FULL DECALOUGE (Big 10) | Forgiven Temple

TEN COMMANDMMENTS IN FULL

The Hebrew term עשרת הדברים, popularly known as “the Ten Commandments,” appears three times: Exodus 34:28; Deut 4:13; 10:4, and is more accurately translated “The Ten Sayings,” which is reflected in the more preferable English term Decalogue, from Greek “deca logoi,” i.e., “Ten Sayings.” Rejecting the translation “commandment” is not a matter of pedantry. The opening phrase אנכי י־הוה אלהיך “I am YHWH your God” is formulated as an utterance, not a commandment. Strikingly, the term עשרת הדברים “The Ten Sayings” is absent from Exodus 20! The term is first used in Exodus 34:28, after a set of (ten) laws in vs. 10-26, and many theological scholars believe that this was the original or earliest Decalogue, which is often named “the Cultic Decalogue,” since it largely deals with cultic (traditional) or ritual matters.

In understanding the “Commandments”, we should make mention the Talmud is the heavenly expansion of the ‘First of the Law’ given mankind which instruct us on the proper way to conduct day to day life to honor Elohei Kedem (The Eternal G-d). The Talmud (The Talmud… meaning “learning’ and which includes the Mishnah (The first compilation of the oral law, authored by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (approx. 200 C.E.), and the germinal statements of law elucidated by the Gemara (a compendium of Babylonian Rabbinic writings and discussions from the first few centuries of the Common Era.), together (Mishnah and Gemara) the Talmud, which comprise a collection of Rabbinical writings which cover the full gamut of Jewish law and tradition, compiled and edited between the third and sixth centuries). There are 613 Biblical Commandments in total {https://www.the613commandments.com/The-List-of-the-613-Commandments.html}.

THE DECA LOGOI (The ten statements):

1. I AM the Lord Thy God.

“I am G-d, your Lord, who brought you out from the land of Egypt from the house of servitude.”

The 1st Commandment is a directive to cultivate one’s faith in HaShem (G-d). Indeed, it is axiomatic (spiritual law) to our beliefs that everyone has an innate spark of faith by virtue of the Holy Soul or Spirit (the very breath of HaShem) inside them. We are enjoined by this commandment to fan this spark and make it burn warmly and brightly. This is a directive to accept and receive HaShem as Yahweh (your L-rd G-d) He invites you to join the life that He Himself lives, that is eternal life… He is the Living G-d, The source of all creation, all life. When you accept His invitation into His Covenant, you are made a child of eternal promise, eternal love and eternal life. It is indeed a command to accept the only truth, the truth of Elohei Tseva’ot (The G-d of Hosts). “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.” – {Isaiah 43:3} The G-d of Israel calls us to obey His glorious truth.. He alone is HaShem!

2. Before me other gods you shall have not

This simple commandment spans the distance of four separate prohibitions condemning idolatry. “There shall not be to you the gods of others,” this of course flows naturally from the 1st Commandment. This refers to the denial of the gods of other nations, though commonly seen as there are no other gods but the G-d of Israel. The phrase ‘al-panai (“before my face” assures us that Elohim is omnipresent, eternal in every place in every time… this is a prohibition of idolatry.

This commandment demands exclusive worship of The One G-d. One may not even consider the possibility that any other powers exist not under G-d’s jurisdiction, or even any powers which share control of the universe with Him. This is one of the three commandments through which we are expected to devote our lives for rather than transgress against. It is not that we decry the gods of others so much, but rather hold firm to the powers, glory and mercy of Elohei Kedem (The Eternal G-d or the one true G-d). It is also a prohibition of blasphemy of the vain use of our Lord’s Holy name.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image… and you shall not make for yourself any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or the earth below.” The noteworthy word in Hebrew here is temunah, though often translated to mean ‘likeness’, the concept is a bit more complex meaning “pattern” or “form” which in common thought is symbolic reference to the divine. Astrology and deifications of the sun, moon and stars as well as ritual magic and animism are clearly prohibited (They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.”) - {Deuteronomy 32:17}

3. Do not invoke the name of G-d your Lord falsely

You shall not take the name of the Lord your G‑d in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain. You shall neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I, the Lord, your G-d, am a zealous G-d, Who visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, and [I] perform loving kindness to thousands [of generations], to those who love Me and to those who keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your G‑d in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.

We may not swear in Elohim’s name falsely. This can be done in four different ways exemplified as follows; 1. Swearing that that a stone is gold. 2. Swearing for nothing; for example a stone is a stone. 3. Swearing not to perform a commandment. 4. Swearing to do the impossible; for example, to fly (unaided).

4. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it. – {Exodus 20:9-11}

5. Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you.

Honoring parents is one of the select mitzvahs featured in the Ten Commandments. The Torah tells us, “Honor your father and mother,”; I have already noted that the Lord’s name is mentioned in the first four statements. In all of these statements we find the form, “The Lord they G-d”… honoring Elohim. Honoring is considered a positive act. It involves the “do’s” of dealing with parents. Among them are bringing them food and drink, helping them dress (if they need it), and standing up for them when they enter. Elsewhere the Torah commands us to “fear” our parents, dealing with the “don'ts”. Among them are not contradicting a parents words, and not calling a parent by their first name.

Honoring our parents isn’t complicated at all. If your father or mother has a special place to sit, don’t sit there. Don’t contradict your parents to their face. There’s always a discreet way to work with this. When not in their presence, you can express an opposing opinion, but in a respectful manner. “I think you’re right, Dad!” is also disrespectful. Mom & Dad don’t require your approval. Unless you are asked for your parent’s name, don’t call… or even refer… to your parents by name, even posthumously.

In honoring one's parents, one must remember to honor also, and especially, the third "partner," namely, our Heavenly Father, who not only gives life to the new-born child, but also to the other two partners, the child's parents. And if honoring one's parents means gratifying their wishes and making them justly proud of their offspring, how much more so it is incumbent upon everyone to order one's daily life and conduct in accord with the Divine Will. Hence the rule, "Know Him in all your ways,"- {Proverbs 3:6 Tanakh) meaning that awareness of HaShem must pervade every aspect and detail of the everyday life.

6. You Shall Not Murder.

This commandment is clear merely by the word Murder. This commandment prohibits unjustified homicide killing. In the Vulgate, the authoritative Latin translation of scripture from which then the English translations are derived, refers to killing alone without distinction or cause or thought process. This lack of distinction between murder and killing in general belies the importance of this commandment. Killings are unfortunately sometimes unavoidable, most especially in times of war or events such as self-defense. The Hebrew word used here is ratzach, which applies only to illegal killing (pre-meditated murder or manslaughter). As man is made in the image of Elohim, human life is very precious in the sight of the Almighty. Only HaShem Himself possess the reserved right to both give and take life. Adam the first man was created alone, to teach us that with regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth.

Conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world. The Mishnah cites another reason Adam the first man was created alone: And this was done due to the importance of maintaining peace among people, so that one person will not say to another: My father, i.e., progenitor, is greater than your father. And it was also so that the heretics who believe in multiple gods will not say: There are many authorities in Heaven, and each created a different person. This serves to tell of the greatness of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as when a person stamps several coins with one seal, they are all similar to each other. But the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He who stamped all people with the seal of Adam, as all of them are his offspring, and not one of them is similar to another. Therefore, since all humanity descends from one person, each and every person is obligated to say: The world was created for me, as one person can be the source of all humanity, and recognize the significance of his actions.

7. Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery

Aside of the clearly obvious, which is to say to abstain from relations with anyone other than your spouse after betrothal or marriage or being single, relations with one who is married, this commandment has greater depth than credited. Broadly, this Commandment addresses the sinful folly of spirit. It seems very strange that there could be a law regarding how we think. Ideally, we are not sharing these thoughts with our partner. However, we are shown that we are most definitely responsible for what we think, and even more importantly, that we have the power and ability to control our thoughts and to overcome our thoughts. The only way we can be told that something is not allowed based on our thoughts is if we have the ability to change that situation.

There is a statement in the Talmud that “a person does not commit a transgression unless the spirit of folly enters him,”… There is a verbal similarity between “goes aside” (tisteh) and “folly” (shetut). There is some deeper connection, not apparent at first sight, between adultery and sin in general. The sin of adultery in Jewish law applies only if the woman concerned is married. A single woman cannot be guilty of it, the sin falls upon the married man. Hence the phrase, “If any man’s wife goes astray.” Moreover, the Jewish people as a whole are regarded as the “wife” of HaShem. The bond (Covenant) forged between them at Sinai was like a marriage. It is clearly fair to say every time a Jew commits a sin, however slight, he is betraying the covenant, the “marriage contract” between himself and HaShem. He is guilty of spiritual adultery, unfaithfulness to his Divine partner.

Between the Jewish people and HaShem is a bond of eternal mutual loyalty, a marriage of which Elohim is the male, the initiating partner, and we the female (The Brides of the Church), the keepers of the faith. Even in exile there is no separation or divorce. The phrase “if any man’s wife goes aside” does not apply to the certain, but merely to the suspected, adulterer; where there were no witnesses to the supposed act, and it was “hidden from the eyes of her husband.” The standards of fidelity which the Torah sets for Jewish wives, that it is culpable even to lay oneself open to suspicion. However, this stigma is short-lived. If, after the procedure for deciding whether the suspicion was well-founded, she is deemed innocent, she returns to her husband untainted.

Great hope then lies before the person who has sinned. They must not fall prey to melancholy or despair. For HaShem has said, “My glory I will not give to another.” When they return to HaShem they too will be fruitful. They will rise to the love and fear of Elohim. They will work towards true closeness, until “husband and wife are united,” and the presence of the Divine is revealed in their soul. This is their personal redemption: a preface to the collective redemption which is the Messianic Age.

8. You shall not steal.

The Eighth Commandment implies a great deal more than a prohibition to steal from others; it also includes the prohibition against stealing from ourselves in the failure to practice complete honesty within ourselves. We lie or deceive ourselves, we are staling the truth from self. In rationalizing what is unjust, we then rob ourselves of the great blessing of inner peace. In the tradition of teshuvah (repentance)… sin itself can be a connection to theft. We cause theft of honor to our Creator, theft of honor to once close to us, family, friends and neighbors. It is clear if someone borrows a thing for a specific use, he then is not permitted to use it for any other purpose other than specified, and doing anything other is an abuse of the privilege constituting a theft of use. We are granted the miraculous blessings of speech, sight and hearing that we may use these gifts to lead a godly life. Abuse of these precious gifts in any manner other than HaShem’s intent, we therefore constitute sin in the form of theft, an act of breaking faith with our Lord. We steal from another in any manner; we are stealing also from ourselves through arrogance and vanity, just as we are also stealing from HaShem in the abuse of His gifts and breaking faith.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

To understand the complex entirety of this Commandment, we must with a willing eye and clear mind examine all which the Ninth Commandment entails. While for most, this is a simple prohibition of lying in general, the depth of the meaning is a bit more complex. Among the prohibitions of this Commandment, we must also acknowledge it is a prohibition against all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature. Prohibited is giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth and passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil. We must guard against rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked.

To bear false witness absolutely includes forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calls for either a reproof from us or complaint to others. The Ninth Commandment includes prohibitions against speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful and equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of truth or justice. We must guard against misconstructions of intentions, words, and actions as well as flattering, vainglorious boasting. We must guard our minds and hearts against thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others and denying the gifts and graces of HaShem (G-d). Within this contextual prohibition, we must avoid hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession and raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense. Also of great importance is awareness to avoid envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any, endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy.

10. You shall not covet.

We understand to covet means to desire someone or something obsessively, wrongfully and without due regard for the rights or feelings of others. It is a strong emotion, to be avoided. The Hebrew word used in the Torah is ‘qal” which refers to actions of desire and is paired with a verb to mean “taking”(i.e., Do not covet her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. – Proverbs 6:25). The Proverbs Chapter ends with a warning that a husband never forgives a man who cuckolds him, so that adultery is a self-destructive act. The assumption is that if the man “covets her beauty” he will sleep with her. Coveting is the only prohibition mentioned twice in the Decalogue and with an impressive list of interdicted items. In Exodus, we read “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 donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Later, in Deuteronomy, we read “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not crave your neighbor’s house, or his field, or his male or female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Latins translations use the verb epithumeo, which the Greek English Lexicon of the Septuagint translates as “to set one’s heart upon, to long for, to desire.” The Greek verb epithumeo is different than the English verb “covet” since it can be used for positive as well as negative desires. For example, before he is taken by the authorities, Y’shua tells His disciples that He greatly desires (ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα) to have the Passover feast with them (Luke 22:15).

The Latin translators used the term epithumeo for all “coveting prohibitions” in the Decalogue (the 10 Commandments). For this reason, readers interpreting the Greek Bible (as opposed to the Hebrew Bible) were likely to miss the specific connection between “desire” and “taking”.) The most highly regarded Jewish exegete of the LXX version of the Torah (The Septuagint, abbreviation LXX, the earliest extant Greek translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew) was the Alexandrian Jewish philosopher, Philo (ca. 25 B.C.E. – 50 C.E.). He expounds upon this prohibition at length in his On the Ten Commandments (De Decalogo XXVIII) “The fifth [in the second list, which equals the tenth in the full listing] is that which cuts off desire, the fountain of all iniquity, from which flow all the most unlawful actions, whether of individuals or of states, whether important or trivial, whether sacred or profane, whether they relate to one’s life and soul, or to what are called external things; for, as I have said before, nothing ever escapes desire, but, like a fire in a wood, it proceeds onward, consuming and destroying everything.”

It is an emotion, a strong emotion, to be avoided or recanted. When a person experiences this emotion, he/she “covets.” This prohibition speaks to the heart’s most craving desires. At a time when we may not be truthful to ourselves, our heart is revealed always before HaShem: Your Father who sees in secret..” (Matthew 6:6) In an honest self-examination we may reveal the condition of our heart of hearts to reveal our need for redemption from the clutches of sin. We are reminded of Saul (Paul) addressing the congregation in Rome: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” {Romans 7:7}

In what manner do we mortals wrestle against our nature to be freed from the bonds of sinful desires? It is solely within the keeping of the Covenant and walking with the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit; The very breath of Elohim), the grace of HaShem through Y’shua HaMashiach (Yehoshua/Jesus, our Messiah) for as it is written: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” {Galatians 5:4}