21
votes
Accepted
Can the 10 commandments be violated to save a life?
A general rule is stated in the Talmud (Ketubot 19a):
דאמר מר אין לך דבר שעומד בפני פיקוח נפש אלא עבודת כוכבים וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים בלבד
for a Master said: 'There is nothing that comes before the ...
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14
votes
Can the 10 commandments be violated to save a life?
I. Among the 10 commandments there are 3 that are not overridden by pikuach nefesh (i.e. יהרג ואל יעבור):
Idolatry
Murder
Forbidden sexual relations
II. Additionally, all other commandments cannot ...
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12
votes
Are you yoitze the Mitzva of Pirya Verivya with children born out of wedlock
Aruch Hashulchan 1:17:
Even if he has a son and daughter from an unmarried woman whom he did not marry with chupa and kidushin…, nonetheless he has fulfilled the command of p'ru urvu… for, after ...
- 73.5k
12
votes
Is the first of the 10 Commandments considered a mitzvah?
Rambam in Yesodei HaTorah ch. 1 explicitly uses this as the source for the commandment to know of Hashem’s existence.
יְסוֹד הַיְסוֹדוֹת וְעַמּוּד הַחָכְמוֹת לֵידַע שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם מָצוּי רִאשׁוֹן. ...
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11
votes
Are you yoitze the Mitzva of Pirya Verivya with children born out of wedlock
The Rema in Even Ha'Ezer 1:6 writes that one fulfills the mitzvah of p'ru u'revu with a child who is a mamzer, which by definition is out of wedlock:
היה הבן ממזר... קים המצוה
If the child is a ...
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10
votes
Why did God need to command the Jews not to kill?
A Medrash states that G-d offered the Torah to the children of Eisau. They rejected it, saying they could not accept this very commandment against murder. This begs the question: Eisau's descendants ...
- 5,310
9
votes
Accepted
Which groups of people read the 10 Commandments using the "lower" trope?
It would seem that original Minhag Ashkenaz was to use ta'am elyon only on Shavu'ot, but on shabbat parashat yitro and shabbat parashat va'etchanan to use ta'am tachton. This can be seen in the ...
- 41.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Does 'thou shalt not steal' refer to general theft or specifically to kidnapping?
"Don't steal" includes don't steal someone's soda.
The "don't steal" commandment appears in both Exodus and Leviticus. Leviticus refers to property, as the next phrase is -- and don't lie or deny ...
- 131k
9
votes
Maimonides mentioning Esav
In the 8th ikkar in the Rambam's introduction to Perek Chelek, he writes:
ואין הפרש בין "וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן"
(בראשית י ו), "וְשֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ מְהֵיטַבְאֵל ...
- 14.3k
8
votes
Accepted
Is killing a gentile also forbidden with the לאו of לא תרצח?
Raavan (12th cent.) writes that the prohibition against murder includes killing non Jews:
ראב"ן בבא קמא
וכ"ש שאסור לגנוב לגוי דלא תגנוב דומיא דלא תרצח ולא תנאף דהוי בין לישראל בין לגוי.
...
- 35.4k
8
votes
Why did God need to command the Jews not to kill?
If not for the prohibition, murder would carry no defined penalty in civil courts. The Torah prohibition makes murder always a capital crime. Same with stealing - if there was no explicit mitzvah, ...
- 5,310
7
votes
Source for the Aseres Hadibros being set up in pairs?
Rashi (Song 4:5) explains how each commandment on one tablet corresponds to one on the next:
שני שדיך על שם הלוחות תאומי צביה שהם מכוונות במדה אחת וחמשה דברות על זו וחמשה על זו מכוונין דבור כנגד ...
- 24k
7
votes
Punishment for breaking the 10 commandments
The Mishna arranges laws topically, and so the ten commandments aren't discussed together.
I am the Lord your God: No punishment is discussed regarding this verse to my knowledge
Idol worship: ...
- 24k
6
votes
Is the commandment 'You shall not murder' the most important commandment in Judaism?
Judaism does not specify the importance or reward of different commandments. We observe them all because God says so without trying to rationalize (although many have proposed explanations for the ...
- 48.2k
6
votes
Why do some of the Ten Commandments include Noahide Laws?
The new covenant replaced the old one. The reason the Jews keep the 7 Noachide laws is not because of the commandments to their pre-Mosaic ancestors, but because of the covenant at Sinai. In fact, ...
- 17.7k
6
votes
Accepted
What type of theft does Lo Signov refer to?
Rashi and Ramban hold (citing Rabbi Yoshiyah in Sanhedrin 86a) that "lo tignov" in Shemot 20:13 means that one should not kidnap another person. Rashi's reasoning is that those who break the ...
- 18.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Is the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) legislation for all the world?
Non-Jews are held responsible by seven laws, known as the Seven Laws of Noah. All of those laws are contained within the Decalogue, with exception to the third law1, the seventh law2, and to an extent,...
- 18.5k
6
votes
Accepted
What does "נגללים" mean about the tablets?
So there are a few sources that point to the fact that one of the miracles of the luchos were that they could be rolled up (as per your assumption).
Firstly, there is an intriguing פסוק in שיר השירים ...
- 30.3k
5
votes
Don't covet? Don't steal? What exactly is חמד in the Aseret Hadibrot?
Hebrew Wikipedia on לא תחמוד says:
הלאו של לא תחמוד כולל את האיסור להוציא מן הזולת בתחבולות, ואף בתמורה
כספית נדיבה, דבר השייך לו. התחבולות האסורות כוללות: הפצרה חוזרת
ונישנית, לחץ חברתי וכמובן ...
- 47.2k
5
votes
Is sarcasm a violation of the 9th commandment?
We actually find sarcasm used in the Talmud. One example that comes to mind is in Taanis 24b, where Rav Papa declared a fast day during a drought, but felt very weak. He ate a handful of cereal and ...
- 4,988
5
votes
What type of theft does Lo Signov refer to?
Aside from the Seporno mentioned by Ezra, there a few other rishonim who also include monetary theft in Lo Signov.
R. Saadia Gaon writes:
לא תגנב לא תסרק
R. Avraham Ben Harambam writes:
פשטיה ...
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5
votes
Changing name of 10 Hadvarim to 10 Hadibrot
Meir Gruber, in Beit Mikra 27:1 (pages 16-21) suggests that this change during Tannaic period in order to combat the growing Christian understanding (see Mark 10:19, which refers to them as the ...
- 20.9k
5
votes
Accepted
You shall not have any other gods
R' Samson Raphael Hirsch's translation1 of this verse is similar to the convention you cite:
Thou shalt have no other God before My Presence.
However, R' Hirsch's commentary on this verse does ...
- 47.8k
5
votes
Correct translation of "לא תרצח" - Thou shalt not kill or murder?
See "Chizkuni" (Shemos 20:13)
ולשון זה של "רציחה" לא שייך רק במיתה שלא כדין, אבל לשון מיתה ולשון הריגה, בין בדין בין שלא כדין
Chizkuni differentiates between הריגה ("killing") and רציחה ("murder"). ...
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5
votes
Is the first of the 10 Commandments considered a mitzvah?
Sefer Hachinuch counts this as Mitzvah 25.
In short, the Mitzvah is belief in G-d.
מצות האמנה במציאות השם - להאמין שיש לעולם אלה אחד, שהמציא כל הנמצא
ומכחו וחפצו היה כל מה שהוא ושהיה ושיהיה לעדי ...
- 6,753
5
votes
Accepted
Who else says the Jews violate the Ten Commandments during the first Temple
Someone pointed out to me the source is Eicha Rabbah 1:1:
אֵיכָה יָשְׁבָה. שָׁאֲלוּ אֶת בֶּן עַזַּאי אָמְרוּ לוֹ רַבֵּנוּ דְּרשׁ לָנוּ דָּבָר אֶחָד מִמְגִלַּת קִינוֹת, אָמַר לָהֶם לֹא גָּלוּ ...
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5
votes
Accepted
The Luchos Connected or separate
When Moshe decended Har Sinai, the luchot were separated by two hand-breadths of space, according to Talmud Yerushalmi, Taanit 4:5:2
Rebbi Samuel bar Naḥman in the name of Rebbi Jonathan: The tablets
...
- 8,854
4
votes
Is the commandment 'You shall not murder' the most important commandment in Judaism?
Does the rule 'You shall not murder' stand above all other rules in Judaism?
NO (but it's up there)
to summarize the quotes below (in order),
if we consider To know that there is a God a commandment ...
- 7,466
4
votes
Accepted
The ten commandments ,are the five first and the five last connected:1-6,2-7,3-8 and so on?
The Kli Yakar on the last verse (20:13) explains it nicely. He brings the Mechilta and then sometimes adds his own thoughts.
Here's a brief summary (with some possible additions). The original is ...
- 42.8k
4
votes
Accepted
The 5th Commandment - Who should be financially supported first - children or parents?
His children.
The Gemara shortly after the one you quoted makes note that one is not obligated to actively spend money in order to fulfill their chiyuv of kibbud av v'eim, and in the event that they ...
- 34.1k
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