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From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:               heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject:       SPECIAL SHAVUOT PACKAGE Part 2

                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************
                           
          YHE-HOLIDAY: SPECIAL HOLIDAY PACKAGES
                           
                 SHAVUOT Package Part 2
                           
                           
                   The Shofar of Sinai
                           
                 By Rav Yonatan Grossman


      Before  the Shekhina (Divine Presence) descends   on
Har  Sinai,  God commands Moshe to mark off the  mountain
and  to  sanctify it, in order that no person  or  animal
will  be  on  the mountain at the time when the  Shekhina
descends:

   "And  you  shall  set  bounds  to  the   nation  around
   saying:  Guard  yourselves  lest  you  go  up   on  the
   mountain  or  touch its edge; anyone who  touches  the
   mountain  will surely die.  Do not lay a  hand  on   it
   for  he  shall surely be stoned or thrown; whether  an
   animal  or a man - he shall not live.  When  the  horn
   ('yovel')   sounds   long,  they  shall    ascend   the
   mountain." (Shemot 19:12-13)

       Strangely  enough,  together  with   the   repeated
emphasis  on setting bounds around the mountain  and  the
prohibition  of  touching  it, God  simultaneously  tells
Moshe  that  when  the  "yovel" sounds,  the   people  may
ascend.   This command begs clarification.  All  medieval
commentators understand "yovel" to mean the sounding of a
shofar.   Rashi, for example, says: "The yovel - this  is
the  shofar (made out) of a ram's horn. For in Arabia,  a
ram  is called yovel" (Rashi ad loc., following the  line
taken by the gemara in Rosh Ha-shana 26a).  The Ibn  Ezra
goes even further, claiming that the Yovel year (the 50th
-  Jubilee - year which follows seven cycles of Shemitta)
is  called "yovel" BECAUSE OF the shofar which is sounded
(on  Yom  Kippur) to signify the special status  of  that
year.   The  same idea arises from the only  other  place
where the expression "when the yovel sounds" appears - in
the  first  war  fought by Yehoshua and the  nation  upon
their  entry  into the land, at Yericho: "...  when  they
make  a long blast with the horn of yovel, when you  hear
the sound of the shofar ..." (Yehoshua 6:5).

     The problem with God's command concerning the shofar
blast  relates first and foremost to its content.   Which
shofar blast is being referred to here?

      During the giving of the Torah, we indeed hear  the
shofar growing stronger and louder:
  
   "And  it  happened on the third day  in  the   morning,
   there  was thundering and lightning and a heavy  cloud
   upon  the mountain, and THE SOUND OF A SHOFAR WAS
VERY
   LOUD,  and  the whole nation in the camp trembled  ...
   and the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder."

Throughout   this   shofar  blast,  which   is    becoming
increasingly  louder and stronger, the Shekhina  is  upon
the  mountain.   If during this time it is forbidden  for
the  people to ascend the mountain - or even to touch its
very  edge  - then how are we to understand God's  words,
"When  the  shofar  sounds long, they  shall  ascend   the
mountain?"

     In light of this problem, the Rashbam (together with
the  Bekhor Shor and the Chizkuni) interprets  the  "when
the   shofar   sounds  long"  (bi-meshokh   ha-yovel)   as
referring  to when the blast ends; i.e., when the  shofar
ceases  to  be  heard.  Then and only  then  will  it   be
permissible  to ascend the mountain.  This interpretation
makes  perfect  sense  in  our context,  since  Moshe   is
commanded  to set bounds for as long as the  Shekhina  is
upon  the  mountain.   The clearest demarcation  of  this
period  is  the  sound of the shofar while  the  Shekhina
descends.   The bounds are obviously in force  until  the
"sounding of the shofar" ends - i.e., until the  Shekhina
departs.

      The  problem  with  this explanation   lies  in  the
syntax.   As  mentioned above, the expression  "when  the
shofar  sounds long" appears in one other place in Tanakh
-  in  the battle of Yericho.  The context there is quite
unequivocal:

   "And  it  shall be that when they make  a  long   blast
   with  the  horn  of  yovel  (bi-meshokh   be-keren  ha-
   yovel),  when  you hear the sound of the  shofar,  all
   the  people  will shout with a great  shout,  and   the
   wall  of  the  city will fall straight down,  and   the
   people  shall  ascend,  each person  walking   straight
   ahead."

It  is very difficult to apply the interpretation of  the
Rashbam to this verse, since "when they make a long blast
with the horn" is parallel to "when you hear the sound of
the  shofar."   If  the expression "bi-meshokh   ha-yovel"
indeed  hints at the end of the blast, how  can  we  then
maintain that at that time the nation "hears the sound of
the  shofar?"   According to the  interpretation  of   the
Rashbam, exactly the opposite would be true.

     A different line of interpretation is to be found in
the  gemara (see Ta'anit 21b, Beitza 5b) and is  followed
by  Rav  Sa'adia Gaon, Rashi and the Ibn Ezra.   The  Ibn
Ezra expresses the idea as follows:

   "The  Gaon  states: When Moshe sounds the shofar  then
   they  will be permitted to ascend.  And this was after
   Moshe descended from the mountain, on Yom Kippur,  and
   commanded that the mishkan be built."

      According to this explanation, the words "when   the
shofar sounds long" refer to a later shofar blast sounded
by Moshe.  The shofar blast which indicates permission to
ascend  the  mountain is not the increasingly strong  and
loud  blast  of  the Divine Revelation,  but  rather  the
shofar blast which Moshe will sound when he descends  the
mountain  on  Yom Kippur.  This blast will indicate  that
the mountain's special status of holiness has departed.

      A  textual  search  for this latter   shofar  blast,
however,  leaves  us empty-handed.  We read  of  no  such
blast  sounded by Moshe indicating the cessation  of  the
bounds  around  the mountain.  If in the exalted  moments
just  prior to matan Torah we are specifically told  this
detail  regarding  the  sounding of  the  shofar,  it   is
certainly  reasonable  to expect that  it  will  be  duly
mentioned when it eventually takes place.

      Moreover,  after reading about the  expected   "long
blast  on the shofar" we immediately go on to read  about
the  shofar  blast  which signifies the  descent  of  the
Shekhina upon the mountain.  Can we possibly ignore  this
juxtaposition,  contenting ourselves with the  assumption
that  there  was another shofar blast - with exactly  the
opposite  aim  of  the one mentioned  explicitly  in  the
parasha?

      The juxtaposition of the two references to a shofar
leads the Rashbam to find a connection between them,  but
this  forces  him to abandon the simple and most  obvious
interpretation of the expression "long blast" in order to
make  sense  of the context.  I would like to suggest  an
alternative  interpretation which adopts  the  connection
drawn by the Rashbam but nevertheless retains the literal
meaning  of  the  expression just as we encounter  it  in
Sefer Yehoshua.

      In  the  battle of Yericho, the long blast   of  the
shofar was a sign to the entire nation that they were  to
enter  the city and destroy it.  Just prior to the battle
we  read of a strange encounter between Yehoshua and  the
angel:

   "And it happened when Yehoshua was in Yericho that  he
   lifted  his  eyes and saw, behold, a man stood  facing
   him  and  his  sword  was  drawn  in  his   hand.   And
   Yehoshua  went to him and said to him, 'Are  you  with
   us  or with the enemy?'  And he said, 'No, for I am  a
   captain  of  God's host now come.'  And Yehoshua  fell
   upon  his  face on the ground and prostrated  himself,
   and  he  said to him: 'What does my lord  say  to   his
   servant?'   And  the  captain of God's  host   said  to
   Yehoshua,  'Remove your shoe from your foot,  for  the
   place  where  you  stand is holy.'  And  Yehoshua   did
   so." (Yehoshua 5:13-15)

      This  strange encounter is immediately followed   by
the  battle of Yericho and the great miracle of the walls
collapsing.   Yehoshua's  encounter  with  the  angel    -
especially in light of the language which the Tanakh uses
-  is  highly  reminiscent of Moshe's experience  at  the
burning  bush,  where he is told - in  exactly  the  same
words  as Yehoshua - to "Remove your shoe from your foot,
for  the  place  where you stand is holy ground"  (Shemot
3:5).

     Why does the site of God's revelation in the burning
bush  merit  the lofty appelation "holy ground,"  to  the
extent that Moshe must remove his shoes?  The explanation
is  to  be found earlier in the text: Moshe arrives  with
the  flock in his care at "this mountain of God"  (3:12).
In  other words, God's revelation to Moshe in the bush is
at  the  same site where He later reveals Himself to  the
entire  nation  -  at  Sinai.  And because  tShekhina   is
destined  to descend upon this mountain at some point  in
the future, the site is already defined as "holy ground."

      In  light of the parallel language, it would appear
that  in a certain sense Yericho, too, functions  as  the
site  of a future Divine revelation.  The form which  the
revelation  takes is certainly different from that  which
we  find at Sinai: in the words of the angel himself,  "I
am a captain of God's host" - this revelation is bound up
with armies and war, and "a sword was drawn in his hand."
Nevertheless,  this  still  represents   some   type    of
revelation,  and  the angel therefore tells  Yehoshua  to
remove his shoes since he is standing on a holy place - a
place where the Shekhina is going to be revealed.

      The  revelation of the Shekhina in  the   battle  of
Yericho is obviously related to the miraculous nature  of
that  battle - the first war fought by Israel immediately
after  their  entry into the land.  The  Shekhina,  which
plays  an active role in this battle, comes to teach  the
nation  that  even though the conquest and settlement  of
Eretz  Yisrael  will  be accomplished  by  natural  means
unlike life in the desert (when the manna descended  from
the  heavens  and  when  Moshe's arms  raised  heavenward
brought  them  victory against Amalek), God continues  to
personally accompany and guide the nation, to guard  over
them and to take care of their safety and success.

     In order that the Shekhina would in fact be revealed
in Yericho and prevail over Israel's enemies, there was a
need  to sound the shofar, just as the Shekhina descended
on  Har Sinai amidst shofar blasts.  For this very reason
it  was  forbidden to take of the spoils of Yericho,  for
the contents of the city were "consecrated" to God!

      The  war  of Yericho deserves scrutiny in   its  own
right,  but this lies far beyond the scope of this shiur.
I  merely wish to draw a parallel between the meaning  of
the  expression which appears only in these  two  places.
In  other  words, just as the nation was  commanded  that
when  they  heard the sound of the shofar  they  were  to
ascend and enter Yericho, the seat of Shekhina, the  same
applied  at  Har Sinai: the function of the  long  shofar
blast  was  to  signify to the nation that they  were  to
ASCEND  THE  MOUNTAIN AND MEET GOD,  whose  Presence 
was
already there!

      True, at first, while God's Presence was descending
onto  the mountain, all contact with the mountain was  to
be avoided and it was to be cordoned off and sanctified -
just as for seven days the nation was to walk around  the
city  of  Yericho but not to enter it.  "When the  shofar
sounds  long  they shall ascend the mountain"  -  at  the
moment  when the nation hears the shofar blast, it  is  a
sign that God is already upon the mountain, and they  are
now  to  ascend,  to hear His words and  to  receive  the
Torah.   This parallels exactly what they did in  Yericho
when they heard the long shofar blast.

     If this thesis is correct, why did the nation not in
fact  ascend  the mountain and make a covenant  with  God
"face to face?"

     The explanation given for this is quite explicit:

   "And   the  whole  nation  saw  the   sounds  and   the
   lightning and the sound of the shofar and the  smoking
   mountain,  and  the nation was afraid  and  they   were
   shaken,  and stood far off.  And they said  to  Moshe,
   'You  speak  with us and we shall hear;  let  God   not
   speak  with  us lest we die.'  And Moshe said  to   the
   nation,  'Do not be afraid, for God has come in  order
   to  test you and in order that the fear of Him be upon
   your faces, in order that you will not sin.'  And  the
   nation  stood far off, and Moshe approached the  cloud
   where God was."

      The nation is fearful of the shofar blasts and  the
fire, and therefore they move away from the site.  At the
same  time  they ask Moshe to intercede between  God  and
themselves.    The   clear  assumption  underlying    this
description is that originally the intention had been for
the  nation  to approach the mountain and God's  Presence
and  to  hear God's words directly, despite the lightning
and  the fire.  In other words, during the long blast  of
the  shofar the nation was indeed supposed to ascend  the
mountain  and hear God's words directly, but  because  of
their  fright  at  the loud noise and great  fire,  Moshe
alone  ended up ascending alone to "the cloud  where  God
was."

      God  regarded  this fear in a positive   light:  "In
order that His fear be upon your faces, so that you  will
not  sin."   But clearly there is also some  danger  that
because the intended encounter between the entire  nation
and  God  never  took place, there is a certain  lack  of
clarity   with  regard  to  the  source  of  the    Torah.
Ultimately,  the nation hears Moshe and not God  Himself.
Therefore, immediately following the explanation  of  why
the   nation  failed  to  ascend  the  mountain,   as  was
originally intended, God emphasizes:

   "And  God  said  to Moshe: So shall  you  say   to  the
   children of Israel, 'You have seen that I have  spoken
   to  you from the heavens. Do not make with me gods  of
   silver, and do not make yourselves gods of gold.'"

      This danger arises particularly because of the lack
of  direct encounter between the nation and God atop  Har
Sinai,  and  therefore it is repeated  in  this  context,
despite  the explicit prohibition of creating a  likeness
which  has  already  appeared in  the  Ten  Commandments.
Without becoming involved in a detailed analysis  of  the
episode of the golden calf, it is important to note  that
this  is  specifically  the  sin  which  the  nation   now
commits.   As Moshe himself defines it: "This nation  has
sinned a great sin and they have made for themselves GODS
OF  GOLD."   Perhaps if the unmediated encounter  had  in
fact   taken  place,  this  sin  would  never   have  been
committed.

     This explanation views God's words, "when the shofar
sounds  long they shall ascend the mountain" as an actual
instruction, rather than just permission for  anyone  who
is  interested  in doing so.  It is indeed  a  surprising
interpretation,  but it would appear  that  this  is  how
Moshe  himself  understands it.  This is  the  impression
that  we  receive from Moshe's words at the end of  Sefer
Devarim (5:1-5):

   "And  Moshe called to all of Israel and said to  them,
   Hear  O Israel the statutes and the judgments which  I
   speak  in  your ears today, and you shall  study  them
   and  you  shall guard them to fulfill them.  The  Lord
   our  God sealed a covenant with us at Chorev.  It  was
   not  with our fathers that God made this covenant  but
   rather  with  us; we who are here today,  all  living.
   Face  to face God spoke with you on the mountain  from
   amidst the fire.  I stood between God and you at  that
   time,  to  tell you God's words, for you were  fearful
   of the fire and DID NOT ASCEND THE MOUNTAIN."

      These  words  serve  as  the   introduction  to  the
reiteration of the Ten Commandments, i.e., the content of
the  covenant  which the nation made  with  God.   Before
mentioning the content of the covenant Moshe speaks about
the  setting  in  which it was made, and emphasizes  that
"face   to   face  God  spoke  with   you."   As   becomes
immediately   apparent,  this  is  a  general    statement
describing the experience of the entire nation, which  by
force  of  circumstance  ended up  being  realized  in   a
slightly  different way: "I stood between God  and  you."
Now  Moshe declares more explicitly that the fact of  his
serving  as  intermediary was a result  of  the  nation's
fear:  "For  you  were fearful of the fire  and  did   not
ascend the mountain."

      The  nation  ideally  was supposed  to   ascend  the
mountain ("When the shofar sounds long they shall  ascend
the  mountain"),  but  because of their  fear  Moshe   was
forced  to  serve  as the intermediary  between  the  two
parties to the covenant.  Sefer Devarim, too, appears  to
view the nation's fear of ascent in a positive light  and
as  something  which should be preserved: "If  only  they
would  have  this heart to fear Me and  to  keep  all  My
commandments   always!"  (5:26).    But    alongside   the
educational value of the great fear, there is  of  course
the price which had to be paid, and ultimately Am Yisrael
never  underwent the collective experience  of  a  direct
encounter with the Shekhina.  Rather, the revelation  was
experienced through an intermediary - Moshe.

      We  can  only  imagine  what our   Jewish  religious
consciousness would have been like had it been  based  on
ascent  to  the  and a direct meeting with the  Shekhina,
without any intermediary transmitting God's words.


[Translated by Kaeren Fish.]

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 "Examine it Through and Through - For All is Contained
                        Therein"

                 by Rav Jonathan Mishkin


     The Torah reading for Shavuot contains the most well-
known  set of laws in Judaism.  Exodus chapter 20 records
the  ASERET HA-DIBROT - commonly referred to as  the  Ten
Commandments, but more accurately translated as  the  Ten
Statements.   Representing the first divine communication
to  the  Children of Israel, the Aseret Ha-dibrot hold  a
position  of  prominence for the Jews  unrivaled  by  any
other  biblical passage, with the possible  exception  of
the  Shema.  The arks of synagogues around the world  are
adorned  with  representations of the shenei  luchot  ha-
berit - the two stone tablets on which were engraved  the
Aseret Ha-dibrot.  Most people stand when the Aseret  Ha-
dibrot are read from the Torah with a cantillation system
unique  to  this section.  Some Jews even conclude  their
daily prayers with a recitation of these ten statements.

      What is so special about the Aseret Ha-dibrot?  Why
have they captured the imagination of generations of Jews
who   insist  on  their  transcendent  nature?    Are  the
thirteen  verses in question holier than other  parts  of
the  Torah?  Indeed, the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben  Maimon,
12th  century), writing in his eighth principle of faith,
declares  that  it is incumbent upon the Jew  to  believe
that
   There  is  no distinction between a verse of Scripture
   like,  "The  sons  of  Cham were Kush  and   Mitzrayim"
   (Genesis 10:6), or "His wife's name was Mehetabel  and
   his  concubine was Timna" (Genesis 36:39, 12), and one
   like,  "I  am  the  Lord your God" (Exodus   20:2),  or
   "Hear,  O  Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4).  All   came  from
   God,  and  all  are the Torah of God,  perfect,   pure,
   holy and true.
(Maimonides'  Thirteen Principles can  be  found  in  his
commentary to the tenth chapter of Mishna Sanhedrin.)

      To be sure, Maimonides discusses here the source of
the  Written Law and is arguing that every verse  in  the
Torah is of divine origin.  He does not seem to be saying
that  every  verse in the Torah is of equal significance.
Elsewhere,  the Rambam states that in Temple  times,  the
Aseret Ha-dibrot were read aloud daily because "they  are
the  first and root commands" (commentary to Mishna Tamid
5:1).

      Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel (15th century) reminds  us
that  the thirteen verses comprising the Aseret Ha-dibrot
bear  the  distinction of being the  only  verses  spoken
directly by God to the nation of Israel.  In contrast  to
our passage, the rest of the Torah was dictated to Moshe,
who  relayed the information to his people.  Furthermore,
the  Aseret Ha-dibrot were recorded in stone by the "hand
of  God," whereas Moshe set down the rest of the  Written
Law.  The Abarbanel then explains that the Ten Statements
were  singled out for such special treatment because they
include  the  613 mitzvot that God commanded His  nation.
Because  God wanted Israel to recognize that He  was  the
author  of  the  entire gamut of Jewish law,  He  Himself
introduced the Ten Statements which represent the rest of
the Torah.

      This idea that the Aseret Ha-dibrot contain all the
Torah's   commandments  is  a  fairly  old  one,   finding
expression  in the midrashim of the Sages.  For  example,
Bamidbar Rabba (13:16) states:
   The  620 (Hebrew) letters from "I am the Lord"  (20:2)
   to  "anything  that  is your neighbor's"   (20:14)  are
   parallel to the 613 mitzvot.  The seven extra  letters
   represent  the  seven days of creation, teaching  that
   the  world  exists  only for the  fulfillment  of   the
   Torah.

      The  term  "taryag  mitzvot" - 613   commandments  -
represents  the traditional idea that the Torah  contains
613  biblical commandments.  This figure does not  appear
anywhere  in  the Torah itself, and the mitzvot  are,  of
course,  not  numbered as they are presented.   Yet,  the
Sages  of the Talmud seem to accept that the will of  God
is   expressed   in   613  separate  ordinances    -   365
prohibitions  and  248  positive directives  (see  Makkot
23b).    By  linking  the  Ten  Statements  to   the   613
Commandments,  the midrash explains why  the  Aseret  Ha-
dibrot  were  given  special treatment  by  God  -   their
importance is concealed in their depth of meaning.

      We are now confronted with the following challenge:
in  what way do the Aseret Ha-dibrot contain the range of
God's message to the Jewish people?  Several commentators
have  attempted to squeeze the spectrum of  Halakha  into
these  thirteen  verses - some giving broad  explanations
for  the  meaning  of  the individual statements,  others
being  very  specific  in  the relationship  between  the
commandments   at  revelation  and  their  details    that
followed.  We begin with the former.

      I  will  combine  the  ideas  of   two  12th-century
commentators,  Rabbi  Avraham ibn Ezra  and  Avraham  bar
Chiya who both identify three types of mitzvot: those  of
the  heart,  those of speech and those  of  action,  each
category    manifested   in   positive     and    negative
commandments.   The  first type  of  mitzva  -   involving
thought - is represented in the Aseret Ha-dibrot  by  the
second  statement  - "Thou shalt have no  other  God"   (a
negative  command),  the  fifth statement  -  "Honor   thy
father  and  thy  mother" (a positive command),  and  the
tenth  statement  -  "Thou shalt not covet"  (a   negative
command).

      The second class of mitzva - governing speech - has
two  samples  in  our passage, both negative:  the  third
statement - "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord  in
vain,"  and  the ninth statement - "Thou shalt  not  bear
false witness."

       The  third  category  provides   rules  of  action,
manifested hereby the sixth statement - "Thou  shalt  not
murder,"  the seventh statement - "Thou shalt not  commit
adultery,"  and  the eighth statement - "Thou  shalt  not
steal."    Rabbinic  interpretation  of  the   mitzva   of
honoring parents clearly marks it as a positive mitzva of
action.    According  to  Halakha,  the  Torah  is    here
mandating obedience to parents' requests as well  as  the
performance  of  deeds to take care of one's  mother  and
father.

      Our commentators might have considered "Remembering
Shabbat"  a  mitzva of thought since respecting  the  day
means  belief in the Torah's claim that God  created  the
world.   It can also be categorized as a mitzva of speech
since  the  phrase "Remember the Sabbath Day to  keep  it
holy"  is  usually cited as the source for the mitzva  of
reciting  kiddush.   And  of course,  Shabbat  observance
demands avoiding a wide range of forbidden actions.

      Verse  2  might represent an introductory statement
reviewing   God's  relationship  with  the   nation,    or
according  to those who feel that this too is a  command,
it  represents the ultimate mitzva of thought - belief in
the   existence  of  God.   The  Aseret  Ha-dibrot    thus
represent all six possible types of mitzvot - any of  the
other  hundreds  of  Jewish  duties  can  be  labeled   as
belonging  to  one of the categories illustrated  by  the
ten.

      Taking  a  similar approach, Rav Yosef  Albo   (14th
century) sees the first five statements as explaining the
fundamental   principles  of  belief  necessary   for    a
relationship  with God, and the last five  as  the  basic
rules required for the functioning of a society. All  the
other  mitzvot are details for the development  of  these
two schemes.

   On  the first tablet were the statements required of
   man  in  acceptance of his God, may He  be  blessed.
   For  just  like a king who builds a state  and  then
   frees  slaves  to populate it, God came  to  address
   His  subjects  so that they would accept  His  rule.
   The  first thing that needed to be said was that  He
   was  the  master  who provided for them  in  freeing
   them  from slavery - and this is the first statement
   of  "I  am the Lord your God," as if to say - it  is
   befitting  for you to accept My kingship  because  I
   freed you.
   Next,  He  warned the people not to crown any  other
   king  in  His stead, which is the statement of  "You
   shall  have  no other god."  It then made  sense   to
   command  the subjects that they demonstrate  extreme
   respect  towards the monarch, avoiding  the  respect
   of  taking His name in vain, which is "You shall not
   swear  falsely."   After that,  it  was   fitting  to
   designate  a day commemorating the creation  of  the
   state  which  will remind the people  otheir  master
   who  founded their country and who freed  them  from
   slavery.   For  this, God commanded  the  [Jews]   to
   keep  Shabbat,  which testifies to the  creation  of
   the  world  (20:11)  and to the  Exodus  from   Egypt
   (Deuteronomy 5:15).
   After  this  [the King] said, "Respect  your  father
   and  your  mother," because it is obvious  that  the
   king  who  built  the  state  is  unable   to  reveal
   Himself  daily to His subjects.  Now  even  if  that
   generation who witnessed the coming of the king  and
   the  imposing of His rule, and His freeing them from
   slavery,  remember these things, still -  those  who
   come  after  them who never experience  the  slavery
   and  who never witness the coming of the king, might
   rebel  against  the idea that there  even  exists  a
   ruler  over  them.  The only way  to  avoid   such  a
   fallacy  is  to  humble the children to  accept  the
   lessons  from their parents who will teach them  all
   that  the king did for them in earlier times.   This
   explains   the   fifth  statement    completing   the
   requirements  necessary for man's relationship  with
   God  reflected  in  a  slave's subservience  to   his
   master.
   Following  this, the king establishes the  requisite
   rules  for  maintaining the existence of  the  state
   and  the  society within it.  The first of these  is
   guarding  the  body of one's fellow, which  is  "You
   shall  not murder" and avoiding his property -  "You
   shall  not  steal."   Also  included  is   respecting
   something considered partly a man's body and  partly
   his  possession - his wife, represented here by "You
   shall  not commit adultery."  These are followed  by
   a   recognition  that  it  is  insufficient   not  to
   directly  harm  a person's body, property  or  wife,
   one  must  also  refrain from speaking  against  his
   fellow  -  "You  shall not bear false witness,"   and
   thinking  harmful thoughts against him - "You  shall
   not  covet."   With this, [the King]  has   completed
   the   necessary   precautions  for    maintaining   a
   civilized  society.   (See The  Book  of   Principles
   3:26 for Albo's full text.)

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