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The Ten Commandments


Question:

What was the purpose of the Ten Commandments? They don't encompass all our commandments nor do they all seem as the most important. So what exactly is their significance? Thank you so much for all the time you put into this amazing site.



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

Rabbi Sa’adia Gaon has a fascinating insight into the significance of the Ten Commandments. Rabbi Gaon wrote the first systematic work of Jewish philosophy, in the ninth century. He explains that the entire six hundred and thirteen commandments can be derived, in a sense, from the Ten Commandments. He explains that they were chosen because it is vital for the Jewish People to understand that all the commandments are intrinsic to our identity. In bygone days the Ten Commandments were recited at the end of the morning prayers. This practice ended when heretics tried to convince everyone that there were only ten commandments and no more. Actually, the correct translation of the Hebrew term “aseret hadibrot” should be the Ten Statements, not the Ten Commandments.


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