Suggestions…Guidelines…Expectations…

I’m not a fan of The Ten Commandments!

There…I’ve gotten your attention. This week’s Torah portion, Yitro, contains what is arguably the most famous section of the entire Bible. It is commonly called The Ten Commandments, though this is actually a misnomer. In Jewish Tradition, it is known as Aseret Ha-Dibrot—The Ten Statements, which is a more apt description, considering that the First “Commandment” is “I am the Eternal your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” Wouldn’t you agree that’s more of a statement than a commandment?

So, what’s my problem with The Ten Commandments? Well, let me put it this way: I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people say, “I’m not very religious, but at least I try to live my life by The Ten Commandments.” I question that statement because I’ve done the following experiment dozens of times: I’ve asked a class of adults to list The Ten Commandments. The group typically comes up with 8 or 9 or 11 or 12. If they come up with 10, some of the 10 are not actually part of The Ten Commandments. So, how can people live by The Ten Commandments if they don’t even know what they are?

Further, we are all aware that one of The Ten Commandments reads “Remember (Exodus version)/Observe (Deuteronomy version) the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” How many of these folks who claim to live by The Ten Commandments can be found in shul on Friday night? If they’re not at services, have they lit candles and made kiddush at home? You know the answer!

Another concern: There is more to Judaism than following just 10 commandments. How about “Love your neighbor as yourself?” What about “Justice, justice shall you pursue?” And then we have the whole round of annual festivals listed in Leviticus, Chapter 23. Can you imagine Judaism without Pesach or Yom Kippur, for instance? Just how many commandments are there in the Torah? (Hint: the number is somewhere between 612 and 614.) The Ten Commandments? Not enough to live a meaningful Jewish life.

Should we do our best to follow The Ten Commandments? Sure. But, let’s not stop there!