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Let the Ten Commandments command your imagination … and enrich your life.
When the Holy One gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, not one angel stirred its wing or sang its song. The sea did not roar, creatures did not speak—the whole world was hushed into breathless silence; it was then that the voice went forth: "I am the Lord your God…."
—Exodus Rabba 29:9
Even people who claim not to be "religious" will generally maintain that they do observe the Ten Commandments. Why is it that these ten statements, thousands of years old, continue to have such a special hold on us?
Here, twelve outstanding spiritual leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish thought bring us to the life and soul of the Ten Commandments' unusual power. In voices that are personal and diverse, they help us take a closer look at the ten utterances that not only touch every aspect of our lives, but also present each of us with a profound challenge.
Contributors:
Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz • Leonard Fein • Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer • Rabbi Laura Geller • Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman • Dr. Menachem Kellner • Rabbi Peter S. Knobel • Rabbi Lawrence Kushner • Rabbi Richard N. Levy • Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva • Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi • Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman • Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf
"What really happened at that mountain in the wilderness? ... Consider the implications, for instance, if Moses simply concocted the whole thing or if those words on the tablets are literally God's words. Are these two options mutually exclusive?"
—Lawrence Kushner
"By too easily claiming and naming God, by encouraging others to do the same, did I take the name of the Lord in vain?"
—Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer
“Real idolatry today is the worship of money, technology, addictions, absolute political systems—even of 'Judaism' and of the personal ego.”
—Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi (z"l)
“According to the Talmud, the first question that we will be asked in the World to Come is 'Were you honest in your world?’ The question challenges us on many different levels. Were you honest in your dealings with other people, in your public life, in your private life, with your family, with your friends? And it also pushes us to ask an even harder question: Were you honest with yourself?”
—Laura Geller
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Perspectives on the Ten Words by Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva
1. The First Commandment
I, Adonai your God, [am the one] who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from a slavehouse.
First Words: I [Am the One]
by Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz
2. The Second Commandment
Have no other god before Me....
First Words: No Other
by Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi (z"l)
3. The Third Commandment
You shall not lift up the name of Adonai your God for vain purpose, for Adonai will not clear one who uses the Name in vain.
First Words: Thou Shalt Not Take the Name
by Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer
4. The Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy....
First Words: The Meaning of Shabbat: A Virtual Domain in Time
by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman
5. The Fifth Commandment
Honor your father and mother that your days may be prolonged on the soil that Adonai your God is giving you.
First Words: I Was Young, and I Have Also Grown Older
by Leonard Fein
6. The Sixth Commandment
You shall not murder.
First Words: Undoing Creation
by Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman
7. The Seventh Commandment
You shall not commit adultery.
First Words: Sacred Boundaries
by Rabbi Peter S. Knobel
8. The Eighth Commandment
You shall not steal.
First Words: A Bit of a Thief
by Rabbi Richard N. Levy
9. The Ninth Commandment
You shall not answer against your neighbor as a false witness.
First Words: Competing Values
by Rabbi Laura Geller
10. The Tenth Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
First Words: Desire
by Dr. Menachem Kellner
Ten More Words
by Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf
Sources and Notes
About the Contributors