Two epic Ten Commandments’ moments happen in the Shemot Torah portion.
“Shemot”, in hebrew, means names. While the title refers to the names of the Children of Israel who went down to Egypt, the Torah Portion contains bigger names. Shemot also reveals the first commandment’s background story.
The Burning Bush encounter in Shemot includes a historical introduction: Moses meet the God, God meet Moses. The Master of the Universe introduces himself to his future partner on Mt. Sinai as follows: “I’m your fathers’ God, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Exodus 3:6.
During the discussion over doing an exodus, Moses asks the Master for the name that he should provide to the Children of Israel. With that, the Master answers, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3: 14. He offers even a shorter version of that: “I am”. He goes further to use the famous name spelled in hebrew as “yud, hay, vav, hay”. This word-the tetragrammaton- is, for religious jews, commonly replaced with the word “Hashem” – the name, as a sign of respect. In sum, he states “Hashem, your fathers’ God, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God…This is my name forever and this is who I am to be remembered for generation after generation.” Exodus 3:15.
The Master’s name is of import for the Ten Commandments. With respect to the provision of using the Master’s name in vain, we now learn from Shemot the name that will be sworn upon in antiquity.
A Ten Commandments’ background story is provided in Shemot. The Master tells Moses: “I’ve seen the degradation of my people who are in Egypt, and I’ve heard their wail on account of their taskmasters, because I know their pains. And I’ve come down to rescue them from Egypt’s hand and bring them up from that land to a good and widespread land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.” Exodus 3:7. [note: there is a dual intent, the deliverance from bondage and the establishment of a nation]
Thus, Shemot provides essential material to appreciate and understand the Ten Commandments. Certainly, it is a valuable section for instruction.
Be well!!
please like, follow, share and comment.
The Ten Commandments Project 