Yitro presents us at the base of Mount Sinai with the Israelites. God contributes the Ten Commandments. This scene in the Torah depicts Moses as he begins climbing up the mountain. The winds are blowing, thunder is crashing, and the shofar is blowing. I picture a creschendo of creation and then all the sudden a melodramatic, dead silence. That is when Moses finally understands God. Finally, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments to share with all of Egypt.
Last year, I wrote about what each commandment stood for. This year I am asking why ten? There are 613 commandments in the Torah all together. Why did God choose these ten? It seems like God just wants these out there. The Israelites are driving God crazy in the desert and the Ten Commandments are like throwing water on a fire. The other 603 are rebuilding the foundation the fire destroyed.
My dad compared the Ten Commandments to the Bill of Rights. However, everyday though politicians are hard at work ammending the Bill of Rights. The Torah has not been ammended in a long, long tme. This especially includes the Ten Commandments. When I first learned about the Bill of Rights, some ammendments seemed more sensable in the 1800's. Although some messages apply more to biblical times, I find the Torah timeless. Just like the Bill of Rights, it started the foundation of a people's fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment