Thou Shalt Not Post the Ten Commandments

Let me start off by saying that I am pro-10 commandments.  In Jewish tradition, we classically have 613 commandments, but the top ten are a pretty good start.  In fact, without looking in your Shabbat bulletin, how many people can name all 10? (show of hands/shout out)

THE TEN STATEMENTS (COMMANDMENTS)- ASERET HADIBROT

1. I am Adonai your God who took you out of the land of Egypt. Out of the house of slavery.  I am Adonai; you shall not have any other Gods before me2. You shall not make any image of me, bow to it or worship it3. You shall not take the name of God in vain.4. Keep (and remember!) the day of Sabbath5. Honor your father and mother6. You shall not murder7. You shall not commit adultery8. You shall not steal9. You shall not bear false witness

10. You shall not covet another person’s wife, house, or anything that is theirs

Now that we know what they are, let’s talk about them.  In 2023, the state of Texas tried to pass a law mandating that the 10 commandments be posted in every classroom.  Last month, Governor Jeff Landry successfully and provocatively passed such a law in the state of Louisiana.  Governor Landry knows that such a law will not stand up in court.  So why would he propose something that will require time and money to battle in court?  And lest we think we are above the fray, remember that just a few months our own legislature here in Arizona did pass a bill that would permit, but not require, teachers to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the bill.

I think the 10 commandments are great and meaningful and important.  I think that we should teach them and follow them.  AND, I am in total agreement with the Washington Post editorial headline, “Thou Shalt Not Post the Ten Commandments.”  Why not?  And why is it such a contentious issue?  Why do so many of our fellow citizens support such a measure?

For some it is, yes, a religious issue.  They may see America as founded on Christian principles, and they despair over our movement away from Christian religious identity and observance in contemporary culture.  For others, it is a reflection of moral decay, the decline of social discourse, the chaos of the society in which we are living that makes it feel like perhaps the 10 commandments are the life raft that can keep us afloat?

Whatever the motivation, posting the 10 commandments in classrooms will a) only further disharmony and divisiveness that plague us, and, b) impact no one’s behavior in any meaningful way.  There is no turning back the clock to a simpler time, and that simpler time disguised racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and pre-feminist thinking.  The good old days were not so good for many, and posting the 10 commandments in classrooms won’t change that, nor will it fix what is wrong in 2024.

Which 10 commandments are we talking about anyway?  Remember when we just sang L’cha Dodi?  Remember the line- “Shamor v’zachor b’dibbur echad?”  What’s that about?  Well- the Exodus version uses the words “remember the Sabbath day,” while in Deuteronomy we read the commandment to “keep the Sabbath day.”  The author of L’cha Dodi resolves this difference by saying that these two different versions of the 10 commandments were somehow uttered, miraculously, simultaneously- b’dibbur echad.  So which one are we posting?

In Hebrew, we don’t even call them “The Ten Commandments.”  They are Aseret haDibbrot, the 10 sayings.  The Torah speaks of “chukkim u’mishpatim,” translated as “statues and ordinances.”  This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat, Classically, a mishpat is a commandment that makes intuitive sense to us.  Maybe something we could have figured out on our own, even if it wasn’t in the Torah.  For example- “Thou shalt not commit murder” could be considered a “mishpat.”  A chok is a law that we never would have figured out, for example, don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.  Well, okay, if You say so God!

Furthermore, where our version of the 10 begins with “I am Adonai your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”  The Protestant version kicks in with, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  So which is it?  Don’t all raise your hands at once; I think I know the answer.

It is challenging and important to expand our aperture to look at other traditions beyond the more familiar realms of the Judeo-Christian.  My teacher Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, zichrono livracha, wisely taught that the problem with most interfaith dialogue is that I compare my ought with your is.  That is, I share the loftiest, most elevated teachings in my tradition, and compare them with the rotten, miserable practitioners of your faith.

The truth is that in Islam, for example, there is a belief in one God, in justice and compassion, in honesty, humility, patience, and gratitude.  In respect for parents and for human life.  Buddhism is based on 5 ethical precepts including non-violence and respect for all life, not stealing and avoiding sexual misconduct. Buddha advocated living lives of lovingkindness and compassion, of equanimity, of right action and right speech.  We can find parallel Hindu teachings regarding generosity and patience.  Taoism emphasizes respect for life and self-discipline. There are people leading exemplary lives who profess no faith, and there are people who claim to be devout yet betray their faith routinely.

I’ll conclude where I began.  I think the 10 commandments are great.  I think posting them in classrooms is meaningless and counterproductive.  I think that in our homes and in our schools, I think that in our religious institutions and in our ways of being in the world, we should practice kindness and compassion, treat every individual as an image of the divine, be respectful to all, even those with whom we may disagree.  I think that we should be honest and open, be responsible and loving, I think that we should live our faith and practice what we preach, and that will go much further than a poster on a classroom wall.