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The Ten Commandments express the tenets of ethical monotheism and are a pillar of Western civilization. What are they and what makes them Jewish?
The Ten Commandments, also called the “Decalogue,” or the “Ten Statements”—derived from the Hebrew, Aseret Hadibrot (עשרת הדיברות)—are first recorded in the Torah, in the book of Exodus, chapter 20, and then repeated with slight variations in Deuteronomy, chapter 5.
Although popularly referred to as “10 commandments,” the term “commandments” presents a semantic difficulty in that the Torah—according to Jewish tradition—contains a total of 613 commandments, 13 of which are included within the text of the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments articulate the pillars of Jewish belief—and, according to many, are the first true expression of the tenets of ethical monotheism—which, as chronicled in Exodus, chapters 19 and 20, God communicated to the Jewish nation as they encamped at the base Mount Sinai. As recounted in the book of Exodus (31:18), the text of that revelation was subsequently carved onto two stone tablets, which were stored in the Ark of the Covenant (described in Exodus 25:10-22), and housed, eventually, in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.
The Ten Commandments are the primary expression of ethical monotheism, which posits that a) God exists, and b) is the source of morality. The commandments are divided into two groups:
Like all the commandments in the Torah, the Ten Commandments are considered God-given, which means that their ideals are absolute and unchanging. They form the basis for Western society, especially its legal and ethical traditions, and have had a huge impact on the Islamic world as well.
The first of the Ten Commandments states, “I am God your Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, from the place of slavery.” The second part of that verse, with its emphasis on the exodus and redemption from slavery, indicates a covenant, or special relationship between God and the Jewish people. Indeed, in Hebrew, the two stone tablets that the Ten Commandments were written on are called the “Tablets of the Covenant” (לוחות הברית), as opposed to the “Tablets of the Commandments.” That point is also emphasized in the narrative section preceding the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:4-6):
You saw what I did in Egypt, carrying you on eagles’ wings to bring you to me. Now if you obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my special treasure among all nations, even though all the world is mine. You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.
According to the Torah, the point of the exodus—including the many miracles described in the book of Exodus—was for the Jewish nation to gather at the base of Mount Sinai and to experience the revelation of the Ten Commandments. As Moses told Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1), “This is what the God of the Hebrews declares, ‘Let my people go, so they can serve me in the desert.’”
Receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai was the transformative event that obligated the Jewish people in Torah observance. Moses told them that as well (Deuteronomy 5:1-3):
For centuries, biblical scholars have debated the exact ordering of the Ten Commandments, and the actual listing varies depending on your interpretation of the Biblical verses. Most online searches bring up the version many Christian denominations accept, which differs from the traditional Jewish list.
According to Judaism, the Ten Commandments are:
The first of the Ten Commandments is to “know that God exists.” Jewish belief starts with belief in God, and Jewish spiritual life—including its meaning, morality, and laws—is predicated on your acceptance, awareness, and understanding of God.
The commandment is written in the first person: “I am God your Lord, who brought you out of Egypt…” because the Torah is speaking directly to you, the reader, as if it’s saying: “Don’t believe in God because it feels good, or because the rabbi said so… Figure it out for yourself.”
In other words, the first of the Ten Commandments is to be a critical thinker. God exists and He wants a relationship, but the strength of that relationship is up to you. You’re in the driver’s seat. Your relationship with God—your level of belief, your spirituality, your commitment to the Jewish mission—is your responsibility.
That isn’t a feel-good platitude or motivational sentiment, it’s the first commandment. Jewish belief starts and ends with critical thinking.
The second commandment is to not believe in any power other than God. That refers not just to pagan deities and beliefs—which are expressly prohibited—but also to the “strange gods that are within you” (Psalms 81:10). According to the Talmud (Shabbat 105b), that “strange god” is also called the “Yetzer Hara (יצר הרע),” or “Evil Inclination,” which is an anthropomorphic nickname for the self-destructive voice that exists within every person, and is manifest in myriad ways: anger, jealousy, rationalizations, excuses, justifications, or simply saying, “I can’t.” Listening to that voice is akin to believing in a power other than God.
The third commandment is not to make a false or misleading oath. An oath is an assertion that something is true, and an oath in God’s name is an assertion that, to you, your declaration is as real as God. If your oath is false, you’re also asserting that God is false, which undermines the basis of the Ten Commandments, and the foundation of monotheistic belief.
It also doesn’t say much about you. Whether you’re in a court of law, at work, or going about your life, your word is your bond, and a reflection of your character and integrity.
The fourth commandment is to both a) observe and b) remember the Sabbath. Those two ideas are derived from the difference in how the commandment is presented in the books of Deuteronomy and Exodus. In Deuteronomy (5:12), it says: “Guard the Sabbath to keep it holy; and in Exodus (20:8), it says: “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” “Guarding” refers to observing the Sabbath, which means refraining from doing the types of “work” prohibited by Jewish law. “Remembering” means to verbally acknowledge the Sabbath’s beginning and end, and to observe the many customs instituted around those times.
The Sabbath is specifically listed fourth—after a discussion about God, but before introducing morality—to teach the idea that God created the world for your benefit and pleasure, which starts with observing the Sabbath.1 That understanding precedes—and should also inform—your moral behavior and code: life is a gift, use it to be a source of good.
The fifth commandment is to honor your parents. As noted above, the fifth commandment was carved onto the right, or first, stone tablet (Exodus 31:18), which means it is considered a commandment that’s focus is “man’s relationship with God.” Honoring parents starts with the idea that your parents gave you the gift of life, and is not dependent on what they did for you—or even whether they were good parents—rather, they gave you life, and honoring them teaches you gratitude, which inculcates within you an appreciation for the source of all life as well.
On a deeper level, ideally, a parent’s love creates the paradigm for understanding how God relates to man: you’re loved, and, more importantly, you’re never alone.
The sixth commandment is to not murder. The value of human life is paramount, and takes precedence in myriad cases throughout Jewish law. That was a radical idea when the Torah was written—for example, the Torah emphasizes compassion instead of execution, which was the common penalty for lesser crimes in the ancient Near East—and is an ideal that still informs much of the modern world.
The language used in the Ten Commandments is specifically “do not murder (לא תרצח),” and not “do not kill (לא תהרוג),” because in some cases—like in self-defense, during wartime, and in capital cases—killing, while regrettable, is allowed.
The seventh commandment is to not commit adultery. The bedrock of Jewish life is the family, which is important on every level: spiritual, physical, economic, and psychological. Adultery is a disruption and attack on the family, and threatens its stability and survival.
The eighth commandment is to not steal. Theft destroys the basic fabric of society, and the eighth commandment—in addition to stealing someone’s property—applies to kidnapping and even to misleading people.
The importance of not stealing is conveyed via an unusual statement in the Talmud (Sotah 12A), “For righteous people, their possessions are more precious to them than their bodies, because they never stole.” Earning an honest living requires effort, and takes time that can’t be replaced, especially when that’s done with integrity and care. Stealing denies that, and, in a sense, disrespects something more fundamental as well.
The ninth commandment is to not lie in court. Without laws or a functioning court system, civil society grinds to a halt. If you lie in court, you make it impossible to establish true justice, which, inevitably, leads to anarchy.
The tenth commandment is not to covet someone else’s possessions. According to the Talmud, true wealth is being happy with what you have. Happiness is a state of being. Desiring someone else’s possessions shows a lack on your part. You don’t understand your worth, and evaluate yourself in comparison to others, which is a recipe for disaster.
Not coveting is the last of the Ten Commandments. Similar to the first commandment, with its emphasis on critical thinking, the final commandment is about personal responsibility. To quote a great hasidic master, “The day you were born was the day God realized the world could no longer exist without you.” You’re essential to existence. The world is lacking something without you. What is that exactly? Only you can figure that out, and it’s not something anyone else has.
According to the book of Exodus, Moses took the Jewish people out of Egypt, and led them to the base of Mount Sinai. In Exodus, chapter 19, the Torah recounts the preparations and instructions Moses gave the people in order to be able receive the Ten Commandments.
It wasn’t enough.
If you look carefully at the text of the first two commandments (Exodus 20:2-6), you’ll notice that they’re in the first person—“I am God your Lord,” “You shall have no other gods”—whereas the other eight (Exodus 20:7-14) are in the third person. God spoke directly to the people, but it was too much, which the Torah then mentions (Exodus 20:16): “They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us and we will listen. But let God not speak to us any more, for we will die if He does.’”
According to Jewish tradition, the national revelation at Mount Sinai gave Moses the authority to receive the Torah, since the entire nation heard God speak to him. This is why Jewish law comes from him and no other source. But that revelation heard by all only included the first two of the Ten Commandments; the others, as well as the rest of the Torah, were given to Moses and recorded in the five books of the Torah. That secret is hinted at in the word “Torah” itself. In Hebrew, every Hebrew letter has a corresponding numerical value, and the value for the letters in “Torah (תורה)” add up to 611. Why 611? Because the first two commandments God spoke to the Jewish nation en masse, and the other 611 were given to Moses.2
The Ten Commandments articulate the pillars of Jewish belief, which, as chronicled in Exodus, chapters 19 and 20, God communicated to the Jewish nation as they encamped at the base Mount Sinai. They are the primary expression of ethical monotheism, but also indicate a covenant, or special relationship, between God and the Jewish people. The Ten Commandments start with an exhortation to think critically, and end with a call for personal responsibility. The first two commandments are in the first person, because the Jewish nation heard those as part of a national revelation, while the others—as well as the rest of the Torah—were, according to Jewish tradition, given to Moses alone at another time.
The Ten Commandments appear in both the books of Exodus, chapter 20, and then again—with minor variations—in Deuteronomy, chapter 5.
The tablets of the Ten Commandments were originally placed in the Ark of the Covenant as recounted in Exodus 31:18, but were subsequently hidden away at the time of the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem in 423 BCE.
