May 22nd: Shavuot
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
The Ten Commandments is one of our most momentous messages from God—and, as we celebrate Shavuot and the Revelation at Sinai, let us remember the scene:
“Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for the Lord had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder.” (Exodus 19.18-19)
Our ancestors knew that they needed to pay attention. And then:
“God spoke all these words, saying:
(1) I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
(2) Do not have any other gods besides Me nor make idols and worship them....
(3) Do not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain...
(4) Guard and observe the Sabbath Day...
(5) Honor your father and your mother...
(6) Do not murder.
(7) Do not commit adultery.
(8) Do not steal.
(9) Do not bear false witness.
(10) Do not covet...”
This is the way I learned the Ten Commandments, but some scholars question the way they are numbered. How, they ask, is #1 a commandment, since “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage” does not command anything? To make it so, some editors combine it with the “do not have any other gods” clause that follows. Thus Commandment #1 would read: “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage; you shall have no other gods besides Me.”
But must the Decalogue’s opening statement be a commandment? The only reason we feel the need is because someone, many centuries after the Revelation at Mount Sinai, decided to name the passage The Ten Commandments, a title completely absent in the Torah. The original Torah text itself assigns neither a title nor numeration to the passage; God just had some important things to say. At some later date, Jewish Tradition agreed that God’s message has ten elements, but the term used was simply Eser Hadibrot / The Ten Utterances or Declarations. The word commandment did not come into play until much, much later. So, if #1 does not need to be a commandment, then we have no problem with the first statement/declaration simply being an introduction or prologue in which God reminds the Israelites of Who is speaking and of the relationship that they have shared: “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.”
On the other hand, is there not something commanding about this prologue? Does it not establish an authority and justification upon which all the other declarations are based? One could even say that its command is that we believe in and accept the authority of God—this “Lord…Who brought us out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.”
While God’s message was certainly important and authoritative, it might not have been as definitive as we imagine. Notice the way the communication is described: “As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder.” In other words, the Divine message was non-verbal and ethereal—a fact that must have led to many different interpretations by the people listening.
Though there is a tendency in Jewish Tradition to speak about “authentic Jewish beliefs or practices,” the fact is that our religious endeavor has evidenced a wide variety of thinking and practices all along. The Torah reflects multiple sources and opinions, and the Talmud features a continuing dialectic with wide-ranging discussions and different approaches. Every generation of Jews has been spiced with individuality and interpretation. We all hear the Voice of the One God, but we each respond in our own holiness.
Dr. Alvin Reines, late Professor of Philosophy at the Hebrew Union College, used to muse on this continuing dialogue and note the two disparate themes. Some maintain that Judaism has what he called a Birth Dogma, a set of beliefs we are supposed to hold just by virtue of being born Jewish. Others, however, note that Jewish Tradition is and has never been unanimous—that there is a wide variety of true and faithful responses to God’s Voice. Some Jews agree with each other and accept the authority of their leadership, but there are other Jewish groups and other Jewish leaders with different approaches and opinions. When one considers the whole Jewish people, one sees many interpretations as well as different ways of configuring Jewish identity and practice. Though some like to speak on behalf of God and tell other people what to do, others remember that God “speaks in thunder.”
This means, Dr. Reines taught, that our Judaism is a Polydoxy, a religious community with a variety of different understandings of Judaism—and that we need to be honest and forthright about our many Jewish possibilities. In particular, we need to be wary of making blanket statements about belief, the nature of God, and Jewish observance. There are and have always been a multiplicity of opinions in our sacred community, and he suggested opening our prayer language and study language to make our religion more inviting and embracing.
There is a lot more to be said about Dr. Reines and Polydoxy—and I shall continue with his lessons next week. In the meantime, consider a term he borrowed from medieval Jewish philosophy and mysticism, one that can expand our understanding of God. Rather than limiting God with the image of a big and powerful person, Dr. Reines preferred the term Sibat Hahavayah/The Ground of Being. When we expand our theological reach, we actually enhance and increase God’s reach—we who live and are blessed within Sibat Hahavayah.
Why did God speak in thunder? Perhaps so that each Israelite could hear the words in his/her own ways and apply them as his/her experience demands. Everyone at Mount Sinai was precious to God. And, according to the Midrash, the congregation included every future Jew as well. We were all there, and we were all filled with God’s Voice and Light and Torah. We all heard the Lord’s thunder and have been contemplating ever since how we can manifest holiness in our own and unique ways.