My wife and I tried to recall the date of a past trip. We remembered being stunned, on the way home, to hear on the radio that Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and others tragically died in a helicopter crash. Having lived in Los Angeles since the days when Sabre Tooth Tigers and Whooly Mammoths cruised WilshireContinue reading “Yitro’s Ten Commandments’ Moment”
Category Archives: ten commandments
A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Samson
Samson’s tale of martyrdom has a few Ten Commandments’ moments. While his beginnings are quite promising, his life devolves into an endless cycle of suffering and vengeance. At the beginning, his barren mother encounters an angel who promises her a special son. She is instructed that the child would be raised as a Nazarite and thatContinue reading “A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Samson”
A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Succession
The Book of Judges is not for the faint hearted. While Gideon’s leadership as a Judge sparked a thirst for Israelite monarchical rule, his post-mortem was sobering to that national ambition. Succession, in antiquity, was heavily nepotism. Gideon, not be outshined by the Elon Musk’s or Nick Cannon’s of the world, amassed seventy sons and hadContinue reading “A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Succession”
Beshalach’s Ten Commandments Moments
The Torah Portion Beshalach- which takes place in the height of the Exodus- contain three Ten Commandments’ moments worthy of discussion. The portion takes place as the Children of Israel depart from Egypt, the Children of Israel experience salvation in the parting of the Red Sea. Also, for the first time, they receive the mystery food calledContinue reading “Beshalach’s Ten Commandments Moments”
A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Gideon
Readers can cheat. They can jump to the back of the book to get that sweet ending. ” Who done it?” is solved. With the Book of Judges, however, while the last line sums up most everything, the reader would be cheated. The journey through Judges is as rewarding as the ending. The tale of Gideon- planted in the middleContinue reading “A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Gideon”
A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Deborah
In the Book of Judges, the Prophetess and Judge Deborah is one of the most important figures. Her military conquest of Hazor and her Song are essential moments in Israelite history. Her song is worthy of discussion within a Ten Commandments’ context. Deborah, in partnership with Barak, conquer Hazor, and, per Dr. Richard Elliott Friedman, create IsraeliteContinue reading “A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: Deborah”
A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: The Emissary
From a Ten Commandments’ perspective, The Book of Judges represents the Dark Ages. Agenda driven, Judges’ tales told pull no punches in detailing generations of a dystopian society; a society lacking a formal government. Judges’ ends with the epic line: “in those days there was no king in Israel; a man could do whatever seemedContinue reading “A Book of Judges Ten Commandments’ Moment: The Emissary”
A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: The Assembly
The Book of Joshua’s last chapter serves as one of the most important post-Torah Ten Commandments’ moments. In world history, there are few people and few concepts that can extend within human memory past one generation. Creating an eternal legacy is perhaps one of the most difficult of human achievements. The evidence of this is a simple test,Continue reading “A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: The Assembly”
A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: Mt. Ebal
Ten Commandments’ moments aren’t simply the words carved into the two tablets. The words themselves do not entirely capture the Ten Commandments’ meaning. The events surrounding the transmission of the commandments are also integral to Ten Commandments’ values. The Mt. Ebal ceremony in the Book of Joshua evidences this assertion. The Book of Joshua chronologically presents itselfContinue reading “A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: Mt. Ebal”
A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: The City of Jericho Controversy
Karate Men Bruise on the Inside So That They Don’t Show Their Weakness Eddie Murphy, Trading Places While Jericho’s walls falling down is a spectacular Book of Joshua moment, the timing of the City’s taking gives rise to a Ten Commandments’ controversy. The Master of the Universe says to Joshua: “See, I have delivered intoContinue reading “A Book of Joshua Ten Commandments’ Moment: The City of Jericho Controversy”
The Ten Commandments Project 