Most of us admit that it is nearly impossible to keep all the 613
commandments in the Bible. But most of us pride ourselves on the fact that we
at least keep the Ten Commandments. Nonetheless, as the Decalogue is read on
the upcoming holiday of Shavuot in synagogues around the world, perhaps it is a
good time for us to have a closer look at these laws and see if in their bright
light we pass inspection.
The first commandment in the Old Testament is the belief that G-d
is the origin of all things: “I am the L-rd your G-d.” It is from this starting
point that any of the commandments have infinite relevance. So with that in
mind, let’s proceed.
II “You shall have no other G-ds….” Though
we may not have golden calves in our living rooms it does not mean we are guilt
free of idol worship. ANYTHING that comes between us and our service to G-d is
an idol, including our money, our jobs, our egos, and even our habits,
addictions and fears. And if perchance, we find ourselves on the golf
course instead of temple on the Sabbath, then those iron clubs are rendered
idols because we worship them and our desires more than G-d’s will.
III “Thou shalt not take the name of the L-rd in vain.” Although
most decent people won’t swear to G-d if something is not true, I don’t think
it’s a stretch to say most of us have made a promise or two to G-d and not kept
it. Once our plane lands safely, or the medical result comes back A-OK, all the
deals we make with G-d vanish in quick time. That, too, is calling upon G-d’s
name in vain.
IV “Remember the seventh day and keep it
holy.” Whether people keep the Sabbath or not is pretty clear
cut. But, the justifications and excuses as to why they don’t are always
creative. People will say that they serve G-d in their own way, when they have
the time, and not necessarily on the allotted day. Just try that routine on your
girlfriend and tell her you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day on June 3rd or tell
your wife you’ll remember your anniversary when you get a chance. The Sabbath
is not just a concept that can be applied when it suits us. It’s a divinely determined
appointment with energies unique to its time and place in the universe.
V “Honor they mother and father.” Most
people think this decree means not to be rude to your parents while they are
alive. It doesn’t stop there. This commandment doesn’t have a statute of
limitations and does not expire when our parents pass on. Even after they die our behavior in this world reflects on them. If we behave immorally, are
corrupt, or, conversely, are decent to others, our behavior honors or
dishonors them. Remember it doesn't say to love our parents, just honor
the fact that they gave us life. Don't make efforts to diminish them,
embarrass them or criticize them, even if they are already lowly characters or
not everything you wanted them to be. The Kabbalists say that the souls of
unborn babies actually pick the parents they will be born to. So if you have
any complaints, well, you picked ‘em!
VI “Thou shalt not murder.” Just
as you were about to breathe a sigh of relief and count this as a commandment
you surely didn’t break, know that embarrassing a person in public, according
to the Talmud, is tantamount to murder as it causes the blood to rush away from
someone’s face. Breaking someone’s pride and dignity and crushing their spirit
is also regarded as a form of murder. As we’ve all certainly heard before,
death and life are in the tongue.
VII “Thou shalt not commit
adultery.” Jewish law is very clear here: Your wife may be a
witch, your husband a muttonhead; your marriage may be dead, you may be sleeping in different rooms,
nonetheless if you drop your pants in the wrong place, it is still adultery.
VIII “Thou shalt not steal.” As
a young girl I remember hearing a story about two people who walked out of a
Canadian department store with a canoe. They stole it in plain sight. Sometimes
what is very obvious goes unnoticed. But theft does not need to come in such
big sizes for it to be theft. The Talmud teaches that G-d destroyed the world
by a flood because people stole inconsequential amounts from each other. Rabbi
Elie Munk points out that what makes stealing small amounts uniquely
deleterious is that it leaves the victim with no legal recourse. For instance,
someone goes to a market and tears off a grape and eats it — not much damage
done. However, then the next person comes along and does the same thing, and so
on. It is not long before that bunch of grapes is diminished both in appearance
and quantity — and the owner really has no one to blame for the theft.
Nonetheless, the damage is done.
IX “Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor.” Perhaps you would not lie under
oath, but any form of lying against another person’s good name, even to
aggrandize yourself or your business, is wrong. You never know where those words
will land and they may ultimately even lead someone to commit suicide.
X “Thou shalt not covet.” Maybe
we are NOT coveting daily after our neighbor’s donkeys, but we have all bought
things we cannot afford and over-extended ourselves. More often than not, we do
such things because we covet what others have. We have big eyes on the world
and we want the same things as everyone else. In the end, however, coveting may
often hurt us more than those we covet. The Torah cautions us not to run after
our hearts and eyes so that we literally should not whore ourselves because of
them. We end up selling ourselves literally and figuratively to buy or get what
we covet. And the rabbis teach that coveting ultimately leads to the transgression
of all the other commandments.
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