.
Through history, rabbis debated at length about the nature of the First Commandment. For Maimonides, for example, despite not being formulated in the imperative mode, the First Commandment expresses a command to follow; roughly: to “believe in God.”
For other rabbis, such as Nahmanides or Rabbi Hasdai Crescas, the First Commandment does not express a specific order to follow. Rabbi Crescas writes in his book “Or HaShem” that there cannot be a commandment that requires us to believe in the existence of God. Recognizing God’s existence cannot be a “law” but a “philosophical” prerequisite for all other commandments. Therefore, he explains, the First Commandment, which emphasizes the existence of God, is just as a preamble to all other commandments which are presented below, is not a commandment itself. It is similar to “We the People…” in the American constitution.
Now we will try to understand HaRambam, Maimonides’ opinion on this subject. As a rule, Maimonides would not move an iota from what the Gemara says. And the Gemara in Masekhet Makot explains that of the 613 precepts of the Tora, 611 were given through Moshe Rabbenu, and the remaining two were transmitted “directly” by HaShem. And those two precepts transmitted by HaShem are the First and the Second Commandment (אנכי ולא יהיה לך)! This is also evident from the fact that only the first two Commandments were expressed in the first person singular ( “I amHaShem your God” … “You shall have no other gods before Me“) while from the Third Commandment, Moshe addresses the people of Israel, and refers to HaShem in the third person (the biblical text says, “You shall not take the name of God in vain” and it does not say “You shall not take My name in vain”). According to this Talmudic text, the first commandment is indeed a Mitsva, a Biblical precept, not a preamble. And so, in his famous book Sefer haMitsvot, a book that presents the 613 precepts of the Tora, Maimonides mentions the First Commandment as the Number One Mitsva of the Tora.
Following this view, our next question is: What is specifically the order, the precept, that we are commanded to follow and fulfill in this commandment that says: “I am HaShem your God”?
We will examine this point BH tomorrow.


10 COMMANDMENTS: How come we don’t know them better?

In the coming days, we will examine BH the Ten Commandments or עשרת הדברות.

Question: Why the 10 Commandments, despite their notoriety, are not so known and studied? Should not the 10 Commandments be the first text that students study (and memorize !) in every Jewish school?

I think we need a little history to understand what happened …

On the one hand, the recitation of the 10 Commandments is recorded in the Mishna (Tamid 5: 1) as part of the daily liturgy of the Bet haMiqdash (destroyed in the year 68 of the Common Era). Why then we do not recite every day the 10 Commandments anymore?
The first hint is found in the Gemara Berachot 12b where we find several rabbis in the 3rd and 4th-century c.e. trying to re-establish the recitation of the 10 Commandments in Babylonia, but the rabbinical courts did not allow it. Why? The cryptic Hebrew words used by the Gemara are “מפני תרעומת המינים”, which means more or less “because of the scandalous [ideas and practices] of the heretics”. But what is the Gemara referring to with these words?

In the New Testament, composed around the time of the Gemara, the 10 Commandments are viewed as “the only commandments revealed directly by God”. Therefore they are “the only commandments that are mandatory for Church followers”, implying that all other commandments have not a “direct” divine origin, and therefore are not mandatory. This marginalization of the other 603 commandments served the strategy of the ancient Church, which pursued the formulation of a “reformed Judaism”, a new religion devoid of almost all ritual obligations. To better understand this fascinating subject, I would refer the reader to Paul Johnson’s book, “History of Christianity.” In the first pages of this superb book, Johnson explains that the apostles debated as to what parts of Jewish law should remain compulsory in the “new religion.” Johnson tells us that Romans felt very attracted to Jewish monotheism and ethics, but they were not willing to be circumcised, to stop working on Shabbat, or limiting themselves to the Kashrut dietary laws, etc. and therefore very few Roman converted to Judaism. The apostles saw a great opportunity: the potential conversion of thousands of Romans to their new religion. And to make things more accessible to prospective converts, which the Church desperately needed, the apostles formulated a “light” version of Judaism (later called Christianity). In this new Judaism, circumcision for example was replaced by baptism; the prohibition of working on the Sabbath day was reinterpreted, and virtually all ritual laws were virtually repealed, except for the 10 Commandments …

The “heretics” mentioned by the Talmud is an unambiguous reference to the first Christian ideologists (the Talmud, especially in later editions, could not be more explicit, because a direct reference to Christianity could easily trigger persecution and killing of Jews, and justify the burning of the Jewish “demonic” books).
In any case, this debate about the 10 Commandments also generated a very famous question: Should we stand up when we hear the public reading of the 10 Commandments in Parashat Yitro and Va’ethanan?

Maimonides said NO. He explained that while the Ten Commandments are viewed for other religions as superior to the other commandments of the Hebrew Bible, to the Jewish tradition, the Ten Commandments are obviously an essential part of the Tora, but they are NOT more important than every other Biblical precept. To emphasize this fundamental concept and to express the Jewish belief in the uniformity of all the mitzvot of the Tora and their Divine origin, Maimonides forbade to stand when the Ten Commandments are read in the synagogue. Standing for the Ten Commandments would constitute a statement that these commandments are superior to the other 603 commandments, as the Church asserts.

In practical terms, Rabbi Obadia Yosef z “l writes that in order not to contradict Maimonides, when the 10 Commandments are read in public, we should invite up to the Tora an erudite or elderly person and stand from the beginning of the Aliya in honor of that person, not as a statement on the “superiority” of the 10 Commandments.
Returning to our original question, why the 10 Commandments are not better known and studied? It is quite possible that this long debate about the supreme importance other religions give to the 10 Commandments has unfortunately collaborated to our rather superficial knowledge of them.
BH in the coming days will try to remedy this a little bit analyzing the 10 Commandments as a whole, and exploring every commandment in particular.
To find all the Hebrew texts mentioned in this article, and many more references on this fascinating topic, click here

 



SIXTH COMMANDMENT: Killing vs Mudering

There is a difference in English between killing and murdering. While “killing” is a verb than can be applied to causing the death of humans or animals, “murdering” refers exclusively to the act of killing another human being.

Our rabbis explain that the context of the 10 Commandments refers to actions from a person to another person, and not from a person to someone’s property. The Eight commandment לא תגנב, for example, usually translated as “You shall not steal” has been explained by our rabbis as “You shall not kidnap” (You shall not steal…a person), an unfortunate practice that leads to forced-labor or slavery. There is another commandment in Vayqra (Lev.  19:11) that uses the same words, לא תגנבו, but the context refers to damages against other people’s properties. In Leviticus, therefore, לא תגנבו is translated as: “You shall not steal”. This method, the understanding of a word or a law according to its context, is one of the 13 principles of hermeneutics (=legal interpretation of the Bible) known in rabbinic literature as דבר הלמד מענינו, “a law that is deduced by its context”.

Going back to the Sixth commandment, we should then translate it as “You shall not murder”, referring to the act of killing another human being,  and not “You shall not kill”.

This is a short commandment in terms of its length, just six letters, but it is, perhaps, the most comprehensive in terms of its details, scope, applications, etc.

First, Jewish Law, similar to American Law differentiates  between different levels of murder: premeditated murder, murder by negligence, accidental murder, etc. Then, we also have the case of killing as an act of self defense or preemptive murder.  We also need to define the application of this commandment to complex situations, Halakhic scenarios which are very prevalent in our days. For example: is abortion considered murder? Is euthanasia (=killing a person who is suffering) permitted in Jewish law?  Does Jewish law allow organs’ donation? These subjects require a clear definition of the moment in which life begins or end; quality of life vs. termination of life, passive vs active euthanasia, etc.   In the following weeks BH we will analyze these matters one by one.

 



Third Commandment: You shall not “carry” the name of God in vain.

In Jewish tradition the third commandment “LO TISA” refers to the prohibition of swearing in the name of God in vain or unnecessarily (shebu’at shav). Following Maimonides, it also extends to the prohibition of reciting a blessing in vain.  Why? Ashebu’a is basically a statement, an affirmation of a belief or a fact.  In a blessing we are also making a statement. We assert an idea or a belief about God, while pronouncing His name. For example, when I say the blessing “bore feri ha’ets” I’m not saying “Thank You God for this fruit”  but literally: “Blessed are You, HASHEM our God, King of the universe, who is the Creator of the fruit of the tree”. In other words: I’m stating and acknowledging that You -HASHEM- are the Creator of this fruit.   Therefore, if I pronounce this or a similar statement unnecessarily I would be transgressing the third commandment.  This is the source of the halakhic principle: “safeq berakhot lehaqel“. Which indicates that in a situation where I’m not sure if I should or should not say a berakha I should abstain, lest I recite an unnecessary berakha (lebatala) and transgress LO TISA.  
 
The former Chief rabbi of Israel , Rabbi Shelomo ‘Amar, explains that this commandment also extends to a different area. The words LO TISA which are commonly translated as “You shall not take…” literally mean: “You shall not ‘carry’ the name of God in vain”. He sees LO TISA also as a warning against showing-off religiosity or piety.  Rabbi ‘Amar denounces the unfortunate practice of some people who would disguise themselves as pious, adopting publicly extra restrictions, performing eccentric movements while praying, or carrying out religious acts in unusual ways with the intention of impressing people and making them believe that he is a pious Jew.  This behavior will be an example of “carrying God’s name in vain”. Pretending that one does something with God in mind when in reality is doing it for his or her own interest.
 
Rabbi ‘Amar explains that contrary to those who display religious zeal in public to impress others, a real pious Jew is first of all humble, and his piety is observed privately and discreetly.    
 

You can read the full article of Rabbi ‘Amar  here  (Hebrew).



 

 



THE SECOND COMMANDMENT: Carving images.

As we have already explained (see here) the Ten Commandments (in Hebrew: the Ten Declarations or enunciations) include more than “ten” commandments or precepts. According to Maimonides, there are thirteen precepts (Mitzvot) in the Ten Commandments of Shemot (Ex.20).  It is particularly the Second Commandment which makes the difference. In other words, the Second Commandment includes four Mitzvot, in this case, four prohibitions. 
  
1. lo ihiye lekha: “You shall not have other gods beside me”, i.e., the prohibition to conceive of believe in the existence of other gods or divine forces independent of God. 
 
2. lo ta’ase lekha: “You should not to make yourself a carved-image or any figure that is in the heavens above, that is on the earth beneath, that is in the waters beneath the Earth”.
 
3. lo tishtahave: “You shall not bow down to them”
 
4. lo ta’obdem: “You shall not worship them”. Last time we dealt with the Ten Commandments we explained “you shall not have other gods besides me” . 
 
Now, we will briefly review the Mitzva: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image”.  This Mitzva teaches us that there is only one God, who is invisible and non-anthropomorphic (=cannot be represented in human terms) who can neither be visualized nor represented by any image.  
 
While for Nahmanides (Ramban) the prohibition of carving an image refers specifically to an image meant to serve as an object of worshiping,for Maimonides the Tora forbids the making of some images even when we  don’t have the intention of worshipping them.  This is an additional restriction on carving images, or a fence around the serious offense of idol worshipping.  
 
Illustrations:  In Hilkhot ‘abodat kokhabim chapter 3:10 Maimonides explains that the prohibition to make decorative image applies specifically to protruding human images (e.g.,  a statue). In 3:11 he says that the representation of the sun or the moon is forbidden even in a drawing or a painting (‘al haluah).

                    
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The Palestinian idea of a lasting peace
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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: One God vs. Moral relativism

The second Mitzva of the Ten Commandments says:
“You shalt not have any other gods besides Me.”
All other nations and civilizations in antiquity, conceived the existence and coexistence of several gods. They saw in nature (and in human society) forces that opposed to each other. Life and death, light and darkness, good and evil, etc. Their reasoning was that multiple gods must be responsible for the diversity and opposite powers of these forces.
We Jews believe that there are no powers independent from, or beyond God’s control. Abraham Abinu’s idea of One (and invisible) God, revolutionized humanity in many ways. Not just as an arithmetic reduction of gods, but mainly because of the political and moral implications of it.
Let me explain: Conceiving the existence of more than one God, represents an open invitation for moral relativism. One day this god is worshiped by waging war. The next day we worship the god of peace. Next week the god of love. This week the god of murder. One god is worshipped by being completely drunk. The other by not touching alcohol. Nothing is morally right or wrong in itself and forever. The morality of one’s actions depends on the god one would worship that day. Which will be different from the god we will worship the following day. And who establishes which god we should worship each day? Well, that is the prerogative of the King and his entourage of priests and ministers.  The effects of idol-worshipping were well beyond the theological aspect of it. As Maimonides explained, ido-worshipping served the political power and it established a society of relative morality.
The belief in one God to the exclusion of all sort of powers means, among other things, moral clarity. The existence of one absolute and unchangeable set of moral values. Coming from one God.
Jewish monotheism leaves no room for moral blurriness.

 



THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: God exists or God is in charge?

Previously, we have explained that for Jewish tradition the opening statement of the Ten Commandments “Im the Lord your God who brought you out of the land Egypt, the house of slaves”(Ex. 20:2) should not be seen as an introduction to the commandments but as a practical commandment (precept, Mitzva, see this). We wondered then what was the specific order given in this commandment? Traditionally it is understood that this commandment expresses that we have to believe that God exists.    
 
There might be a second way of understanding this commandment in a slightly different way, by exploring very carefully the words of Maimonides in Sefer HaMitzvot and MT, Yesode haTora 1:5-6. For Maimonides belief in God seems to be an ‘iqar, a principle of our faith, more than a Mitzva. We, the Jewish people,  have acquired our knowledge of God’s existence intuitively, i.e., by our own perception and experience. Our parents were witnesses of HaShem’s presence and revelation in Mt. Sinai. And we know of God’s existence because our parents transmitted their experience to us (see this).
But if that is so, if this commandment is not about believing in God’s “existence”, what is this Mitzva saying? Let us analyze the first three words: “Anokhi“, I, who you know Me as “HaShem“(the existence of God is given as a intuitively known fact here!) , I’m your “Elo-hekha“, Your Sovereign. Elo-hekha,  should understood in this context as sovereign, highest judge or in one word: the Supreme Authority.
The differences between these two explanations might seem irrelevant. But think about this: many people, with liberal values, would be more than willing to believe in the God who created the Universe but then leaves you alone and does not tell you what to do with your life.  God is displaced (or displeases some people) however, when He is also ELO-HEKHA, the Authority Who establishes what is right and what is wrong.
Accordingly, the First commandment is saying as follows:  You must know that I’m in charge. “I, HaShem, the One that freed you from slavery in Egypt, I’m your ELO-HEKHA”, I’m your Master. Not Pharaoh or anyone else.  I’m like a father to you: I love you, you love me, but I’m also the ultimate authority for you (ELO-HEKHA).
WATCH
By Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, from Prager University.

 



FIRST COMMANDMENT: We, the People?

We have seen last week (see here) that the Ten Commandments include two commandments that were conveyed directly by God, these are the First and the Second commandments. 
Now, and I know that this question will sound absurd,  which one is the First commandment? 
Let me explain.
Literally, the First Commandment says: “I am HaShem your God, Who took you out of Egypt from the house of slaves” .  This statement is definitely not written in an imperative form, as a direct order from God like “You shall not kill”. Perhaps this might not be a commandment (Mitzva) but a preamble where God introduces Himself to the people of Israel before giving them the commandments,  similar to the preamble of the American constitution: “We, the people of the United States….” . 
Interestingly this is how other Biblical religions have understood the First Commandment.  For Protestants, for example, the First Commandment is not “I’m the Lord your God” but  “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”.   For the Catholic tradition the first commandment is integrated as an introduction (a preamble) to the second commandment. The catholic First commandment reads: “I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.”
In Judaism the First commandment “I’m haShem your God” is indeed considered as a specific precept, i.e.,  a Mitzva.  In his Sefer haMitzvot a book which details the account of the 613 precepts of the Tora Maimonides (haRambam) brings “I’m HaShem your God” as the first Mitzva of his book. That is, for Maimonides this is the “Starting Precept of the Tora”. Definitely not a principle or a preamble. 
Now, we need to clarify. What is the content of this very important Mitzva? What are we ordered to do, think or believe by the “Starting Precept of the Tora”? 
To be continued... 
(If you any suggestions on this question write to: rabbibitton@yahoo.com).
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How many commandments contain the Ten commandments?

Many Jews (especially those living in Christian countries) probably believe that the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments looked as something similar to the McDonald’s symbol  (two arched tablets, bond to each other) because this is how Gustave Doré (see this) , and even Marc Chagall ( see this ) among many other artists have painted them. There is no source for this popular image, and it actually seems that the Tablets of the Law looked more like the tablet which Lady Liberty is holding in her left hand: two square tablets, independent from each other . According to the Talmud Baba Batra 14a the tablets were rectangular, with no arc. They each measured 6 tefahim [=handbreadths. Each tefah is a little more than 3 inches] high by 6 tefahim wide by 3 tefahim thick.
 In any case, this is just a visual and relatively minor non Jewish myth.
  The major differences between the Biblical and the Christian tradition, which we will analyze BH in the coming weeks, are related to the content: for example, the way non-Jewish tradition reinterprets the prohibition of making images, or the observance of the seventh day.  But before we analyze the major issues I would like to point to another popular misconception.  According to Jewish tradition the Ten Commandments contain more that ten commandments. For Maimonides, for instance, the Second Commandment includes four precepts:  The prohibitions of 1. believing in any god, other that haShem; 2. making idols;  3. bowing down to idols;  4. worshiping idols.  Consequently,  the Ten Biblical Commandments contain actually 13 precepts or Mitzvot, not 10.  
What is more disturbing about this misconception is that the Biblical text never called the Ten Commandments “commandments” (i.e., ‘eser hamitzvot) but debarim (‘aseret hadebarim, or in Rabbinical Hebrew ‘aseret hadibberot), which in Hebrew mean the ten “words, enunciations, proclamations”. 
Quoting Rabbi Hayim Pereira Mendes: “The Ten Commandments are called in Hebrew ‘Asereth Hadebarim”-“the ten words or declarations.” In English they are called “the decalogue,” from two Greek words, deka ten, logoi, words.”