blogs/rabbi-huberman

Your "Additional" Commandments 

There is a collection of ancient sayings which is central to how we act and think as Jews.

Pirkei Avot ("Teachings of our Sages") was compiled about eighteen hundred years ago, and contains six chapters of teachings, maxims, and lists which help form Judaism's moral and ethical foundation.

But before Pirkei Avot can begin, it must first confirm its credibility: what gives these select rabbis the right to share their wisdom?

This question is addressed at the outset. It tells us that Jewish law was received from God on Mount Sinai, and that this launched a tradition which continues to this day.

This is how Pirkei Avot begins:

"Moses received Torah from God at Sinai. He transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, the Prophets to the members of the Great Assembly....." (Pirkei Avot 1:1)

That span covers about a thousand years.

But I'd like you to go back and reread that first sentence. One word seems conspicuously absent: the in front of Torah.

So: what is the difference between "the Torah" and "Torah"?

The Bible recounts that The Torah was received in what we might call "hard copy"- very hard copy indeed - on Mount Sinai, somewhere, we estimate, around the year 1313 BCE.

But there was more: equally important, the Jewish people received Torah.

Indeed, while theTorah provides us with concrete words to live by, simple reading of the text does not always per se provide a clear path to ethical behavior.

Are we allowed to kill in self defense? What is the true meaning of "honor your Mother and Father" or "remember the Shabbat?"

This is where Torah, the oral law, comes in. Oral law is the chain of transmission, begun at Mount Sinai and passed on to our elders, then to the rabbis, and ultimately to you and your descendants.

Torah is the wisdom you received from your parents and grandparents, and the other significant figures in your life. It includes guidance on how to be kind and considerate.

Judaism talks about the many ways we can be a mensch: a good person.

Torah is what you teach your children and grandchildren every day. "Share your toys; be considerate of others; be kind."

It is said that, when Moses died, more than two thousand five hundred oral laws perished with him. This is where you come in.

We are each empowered, based on our sacred tradition of texts and teachings such as the Pirkei Avot, to move Torah forward.

Indeed, Torah must evolve if we as a people are to survive.

This week, we read about the giving of Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.    

Against a backdrop of thunder and lightning and the sounding of the shofar, we are gifted with five commandments relating to humanity and the Creator, and an additional five regarding interactions between human beings.

But is this enough? Do the Ten Commandments, received three thousand three hundred and thirty years ago, still apply to all aspects of life in 2017?

Many believe that each of the six hundred and thirteen mitzvoth, or commandments identified throughout the entire Torah, falls into the greater category of one of the ten recorded on those two tablets.

But is that all? Earlier this week, I asked you if you had suggestions for an additional commandments.

And what a wonderful exercise that was: so many of you responded. In a world which so often appears cold and fragmented, it was reassuring that kindness, dignity, and respect are on so many minds.

Here they are: some additional commandments, suggested by you, CTI congregants and friends, which I will read from the bimah tomorrow.

• Be kind to one another;
• Thou shalt give of one's wealth to those in need whether a brother, sister or stranger;
• Thou shall act towards others as you would have others act toward yourself;
• Step lightly on this earth;
• Live better under the Ten Commandments;
• Thou shalt perform random acts of kindness;
• Thou shalt learn to slowly sip the red wine rather than guzzle the cola;
• Thou shalt find time to breathe and listen to the silence;
• Thou shalt remain in inquiry to avoid making rash and inaccurate conclusions;
• Thou shalt smile;
• Thou shalt do the right thing;
• Thou shalt not use your cell phone at the dinner table;
• Thou shalt consider how what you are doing affects others;
• Thou shalt limit your watching of politics on television to one hour per night;
• When life has dealt you a bunch of lemons, thou shalt try and make some lemonade out of it;
• Thou shalt not trash the planet, embrace bigotry, or be consumed by materialism;
• Thou shalt love and respect your spouse;
• Thou shalt love your children and grandchildren;
• Thou shalt love and respect your colleagues and friends;
• Thou shalt not pollute the air, land and water;
• Thou shalt try to live your life in a way that would make your mother proud;
• Thou shalt not cause irreversible harm to the planet;
• Thou shalt act with "with malice towards none and charity to all;"
• Thou shalt think before you speak or tweet;
• Thou shalt not waste water, plastic or paper;
• Thou shalt be compassionate;
• Thou shalt be tolerant of differences among people;
• Thou shalt not spread gossip or false rumors;
• Thou shalt help those less fortunate than you;
• Thou shalt treat all people with dignity and respect;
• Thou shall not speak politics with thine neighbor or family;
• Thou shalt be kind to animals;
• Thou shalt remember to discuss or even disagree with respect -- L'Shem Shamayim -- in the name of Heaven;
• Thou shalt treat each human being as your neighbor;
• Thou shalt just be nice;
• Thou shalt catch someone doing the right thing;
• Thou shalt not belittle another person by texting, or checking your email while in conversation;
• Thou shalt follow Facebook less, and speak face to face more;
• Thou shalt not let teenagers have mobile phones before the age of twenty;
• Thou shalt consider the path a product or food item takes before it enters your house;
• Thou shalt uncover your eyes and ears to the pain and suffering of animals;
• Thou shalt come to the aid of those enslaved among you, including those who are still bought and sold, and those suffering from addiction;
• Thou shalt do your best to heal your corner of the world;
• Thou shalt not be a bystander, but rather an upstander;
• Thou shalt approach life as a privilege and not a right.

What an incredible Torah.

Wouldn't it be a much better world if everyone adopted just a few of these additional commandments?

More than three thousand years ago, the Israelites received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Since that time, we as a culture have embraced the study of Torah, in order to apply these principles to each generation.

Our sacred texts ground us. But in addition, discussions and commentary help us to apply these words to an evolving world.

A story is told in the Talmud of Moses being transported fourteen hundred years into the future to the classroom of Rabbi Akiva, where "modern" matters of law and behavior are being discussed. Moses is barely able to understand any of it.

Moses is comforted by Rabbi Akiva confirming-more than a thousand years after the giving of the Torah-that the application of Torah is still based on the Laws of Moses.

The words may be same, but the world is not -- and may it be so as Judaism enters the future. For as we learn this week, Torah continues to evolve in tandem with the Torah.

It is said that each of us was present that day on Mount Sinai. You have received Torah from Moses, through Joshua, the Elders, the Prophets, and the Great Assembly, through the rabbis, and between each other.

How beautiful are our sacred texts and the ongoing process of Torah.

Now let us go and study some more.

Shabbat shalom, v'kol tuv (with all goodness),

Rabbi Irwin Huberman