Only Ten Commandments?

[m_crane]

I have a question about the Ten Commandents being only ten. My Jewish friend says there are way more than that. This came back to me when I was watching the History Channel when they said that Jews quote a much larger number for God’s Commandments to the Jews. What are they taking about? I’m figuring if anyone should know how many Commandments there were, the Jews should know. After all God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people .

 

[scottm]

I have a question about the Ten Commandents being only ten. My Jewish friend says there are way more than that. This came back to me when I was watching the History Channel when they said that Jews quote a much larger number for God’s Commandments to the Jews. What are they taking about? I’m figuring if anyone should know how many Commandments there were, the Jews should know. After all God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people .

Dude, read Leviticus and Deuteronomy already. There are more than 600 commandments in there by traditional Jewish count.

 

[NotWorthy]

Dude, read Leviticus and Deuteronomy already. There are more than 600 commandments in there by traditional Jewish count.

The Ten Commandments are God’s natural Law and every one is bound to them.

The 600+ are part of the Mosaic Law and only Jews are bound to it.

The actual Jewish tradition calls them “The Ten Words”.

 

[Luke65]

I would say that either there was a lack of communication or your Jewish friend doesn’t know his faith very well…

“These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.” (Deuteronomy 5:22)

“The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me.” (Deuteronomy 10:4)

Of course God gave the Jews many other commandments, but He Himself set aside the Ten Commandments, giving them to all the people both audibly and written with His own “finger”. God bless.

 

[m_crane]

Do the Jews differentiate the The Commandments from the 600+Mosaic laws called The Ten Words or are they all equally important to a Jew?

 

[NotWorthy]

I would say that either there was a lack of communication or your Jewish friend doesn’t know his faith very well…

“These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.” (Deuteronomy 5:22)

“The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me.” (Deuteronomy 10:4)

Of course God gave the Jews many other commandments, but He Himself set aside the Ten Commandments, giving them to all the people both audibly and written with His own “finger”. God bless.

Don’t forget, Mel Brooks - a well-known Jew, revealed that there were actually 15 Commandments until Moses dropped the 3rd tablet.

Note: Greatest. Movie. Scene. Ever.

 

[Luke65]

Don’t forget, Mel Brooks - a well-known Jew, revealed that there were actually 15 Commandments until Moses dropped the 3rd tablet.

Note: Greatest. Movie. Scene. Ever.

My memory fails, although I do remember that movie being very funny! I guess I’ll have to watch it again with that recommendation!

 

[NotWorthy]

My memory fails, although I do remember that movie being very funny! I guess I’ll have to watch it again with that recommendation!

Moses comes down from the mountain with three tablets, balancing two on one arm and one on the other. "Hear, oh Israel, I have here fifteen (one tablet falls and breaks), no ten - Ten Commandments"!

The rest of the movie wasn’t exactly that funny, although “The Inquisition” song was pretty funny.

 

[Robbinson]

Do the Jews differentiate the The Commandments from the 600+Mosaic laws called The Ten Words or are they all equally important to a Jew?

The 10 commandments hold a special status to Jews and Christians, as they were “written with the finger of God” and represent, as noted earlier, the moral law.

However, Jews believe that all 613 commandments in the Torah were given at Mt. Sinai and, as Jesus said, violation of any part of the law is violation of all of it. So, in practice, an Orthodox Jew will treat them similarly.

As Catholics (like many, but not all protestant Christians), we believe the 10 commandments continue to apply to us - they are written in our hearts as part of the new covenant - except that Jesus has “fulfilled” the Sabbath (we celebrate the Lord’s Day not technically as the Sabbath, but transfer the solemnity of the external observance of the Saturday Sabbath - now fulfilled) to the Lord’s Day (sunday) in memory/celebration of the resurrection and new creation.

We believe that Christ fulfilled the balance of the mosaic law --the cermonial laws relating to the Temple (which has been replaced by Christ - whose body is the Temple). The civil laws, relating to Israel as a society under the Old Covenant, are no longer applicable.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[Luke65]

Moses comes down from the mountain with three tablets, balancing two on one arm and one on the other. "Hear, oh Israel, I have here fifteen (one tablet falls and breaks), no ten - Ten Commandments"!

The rest of the movie wasn’t exactly that funny, although “The Inquisition” song was pretty funny.

Ahh, yes that I remember. Classic Mel! Okay, back to the discussion…

 

[m_crane]

The 10 commandments hold a special status to Jews and Christians, as they were “written with the finger of God” and represent, as noted earlier, the moral law.

However, Jews believe that all 613 commandments in the Torah were given at Mt. Sinai and, as Jesus said, violation of any part of the law is violation of all of it. So, in practice, an Orthodox Jew will treat them similarly.

As Catholics (like many, but not all protestant Christians), we believe the 10 commandments continue to apply to us - they are written in our hearts as part of the new covenant - except that Jesus has “fulfilled” the Sabbath (we celebrate the Lord’s Day not technically as the Sabbath, but transfer the solemnity of the external observance of the Saturday Sabbath - now fulfilled) to the Lord’s Day (sunday) in memory/celebration of the resurrection and new creation.

We believe that Christ fulfilled the balance of the mosaic law --the cermonial laws relating to the Temple (which has been replaced by Christ - whose body is the Temple). The civil laws, relating to Israel as a society under the Old Covenant, are no longer applicable.

Blessings,

Brian

Thank you Brian, I am very grateful for your answer. I can see now why my friend made this statement.

Your added information as to why we as Catholics celebrate Sunday, as opposed to Saturday. as our Holy Day will help me to better answer a question my son posed to me a few months ago.

Thanks to all who posted.

 

[twinc]

I heard it said that originally there were only two commandments that God tried to give to mankind [a bit like what Jesus said and did] - no one would even accept just these two commandments until God offered them to a Jew named Moses who asked “how much” and when God said “free”,Moses said in that case I’ll have ten - twinc

 

[patrick457]

Do the Jews differentiate the The Commandments from the 600+Mosaic laws called The Ten Words or are they all equally important to a Jew?

AFAIK, the Ten Words (Biblical Hebrew aseret ha-d’varim; Rabbinic Hebrew aseret ha-dibrot) IS part of the 613 Mitzvot (“commandments”). That said, when compared to the whole canon of Jewish law, the Ten Words are not given any greater significance in observance or special status. In fact, when undue emphasis was being placed on them in ancient times, their daily communal recitation was discontinued and discouraged. Jewish tradition does, however, recognize them as the ideological basis for the other mitzvot. Rabbinic Jewish belief is of the opinion that these commandments and the other mitzvot are required solely of the Jews, and that the laws incumbent on humanity in general are outlined in the seven Noahide Laws - which do overlap with the Ten Words at times.

 

[patrick457]

Moses comes down from the mountain with three tablets, balancing two on one arm and one on the other. "Hear, oh Israel, I have here fifteen (one tablet falls and breaks), no ten - Ten Commandments"!

The rest of the movie wasn’t exactly that funny, although “The Inquisition” song was pretty funny.

Actually the whole scene goes like:

God: Moses, this is the Lord thy God, commanding you to obey my law. Do you hear me?
Moses: Yes! I hear you, I hear you. A deaf man could hear you.
God: What?
Moses: Nothing, forget it - Oh Lord! Why have you chosen me? What would you have me do for you?
God: I shall give you my laws, and you shall take them unto the people.
Moses: Yes, Lord! (lightning strikes the mountain) Wow.

(later)

Moses: Lord, I shall give these laws unto thy people.
Hear me! Oh, Hear me! All pay heed! The Lord, the Lord Jehovah, has given unto you these fifteen (drops stone tablet)…Oy. Ten! Ten commandments for all to obey!

Thanks to Mel’s film, we finally know the truth that Leonardo was actually the group painter for Jesus et. al…

BTW, a Jewish legend does have it that Moses only smashed the first set of Tablets because he dropped it to the ground. Apparently, the Tablets were very heavy: Moses was able to carry it only because of divine help, and because the letters graven through the tablets supported themselves. When Moses’ eyes caught the sons of Israel worshipping the golden calf, God withdrew His support, the letters all flew back to heaven, thus Moses was left, too feeble to carry the heavy burden. Some versions of the legend even have Moses and God/the letters playing tug-of-war with each other, Moses struggling to keep the tablets from falling. So, Mel Brooks was probably not too far off (considering that he is a Jew)…

 

[Petergee]

It’s also said that after God gave the Jews the Ten Commandments and they then immediately fell into idolatry, He decided He needed to give them a whole lot of other commandments about matters great and small, most of which have no apparent basis in morality, in order to teach them obedience to Him.

Of course many people today live by an Eleventh Commandment:

either Thou shalt not get caught (but if thou dost get caught, blame it on thy neighbour)

or ***Thou shalt do whatever thou feelest like, ignore the previous ten commandments, and claim that thou art somehow obeying them anyway according to thy most creative interpretation of them. ***

 

[chosen_people]

I have a question about the Ten Commandents being only ten. My Jewish friend says there are way more than that. This came back to me when I was watching the History Channel when they said that Jews quote a much larger number for God’s Commandments to the Jews. What are they taking about? I’m figuring if anyone should know how many Commandments there were, the Jews should know. After all God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people .

There are 613 commandments in the Torah. They deal with man’s relationship with man and the Jews relationship to God ( holiness). As the Temple is no longer in existence many of the commandments are no longer in effect (at the moment there are 271 commandments in effect for Jews).

According to Judaism, man is born innocent. There are two competing inclinations. The good inclination and the bad inclination. The bad inclination is the one where we consider only ourselves (it cannot be deemed an evil inclination as God does not create evil). The good inclination is one where we are totally altruistic thinking only of others. We need to find the balance between the two inclinations. For example, If man was only altruistic he would not marry or have children. Our guide post for this balance and for a good life is in following the commandments of the Torah. The gentile needs only to follow the seven categories of the Noahide commandments (there is no need for the gentile to follow the commandments of holiness such as keeping kosher). This is why it is easier for the gentile than for the Jew to get into the world to come. In the story of Adam and Eve we have God giving a single commandment to them - not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree.

 

[Robbinson]

According to Judaism, man is born innocent. .

Yes, fairly stated, this is a common rabbinic teaching. Have you given thought to Psalm 51 (particularly verse 5?)

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5** Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. **6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[chosen_people]

Yes, fairly stated, this is a common rabbinic teaching. Have you given thought to Psalm 51 (particularly verse 5?)

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5** Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. **6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Blessings,

Brian

The verse in the Tanach to which your refer appears as verse 7 (not verse 5) of psalm 51 as in some Christian editions of the Jewish scriptures.

ז הֵן-בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְתִּי; וּבְחֵטְא, יֶחֱמַתְנִי אִמִּי.

“Behold, in iniquity was I fashioned and in sin did my mother conceive me”

Ibn Ezra explains: The impulses which can cause man to sin are present in him from his inception. It is man’s duty to control and channel them properly.

 

[Robbinson]

The verse in the Tanach to which your refer appears as verse 7 (not verse 5) of psalm 51 as in some Christian editions of the Jewish scriptures.

ז הֵן-בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְתִּי; וּבְחֵטְא, יֶחֱמַתְנִי אִמִּי.

“Behold, in iniquity was I fashioned and in sin did my mother conceive me”

Ibn Ezra explains: The impulses which can cause man to sin are present in him from his inception. It is man’s duty to control and channel them properly.

Thank you for the correction (I should say clarification of the different citation in scritpures - it is verse 5 in many translations) and the explanation is interesting. But doesnt the scripture itself imply more than the “impulse” and state, if not strongly imply, “sin” in conception? That is the larger context of psalm 51 as well as the actual verse?

Blessings and Shabbat Shalom.

 

[GerardMajella]

Wikipedia has a decent article on the 613 commandments:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_Mitzvot