Questions tagged [aseres-hadibros]

For questions relating to the Ten Commandments

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Was the fact that Moshe broke the Tablets Halachicly stealing from the Jewish people?

Famously when Moshe came down from Sinai the first time and saw the Jews sinning he cast down the tablets of the law given to him by God. My question works on the basic assumption that these tablets ...
postinganonymously's user avatar
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Looking for the origin of custom to decorate the Aron Hakodesh with 10 Commandments

Many synagogues have the custom to decorate the Peroches (curtain covering the Ark) with imagery of the 10 Commandments or Luchos in some form. When did this custom originate? Is there any source for ...
chortkov2's user avatar
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Why does the depiction of the tablets not contain the full wording?

In every single synagogue I've been in which has a depiction of the ten commandments on tablets, not a single one of them had all the words of the commandments fully written out. Usually they have the ...
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When, how and why did עשרת הדברים turn into עשרת הדברות?

God clearly spoke of עשרת הדברים in the Torah (Exodus.34.28, see also Deut.4.13) or 10.4): וַיְהִי־שָׁם עִם־ה'אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה... וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל־הַלֻּחֹת אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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What was given on Mt. Sinai at each of the 40-day intervals

It's known that Moshe was on the mountain for 120 days and nights total, although I personally am not sure exactly what was given when. (I'm aware of this question How is the story of the Torah being ...
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How do we know where the Dibros start and end?

Each of the Aseres HaDibros, generally speaking, begin and end at consecutive Parshah breaks. Nevertheless, the first and second are combined into one parshah, while the last one is split into two. ...
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Esnachta in taam elyon

Except in Tehillim, Mishlei, and most of Iyov, the esnachta indicates the biggest break in a pasuk. In the taam elyon in both Yisro and Vaetchanan, the second dibra is one pasuk, with the esnachta ...
Heshy's user avatar
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How did chaza"l derive the first two commandments if they are both combined in a single parsha (paragraph)?

Generally, each of the Ten Commandments is written in its own paragraph in the Torah, except for the 1st two. Shmot (Ex.) 20:2 is the 1st commandmnet - "I am G-d" and the 2nd commandment is from Shmot ...
DanF's user avatar
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Is a non Jew allowed to wear the tablets of the 10 commandments as a necklace?

Is a non Jew allowed to wear the tablets of the 10 commandments as a necklace? I am sking this question because I heard that a non Jew is not allowed to wear a mezuza as a necklace even if it is not ...
mil's user avatar
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Have the 613 commandments ever been ranked by order of importance?

Has any major commentator ever attempted to rank the 613 commandments by order of importance? There are hints in the Sources about relative importance: The Ten Commandments, the Noahide Laws, the Big ...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar
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Why Weren't Zachor and Shamor Written in Each Set of Tablets?

There were two sets of tablets. The text of the first set is recorded in Exodus 20. The Second set is in Deuteronomy 5. The first set states: זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁוֹ. Remember the ...
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What was Plan A for the Luchos?

In Devarim we see that the Aron was made for the purpose of storing the Luchos, but those were for the 2nd Luchos (after Moshe broke the first ones). My question is what was Plan A? Meaning when Moshe ...
Sam Kramer's user avatar
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How do Jewish people understand the commandment not to make or worship idols?

The first commandment given to Moses on the mountain is clear and unambiguous. In English it reads "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall ...
Lesley's user avatar
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Was the wording on each tablet sized differently?

Was the wording on each tablet sized differently? It's said that the second tablet that contained the Commandments for man's relationship to man had larger wording so man would have no problem reading ...
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Is one commanded to hear the Ten Commandments on Shavuot?

Is it really an obligatory mitzvah to hear a reading of the Ten Commandments on the first day of Shavuot (as distinct from the general commandment to hear Torah)? What is the source, if any, for this ...
SAH's user avatar
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Carving the second set of tablets in less than a day

I don't know a lot about the tools and technologies that would have been available at the time, I wonder what Jewish opinion is on the carving. Is the command for Moses to carve the tablets by the ...
Jay's user avatar
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Why a Stumah Break Between Coveting Another's Wife and Other Possessions, if they are the Same Commandment?

In the Jewish way of numbering the 10 commandments, all the "do not covets" are part of the same commandment (that is, the 10th commandment.) However, in the text there is a stuma break ...
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10 Commandments and Non-Jews

Are there any sources that discuss the non-Jew's connection to and/or obligations regarding the 10 Commandments (i.e. the 10 Dibrot) I've heard from rather learned (if not conventional) people claim ...
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Do the sages speak on the possibility that the original tablets Moshe Rabbeinu broke may have had different laws on them than the second set?

We're taught that when Moshe descended from Mt. Sinai, he carried with him a first set of tablets which he shattered on the ground at the sight of the Israelites worshipping a golden calf idol. I have ...
Michael's user avatar
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The practical (Halachic) importance of the Luchot Habrit (the Tablets)

Is there any practical נ"מ (implications) of the fact that the 10 Mitzvos are written in the Luchos, and not in the plain text of the Torah outside the Luchos? For example: because "לא תרצח" is ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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The limits of "Do not covet"

The Rambam writes [Hilchot Gezelah v’Avedah 1:9]: Anyone who covets a male or female servant, or the house or the goods of his neighbor, or anything that he can buy from him, and he exerts friendly ...
Maurice Mizrahi's user avatar