The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments are the the ten commandments that were conveyed to the people of Israel at the mountain of Sinai. The Ten Commandments are:
1. I am your God that took you out of Egypt, out of slavery.
2. You shall not have a god other than me. You shall not create for yourself a figurine or a symbol of any kind for the purpose of importance, authority or worship.
3. You shall not express God's name in vane.
4. Make the Sabbath a holy day, avoid any kind of work, creation or any other ordinary day activity.
5. Respect and honor your parents.
6. You must not steal.
7. You must not kill.
8. You must not commit adultery.
9. You must not testify falsely.
10. You must not have a desire for any of the belongings of your friend.
After leaving Egypt, the people of Israel, through a fifty day journey in the desert, went through a speedy personal growth process. The goal of that process was to eliminate their slave-like mentality, elevate them spiritually and prepare them to the revelation at the mountain of Sinai.
After leaving Egypt, the people of Israel, through a fifty day journey in the desert, went through a speedy personal growth process. The goal of that process was to eliminate their slave-like mentality, elevate them spiritually and prepare them to the revelation at the mountain of Sinai.
It wasn't enough.
As God started speaking to the people of Israel, they felt they could not withstand the overwhelming spiritual experience. They asked Moses to speak to God, receive the message from God and then convey it to them.
The Ten Commandments are the commandments that God commanded Moses and Moses had conveyed them to the Jewish people in real time at the mountain of Sinai.
After that event, Moses had spent 40 days at the mountain, receiving all the other parts of the Torah from God. The Torah - the five books of Moses - was dictated to Moses by God. Moses had transcribed them precisely as God dictated.
After he had finished the Five Books of Moses (the written law), God had taught Moses the other part of the Torah - the Oral Laws. After he had finished his 40 days of studying the Torah, Moses had given the Five Books of Moses to Joshua and taught him - by heart -
the entire Oral Law.
While according to Judaism all parts of the Torah are equally important and holly, the Ten Commandments have a special meaning since that was the only time a human being had heard God's voice.