The Importance of the Ten Commandments to Jewish Life
The Ten Commandments were given to the Jewish people via Moses, from
G-d at Mount Sinai, also known as Har Horeb. Since this day, these
commandments have been central to Jewish life.
They can be found twice in the Torah. Firstly in chapter twenty of
the book of Shemot (Exodus) and they are then repeated in chapter five
of the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). There is a slight variation in
this repetition which concerns the fourth commandment, this law
regards Shabbat. In Shemot, it reads “Remember the Sabbath and keep
it holy” however in Devarim it reads “Observe the Sabbath and keep it
holy”. The reason for this is that G-d spoke the Ten Commandments
simultaneously, something that we as humans cannot do. Of course it
is important to both remember and observe, so this is another reason
why we are reminded.
The fact that Shabbat is in the Ten Commandments show us that it is
one of the fundamentals of our religion. It is how we show in our
daily life that the world which we live in was created by Hashem.
Furthermore, the fact that the commandments are repeated further
emphasises the importance of them to Jewish people and hence Jewish
life.
The Ten Commandments are the fundamental rules of the Jewish faith,
the foundation of which is ethical monotheism.
The word monotheism means belief in one G-d and in order for the term
to be considered as ‘Jewish’ the word ethical must be added to it. Dr
Rabbi Louie Jacobs explains this as “there can be no religion without
ethics and no ethics without religion”; they are each based upon each
other. Furthermore he contin...
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... “priestly nation” that they are and become a
“light unto the nations”, which means they set an example for other
nations to follow in order to become closer to G-d and become more
righteous. These laws make us into good people, which is why they are
so central to Jewish life.
Furthermore, they are central to Jewish life because they are our part
of the (Siniatic) covenant which we accepted at Mount Sinai. In verse
five of chapter nineteen G-d says “now if you obey Me and keep My
covenant you shall be My special treasure among all nations”, the key
word here is obey, we need to keep our side of the covenant and follow
G-ds laws we are then the chosen people and in turn, rewarded.
In conclusion, the Ten Commandments are central to Jewish life because
they guide and instruct us to lead a righteous, moral life.
Concerning the nature of myths, one can often find that they are built on broad generalization lacking the premises necessary to make a solid conclusion. Such was the same myths, Pier Larson sought to disprove in his essay “The Student’s ‘Ten Commandments’.” Larson discuss damaging and caustic stereotypes that have worked their way throughout history to create a narrative that often subordinates Blacks when promulgated by a more affluent European society . One myth in particular appears to be quite troubling for its contradictory nature-that being the myth: all Africans are Black. Additionally, to be African is to be Black, Africans are not culturally diverse, and that Africans share one, essentially unified culture. Not only do I find these troubling for their outright abasement of African culture, which is plain to see, but rather for the duplicitous logic that lead to the creation of such myths, and why they remain so harmful when they are continued to be spread in contemporary.
“We shall follow you wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we wish to share your damnation.” (p.37)
S: Well, as followers of Jesus we should fulfill the Jewish law; we should even take it as far and fulfill it better than the Pharisees and scribes. In my opinion, the Gospel of Matthew does not tell to abandon the Jewish law; it in fact, says the opposite. Jesus fulfills this Law and prophecy!
“Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31).” And “Live by the sword, die by the sword (Gospel of Matthew 26:52)”
Obeying God’s commandments is where we obtain this freedom. Many people feel that having to live by “these set of rules” (the ten commandments) is debilitating but as a matter of fact, it is sin that is crippling us. Plantinga (2002) stated that “Sin traps people and makes them wilt; godly obedience liberates people and helps them flourish” (p. 74-75). In Exodus 19:4-5, it says to “obey my voice,” the commandments were not given to us to rescue us, but because we have already been rescued. “God rescues people and then lays down the law,” said by Plantinga, perfectly reflects these thoughts. Grace is a tremendous word that is used more than 150 times in the New Testament to speak of divine favor granted to undeserving people. MacArthur (2014) writes in God’s Sufficient Grace that, “We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8) and in grace we stand (Romans 5:2). Grace upholds our salvation, gives us victory in temptation, and helps us endure suffering and pain. It helps us understand the Word and wisely apply it to our lives. It draws us into communion and prayer and enables us to serve the Lord effectively. In short, we exist and are firmly fixed in an environment of all-sufficient grace”
The second commandment is thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jeal...
They respond to the superiors order as though there were from God. (Luke 10:16,) “Anyone who listens to you listens to me.” Instant response to command and the ability to giving up ones will, discontinuing work at the sound of the bell as a result of obedience, and this portrays the fear of God. Obedience will be acceptable to God and agreeable to man if done without complaining, Luke warmness, grumbling, and without delay. Obedience is motivated by love because their desire is to seek and do the will of God, in imitation of the master they are serving. (John 6:38). Furthermore, obedience must be done freely and in a joyful spirit. St. Paul in 2cor 9:7 says, “God loves a cheerful
...stood and from our perspective, we clearly see the goals and the reasons behind it. We know what is correct and desirable in Hashem’s eyes and our job is to follow the correct path. Let us not be discouraged, but used it as a motivation to serve and pray our God wholeheartedly.
In his article “Applying the Old Testament Law Today”, J. Daniel Hays brings out many positive and negative reasons why some believers tend to ignore many Old Testament Laws and embrace others. Hays emphasize how different evangelical scholars use moral, civil and ceremonial laws to help believers know whether a particular Mosaic Law applies to them. (Hays, 22) Ironically, we were taught in church and Bible study different ways to apply Matthew 25:39, “Love your neighbor as yourself”, to our daily living. Once an individual put this into action, they will begin to understand the true meaning of giving and how to love the way Jesus directed us to in the Bible.
Rabbi Michael Lerner, a philosopher and psychologist, is the current leader of a liberal Jewish tribe renewal movement. Lerner advocates for a renewal of Judaism rooted in the words of the Torah. To advocate his beliefs, Lerner wrote an interpretation of the Ten Commandments known as the “Ten Commitments, not Commandments.” His interpretation generalizes and renews the traditional Ten Commandments associated with Judaism and applies them to today’s society.
The Ten Commandments is a movie about the book of Exodus and Moses. The movie began at the first order to kill all Hebrews under the age of two. Here Moses is cast off into the Nile and the story begins. It ends with the end of Moses’s life and Joshua taking over. The movie, for the most part, stayed true to the book of Exodus, but some detail and major plotline were different. The movie was good, but the added love story and power struggle made the movie a little off topic. The story itself, Moses being adopted, raised, sent away, and then came back and freed the people is the same, so Exodus is followed in a general way. Some detail is not, like some of the plagues are different (Plague seven was just hail, not hail on fire), and some characters are not existent in the Bible, but appear in the movie. The movie was very good and is one of the best Moses and Passover movies of all time. The only flaw was the details that the movie lacked or were incorrect.
Judaism is one of the most widely practiced religions in the world. It is also the oldest monotheistic religion, originating at least 3,000 years ago. There are three different kinds of Judaism, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Orthodox is the most traditional and had changed very little over the years. Conservative has changed to fit the times without losing much tradition. Reform Judaism is most modern of the three. No matter which kind of Judaism someone practices, in order to be considered Jewish they must practice Jewish traditions, observe Jewish law, and believe in God.
Deuteronomy 17: 18-20 (NIV Student Bible) reminded me that no one should be above the law and we are all under His view. Much in the same way a leader should lead by actions and adhere to the same rules as all on others in the organization. Hebrews 4:11 (NIV Student Bible) reiterated that all should follow the rules, of the Lord (and also organizations). Proverbs 24:30 (NIV Student Bible) instills that we must all keeping working, be diligent in our quest for our own successes. In the grand scheme of things, we all work for the Lord serving Him in some way or another during our daily lives at home and in the office. We must learn from the mistakes he wants us to make, work hard for our goals, and treat others the way we would like to be treated
Mankind should live according to his origin. Mankind should follow God’s commandments by reaching and educating all men on earth, telling them of their origin, and showing proof of God’s will in their lives. They should also be told that their decisions should be made on this side of eternity.
to do, we will never experience true joy and peace. Our calling is what God has planned