Let the Ten Commandments command your imagination … and enrich your life.
When the Holy One gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, not one angel stirred its wing or sang its song. The sea did not roar, creatures did not speak—the whole world was hushed into breathless silence; it was then that the voice went forth: ‘I am the Lord your God…’
—Exodus Rabba 29:9
Even people who claim not to be “religious” will generally maintain that they do observe the Ten Commandments. Why is it that these ten statements, thousands of years old, continue to have such a special hold on us?
Here, twelve outstanding spiritual leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish thought bring us to the life and soul of the Ten Commandments’ unusual power. In voices that are personal and diverse, they help us take a closer look at the ten utterances that not only touch every aspect of our lives, but also present each of us with a profound challenge.
Contributors include:
Eugene B. Borowitz • Leonard Fein • Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer • Laura Geller •
Lawrence A. Hoffman • Menachem Kellner • Peter S. Knobel • Richard N. Levy • Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi • Levi Weiman-Kelman
Table of Content
Acknowledgments Introduction by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner Perspectives on the Ten Wordsby Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva1. The First Commandment I, Adonai your God, [am the one] who brought you outof the land of Egypt, from a slavehouse.First Words I [Am the One]by Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz2. The Second Commandment Have no other god before Me….First Words No Otherby Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi3. The Third Commandment You shall not lift up the name of Adonai your God forvain purpose, for Adonai will not clear one who usesthe Name in vain.First Words Thou Shalt Not Take the Nameby Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer4. The Fourth Commandment Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy….First Words The Meaning of Shabbat: A Virtual Domain in Timeby Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman5. The Fifth Commandment Honor your father and mother that your days may be prolongedon the soil that Adonai your God is giving you.First Words I Was Young, and I Have Also Grown Olderby Leonard Fein6. The Sixth Commandment You shall not murder.First Words Undoing Creationby Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman7. The Seventh Commandment You shall not commit adultery.First Words Sacred Boundariesby Rabbi Peter S. Knobel8. The Eighth Commandment You shall not steal.First Words A Bit of a Thiefby Rabbi Richard N. Levy9. The Ninth Commandment You shall not answer against your neighbor asa false witness.First Words Competing Valuesby Rabbi Laura Geller10. The Tenth Commandment You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall notcovet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.First Words Desireby Dr. Menachem Kellner Ten More Wordsby Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf Sources and Notes About the ContributorsAbout the author
Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz is the Sigmund L. Falk Distinguished Professor of Education and Jewish Religious Thought at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, where he was ordained. His books include Renewing the Covenant: A Theology for the Postmodern Jew and A Touch of the Sacred: A Theologian’s Informal Guide to Jewish Belief (Jewish Lights).More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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