Musing - How do the Jewish Sages view their first commandment?

Hebraic Musing - How do the Jewish Sages view their first commandment?

Insight #29 in my Hebraic Insights book asks the question – “Which Ten Commandments?”  The Jews, Catholics and Protestants each have their own rendering with interesting differences.  The biggest difference – The Catholics and Protestants recite the first commandment similarly – “I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me”.  The Jewish Sages say the first commandment is “I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt”.           

According to the Sages, that is the meaning of the First Commandment – we are obligated to know that God is part of our lives at every single moment. Knowing that God is present at all times will completely define how we live our lives.  While this ‘commandment’ does not start with a ‘shall’ or ‘shall not’, it certainly sets a tone for our lives, and affects how we listen/hear the remaining nine lessons on how to live.

Q - Why does God refer to Himself as the “God who brought you out of Egypt” and not the God who created the world?  Creation would seem to be the greater act, but maybe He wants us to know and remember that He is also the ‘Sustainer’.

To us modern day Christians or Jews or Messianics, the fact that He “…brought you out of Egypt” may not register as significantly as it did to the Israelite nation at the foot of the mountain thousands of years ago. However, is there an Egypt, or a land of idolatry, or a form of slavery that He brought you out of?

Point to ponder

How would remembering
“I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt”
influence your life and attitude and obedience.

Shalom                                                                                    March 12, 2013

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd

Author “Hebraic Insights – 95 messages exploring the Hebrew Roots of Christian faith”

Author “Biblical Marriage” (to be published in June 2012)

Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings”  to be added to distribution -- Yosef1@cox.net
www.InsightsByYosef.com

If interested – from “Hebraic Insights – 95 messages exploring the Hebrew Roots of Christian faith”

29. Which Ten Commandments?

We want the Ten Commandments to be put back in our public schools. Here is an interesting question: Which Ten Commandments should we put up—Jewish, Catholic, or Protestant?

Let’s explore the evolution. We need to keep in mind that these were not products of the same time period. The Jewish Ten Commandments were in place many centuries before the Roman Catholic Church came into being in the late fourth century. In Christianity the Roman Catholic version was the only version for well over 1,000 years. Remember, it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that the first Protestant  churches were established. And there are word and translation differentiations in the various Bible translations (some of which are denominationally driven). And, of course, each of the different religious authorities tells its followers that their version is God’s Word and God’s will. So, whose version should be displayed?

Examine the three different versions of the Ten Commandments and answer the following questions:

1)  What are the differences between them?

2)  What changes did the Catholic Church make to the Jewish version? And why was it changed?

3)  What changes to the Catholic version did the Protestants make? And why was it changed?

4)  Is the Protestant version more similar to the Catholic or the Jewish version?

5)  Which version would Jesus have known?

6)  Could it be that the words of the Bible have been manipulated by theologians?

7)  How many manipulations, inconsistencies, or misinterpretations can you find?

I don’t have all the answers. So send your answers to me by e-mail. Yosef1@cox.net

Jewish	Catholic	Protestant
I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.	I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.	You shall have no other gods but me.
You shall have no other gods but me.	You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.	You shall not make unto you any graven images.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.	Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.	You shall not take the name  of the Lord your God in vain.
You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.	Honor your father and your mother.	You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.
Honor your mother and father.	You shall not kill.	Honor your mother and father.
You shall not murder.	You shall not commit adultery.	You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.	You shall not steal.	You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.	You shall not bear false witness.	You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness.	You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.	You shall not bear false witness.
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.	You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.	You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Point to Ponder

This would make an interesting discussion group topic!