covenant – The Ten Commandments Project

Back to Basics: Vayetze’s Ten Commandments’ Moment

Anime-style illustration of Jacob, the biblical patriarch, standing at a colorful modern salad bar and thoughtfully choosing fresh vegetables and toppings. He wears modest ancient Near Eastern-inspired robes with a contemporary anime aesthetic, warm expressive features, and a gentle thoughtful expression. Bright wholesome atmosphere, abundant leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, olives, and herbs in serving trays. Clean detailed line art, vibrant colors, cinematic composition, landscape orientation, no text.

A Torah Portion Vayetze passage ignites a literary journey that leads to one of the primary aspects of both divine relationships and covenants. In Vayetze, while Jacob is fleeing to Harran to avoid his brother Esau’s wrath, he experiences a life-changing dream. This transformative event —upon review —surprisingly shares similarities to the Exodus. Some ofContinue reading “Back to Basics: Vayetze’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”

Lech Lecha: Back to the Basics: Signs: The Ten Commandments’ Moment

Anime-style illustration of Abraham standing beside a table abundant with lox, bagels, and cream cheese, carefully making himself a plate of food. Abraham is portrayed as a dignified ancient Near Eastern man in historically inspired robes, with expressive anime features. Warm welcoming atmosphere, detailed food presentation, tasteful historical setting, vibrant polished anime art, no text.

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes I saw the sign Ace of Base In that moment, I didn’t see the sign. I didn’t want to. It was one of the greatest moments of my life and I couldn’t watch. Not only did I have the best seat in the house, IContinue reading “Lech Lecha: Back to the Basics: Signs: The Ten Commandments’ Moment”

In Abstentia: Nitzavim

Four people sharing a meal around a table in a rustic room

We were all at Mt. Sinai To fully understand the Ten Commandments, one must not only explore the law, but also the spirituality attached to it. Legally, the Decalogue presents as a contract; a covenant. With contracts, there are parties. The Ten Commandments’ two parties are God and the Children of Israel. These two areContinue reading “In Abstentia: Nitzavim”

The Introduction to The Ten Commandments: Va’etchanan

Moses holding tablets with Hebrew text, addressing a crowd of men, women, and children in a desert setting

Lawmakers often provide a write-up when enacting a new law. These introductions can include anything from a legislative history to an explanation of the bill’s intent. In the Torah Portion Va’etchanan, Moses introduces the Ten Commandments to all of Israel. In doing so, he imparts essential information for grasping the biblical understanding of the Decalogue.Continue reading “The Introduction to The Ten Commandments: Va’etchanan”

A Major League Biblical Literacy Moment: Rainbows Matter

Four baseball players in San Francisco uniforms standing on a baseball field at sunset with a rainbow and city skyline

And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Genesis 6:11 Balls and strikes can be called on Major League Baseball’s scriptural verse controversy. The Torah citation to Genesis 9:12-16, has been pitched by players, including the San Francisco Giant’s Laden Roupp, as worthy scripture. The players have inscribed itContinue reading “A Major League Biblical Literacy Moment: Rainbows Matter”

Shavuot Connections?

Woman playing wooden harp seated in a grassy stone circle at sunrise

One of the Israelite’s earliest writings is tied to Shavuot- the celebration of the Ten Commandments’ receipt at Mt. Sinai. The Song of Deborah’s connection to both the Exodus and Mt. Sinai Covenant is striking. While Deborah’s exploits and the Exodus’ events share a theme of freedom, Deborah’s remembrance of Mt. Sinai experience is quiteContinue reading “Shavuot Connections?”

To Err Is Divine: The Tetzaveh Haftarah

When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange The Brady Bunch Mistakes happen. How do they happen? And when they do, what are the dynamics of change? This Post analyzes these questions in the context of a divine mistake. A massive error threatening the Israelite’s newly enacted political reconfiguration. This miscue required change atContinue reading “To Err Is Divine: The Tetzaveh Haftarah”

In Search of The Ten Commandments

Is it possible that an English translation transformed the Ten Commandments? The answer to these questions suggests that a not so accurate translation significantly impacted theology and contemporary beliefs. To understand how this happened, the initial inquiry is the Hebrew Bible. Before doing so, an understanding of how the Hebrew phrase for the Ten CommandmentsContinue reading “In Search of The Ten Commandments”

Virtue Unleashed? Lech Lecha

Can one person transform the world? According to the Torah Portion Lech Lecha, “Yes.” For over two thousand years, scholars, commentators, and social scientists have tackled the Lech Lecha phenomena. In Modernity In 2000, Malcolm Gladwell explored the viral nature of human activity. In The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,Continue reading “Virtue Unleashed? Lech Lecha”

The Question: “Why?” Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ Moment

Make it make sense? The Torah Portion Noah’s Post-Flood Covenant should have solved all of the world’s problems. Correct? After all, the God-Human covenant assured that a world would not be subjected to another deity inflicted devastation. It was also sealed with a rainbow! Only a double rainbow could have made it better!! Genesis 8:21-22.Continue reading “The Question: “Why?” Lech Lecha’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”