The Decalogue – Division and Design/2

The Decalogue – Division and Design

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Traditional Ten

The statement "I am Hashem your God..." comprises its own independent utterance. As such, there is no need to split any of the others.

Sources:Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot20:12About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot, YerushalmiBerakhot 1:5About the Yerushalmi, Bavli MakkotMakkot 23b-24aAbout the Bavli, Vayikra Rabbah24:5About Vayikra Rabbah, TanchumaKedoshim 3About the Tanchuma,

Split "לא יהיה"

The statement "I am Hashem your God..." does not constitute an independent utterance.  The number ten is reached, instead, by dividing "לֹא יִהְיֶה... מִצְוֺתָי" into two.  This position disagrees regarding where to make the split:

"אנכי... על פני" and "לא תעשה"

The first utterance consists of both the statement "I am Hashem your God.." and "You shall have no other gods before me". The second utterance begins with "Do not make for yourselves an idol".

Sources:perhaps PhiloThe Decalogue 50-51, 65The DecalogueAbout Philo,¹ perhaps Josephus3 5About Josephus Antiquities of the Jews,² R. Yishmael Sifre Bemidbar 15:31 and  Bavli Sanhedrin 99a, R. Shimon b. Tzemach DuranR. Shimon b. Tzemach DuranAbout R. Shimon b. Tzemach Duran,

"אָנֹכִי י״י אֱלֹהֶיךָ" – Command or proclamation? These sources all read this as a command, mandating belief in one God.

"לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ " - What is included?

לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ - what is included?

Correspondence between Dibrot and Mitzvot – R. Shimon b. Tzemach Duran asserts that there is no direct correspondence between the number of  mitzvot and the number of utterances.  Thus, in one utterance there could be both a positive command to believe in God and a negative command not to believe if other gods.  This is similar to the utterance regarding Shabbat, which also includes both a positive and negative command, despite it being but one utterance.

Depiction on tablets

"לא יהיה" and "לא תעשה"

The first utterance consists of only "You shall have no other gods before me", while the second statement begins "Do not make for yourselves an idol". ³

Sources:perhaps Baal Halakhot Gedolot, rejected opinion brought by Ibn EzraShemot Second Commentary 20:1About R. Avraham ibn Ezra and R. Yehoshua ibn ShuibYitroAbout R. Yehoshua ibn Shuib

"לא יהיה" and "לא תשתחוה"

The first utterance includes both "You shall have no other gods" and “You shall not make for yourselves an idol", while the second utterance commands both "You shall not bow down" and "You shall not serve them".

Sources:Baal Halakhot Gedolot as understood by RambanPositive Commandments 1About Hasagot Ramban Sefer HaMitzvot

Split "לא תחמוד"

The statement "I am Hashem your God" does not constitute an independent utterance. The number ten is reached instead by splitting "Do not covet" into two.

Sources:Ibn EzraDevarim 5:17About R. Avraham ibn Ezra⁴

¹ As Philo paraphrases the various utterances in his own language it is difficult to know for certain how he divides them.  Yet, since he speaks of the second utterance as referring "to images and statues, and in short to all erections of any kind made by hand" it is likely that he is referring to the statement "לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל". In addition, later in speaking of the first commandment, we writes, "to think that there is but one God, the most highest, and to honour him alone; and let not the polytheistical doctrine ever even touch the ears" combining both belief in God and the negation of other gods (both "אנוכי" and "לא יהיה").

²

Josephus is somewhat ambiguous but his statement that the second commandment is "not to make the image of any living creature to worship it", implies that he maintains that the second utterance begins with "לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל... לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם". and not "".  Moreover, in explaining the first commandment of belief in God, he adds "and that we ought to worship him only" which is simply the positive formulation o fthe prohibition "לו יהיה לך אלהים אחרים".

³ As opposed to the first variation, this position maintains that the declaration "I am your the Hashem your God..." is an introductory statement to the entire Decalogue and is not itself included as any utterance or part thereof.

⁴ This is his opinion as expressed in his commentary on Devarim.  In his Second Commentary to Shemot 20:1, however, he argues against this reading.