Essay about The Importance of the Ten Commandments to...

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 â€Å"Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy† however in Devarim it reads â€Å"Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy†. The reason for this is that G-d spoke the Ten†¦show more content†¦The commandments one, two and three are concerning belief in G-d, idolatry and taking the Lords name in vain. It is debateable whether the first commandment â€Å"I am G-d your Lord†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is even a commandment at all, or if it is a statement. According to the Arbabanel (15th century Spain), it cannot be considered as a commandment as it is impossible to command someone to believe in something, therefore he sees this as an introduction to all the other commandments and that G-d is establishing his authority. However according to the Rambam (13th century Egypt), this is a commandment and he claims that if you look hard enough and you are sincere you will come to believe the commandment here is to search for the truth. Ethical monotheism is a essential element of Jewish life because it effects everything within the religion, the ten commandments highlight this point. The second commandment, â€Å"do not have any other G-ds before me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  orders Jews not to worship idols. The commandment is extensively described and repeated later on in the Torah, emphasising its importance. In the commandment we are told â€Å"do not represent (such G-ds) by any carved statue or picture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  at first this seems irrelevant to society today as we do not seem tempted to bow down to idols on a regular basis. However, this could refer to putting something or someone inShow MoreRelatedArt Commission Statement1333 Words   |  6 Pagescommissioning of a Ten Commandments statue for the lobby of the new Christian and Jewish Interfaith Cultural and Historical Center. The commission statement will explain how the Ten Commandments statue represents developments in past and current world events and cultural patterns in Judaism and Christianity. We will discuss the importance of the proposed location and why it is appropriate being placed at that loc ation. This commission statement will discuss our belief of how the Ten Commandments statue reflectsRead MoreEssay on The Core Ethical Teachings of Judaism529 Words   |  3 PagesThe core ethical teachings of Judaism are the Commandments of the Torah, the Prophetic Vision and the Book of Proverbs. These ethical teachings are all ultimately derived from the Jewish Bible or Tanakh. The importance of these teachings are to provide Jewish adherents with informed moral choices. One of the most important ethical issues that a Jewish adherent may face is pollution, decisions must be made in favor of methods that involve less rather than greater destruction to the earth because accordingRead MoreChapter 5 : The Ten Commandments Reviewed1442 Words   |  6 PagesDeuteronomy 5: 1-21 The Ten Commandments Reviewed The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Christian and Jewish Bible and the final book of the Pentateuch. 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