Exodus 20 [1] G-d Spoke all these things, Saying: [2] I Am Hashem your G-d, Who has Taken you out of the land of egypt, from the house of slavery. [3] You shall not have other gods in My Place. [4] You shall not make yourself a carved image nor any likeness of that which is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the earth. [5] You shall not prostrate yourself to them nor worship them, for I Am Hashem, your G-d--a Jealous G-d, Who Visits the sin of fathers upon children to the third and fourth generations, for My enemies; [6] but Who Shows Kindness for thousands [of generations] to those who love Me and observe My Commandments. [7] You shall not take the Name of Hashem, your G-d, in vain, for Hashem will not absolve anyone who takes His Name in vain. [8] Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. [9] Six days shall you work and you did all your melachah; [10] but the seventh day is Shabbat to Hashem, your G-d; you shall not perform any [acts of] melachah--you, your son, your daughter, your slave, your maidservant, your animal, and your convert within your gates-- [11] for in six days Hashem Made the heavens and earth, the seas and all that is in them, and He Rested on the seventh day. Therefore, Hashem Blessed the Sabbath day and Sanctified it. [12] Honor your father and mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the Land that Hashem, your G-d, Gives you. [13] You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness against your fellow. [14] You shall not covet your fellow's house; you shall not covet your fellow's wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your fellow. [15] The entire people saw the thunder and flames, the sound of the shofar and the smoking mountain; the people saw and trembled and stood from afar. [16] They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we shall hear; let G-d not Speak to us lest we die." [17] Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for in order to Elevate you has G-d Come, so that awe of Him shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin." [18] The people stood from afar and Moses approached the thick cloud where G-d Was. [19] Hashem Said to Moses, "So shall you say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I Have Spoken to you from the sky. [20] You shall not make of Me gods of silver, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. [21] "'An altar of earth shall you make for Me, and you shall slaughter upon it your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings, your flock and your herd; wherever I Permit My Name to be mentioned I Shall Come to you and Bless you. [22] And if you make for Me an altar of stones, do not build them hewn, for you will have raised your swords over it and desecrated it. [23] You shall not ascend My altar on steps, so that your nakedness will not be uncovered upon it.'"

According to the Torah, G-d literally Spoke out of the clouds of the heavens, from above the "smoking mountain." And the people were frightened, as you can imagine what kind of experience it must have been. G-d did not relegate this task solely to Moses, for just as G-d had Saved His people from the bondage of egypt, so Did He Free them, Give them a new spirit, and Redeem His people, Israel. The Ten Commandments are the most Sacred of Laws, for in fact, they literally Came from G-d, as G-d Manifested a Vision before Israel and implanted His Laws within the hearts of His people, Speaking Reason to the spirits of Israel. The people were afraid, for this certainly was a fearsome Act, but nonetheless they heard and obeyed, as Israel became a nation of G-d.

After G-d Spoke these Words to Israel, "the people stood from afar and Moses approached the thick cloud where G-d Was." G-d then Expressed His Laws to Moses, Commanding him to speak thus to Israel. At first G-d Divided Israel from the other nations, Saying, "You shall not make Me gods of silver, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves." G-d had "Appeared" before Israel and Done His Works before their eyes, but G-d is not physical and cannot be expressed through dust. Therefore G-d Told Moses what the people should do as a sign between them and G-d, that they should elevate themselves and bring themselves close to G-d. Of course, this is best done by observing His Laws and living according to His Torah, but the people were also Commanded to build an altar for G-d, that, as G-d Said, "wherever I Permit My Name to be mentioned I Shall come to you and Bless you." For offering unto G-d is a spiritual act. Rather than slaughtering their livestock casually and consuming the flesh of life without regard to the spirit within it and the Source of its existence, the children of Israel were Commanded to offer unto G-d and in a specific manner that was later Described.

After that the Book of Exodus Establishes the Laws of G-d, as is continued in Leviticus and the beginning of Numbers, and then reiterated in Deuteronomy. But while Moses was still in the "thick cloud" of the mountain, receiving the Laws of G-d, the children of Israel were without a leader and they thought Moses had abandoned them. So they built an idol for themselves, as a representation of G-d, prostrating themselves to it, offering unto it, and saying, "this is your god, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of egypt." Having received the Ten Commandments and awaiting the Laws of G-d, to become a nation of G-d, Israel led itself into corruption and dedicated itself to dust. For this, Israel was to be Annihilated, but Moses pleaded on their behalf, and Israel was Given another chance. Yet Israel has continuously led itself astray and the world has repeatedly been distanced from G-d and from His Laws. Mankind has been a quick friend of corruption, and decadence has been carried from the grave over the generations, to this day. Nonetheless, the Ten Commandments are known to us, and the Laws of G-d remain with us. It is by this that we can redeem ourselves, and it is for this that the world should be Redeemed. The Ten Commandments should be a pillar of Justice for us, and we should judge ourselves according to the Spirit of our Judge. In such can we rebuild the ruins, heal the wounds, and live upon the Foundation of G-d--upon the Temple of His Laws.

In Hebrew, the word G-d is Elohim. Elohim is a Judge. When it says, "elohim acherim," which is translated as other gods, the Hebrew words literally mean, "other judges." There's no such thing as gods, and even G-d is not a concept of faith, for He is not a belief. G-d's Laws are known, and they represent Him, for He is our Judge--and we judge ourselves according to His Laws. To know G-d is to know His Laws, as are understood through the spirit within us. To walk in the Ways of G-d is to live according to His Laws, and follow the Spirit that Redeems our dust--the Spirit G-d Breathed into us...

The Ten Commandments are not numbered, but nonetheless, it is known that they are ten Laws, no more and no less...as it says in Exodus 34:28: "He [Moses] remained there [on Mount Sinai] with Hashem for forty days and forty nights--he did not eat bread and he did not drink water--and He Wrote on the tablets the Words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments." And it is known that these are two tablets and their contents were Written by G-d, as Moses says in Deuteronomy 10:3-4; "...I carved out two stone tablets like the first ones [that Moses had smashed before the iniquitous people of Israel, when he first descended from the mountain]; then I ascended the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. He Inscribed on the tablets according to the first Script, the Ten Statements that Hashem Spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of fire, on the day of the congregation, and Hashem Gave them to me." The order and numbers of the Laws are not very important compared to the Laws themselves, but these classifications do serve a symbolic role. So what are the Laws according to their numbers and their place on the tablets?

I cannot say for sure, and there are arguments over this matter, as the tablets themselves do not appear to have survived over the ages. But nonetheless, the Laws remain, and these are the Commandments as they were Spoken by G-d, as are printed above, from Exodus 20:2-14. Here is a summation of the Ten Commandments, numbered upon two tablets:

	1. Know G-d. 2. You shall not have gods. 3. Don't take G-d's Name in vain. 4. Remember Shabbat to sanctify it... 5. Honor your father and mother.		6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness... 10. You shall not covet...

It is said that the Laws are organized upon two tablets, in this order, for a reason. The first tablet contains Commandments that correspond to man's relationship with G-d. The second tablet contains Commandments that correspond to man's relationship with his fellow person. This is like the story of Creation: For three "days" G-d "Created" order, Preparing the world for life, and then for three "days" He Created life, that would live within this order. The first tablet describes an Order between man and G-d, while the second tablet describes an Order between people. People depend upon G-d, for without G-d we would not have been Created and we would not exist. Once Order is established between us and G-d, then we can live an Orderly life between each other and with one another... And each Law corresponds with the Law parallel to it, when placing the two tablets face to face with one another, just as our behavior with G-d should reflect upon our behavior with our fellow, for we behave with G-d the way we behave with each other and G-d Judges us the way we judge one another.

The first Commandment, which is to know G-d, corresponds with the sixth Commandment, "Thou shall not murder," because if you know G-d then you'll understand why you can't murder. The second Commandment, which bans other gods (or other judges), corresponds with the seventh Commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," because just as it is Forbidden to betray G-d, so is it Forbidden to betray each other by engaging in adulterous relationships. The third Commandment, which bans taking the Name of G-d in vain, corresponds with the eighth Commandment, "You shall not steal," because taking the Name of G-d in vain is like stealing His Identity and taking His Judgement into your hand--and those who would do this most contemptible act would not hesitate to steal the possession of their fellow as well.

The fourth Commandment, which is to remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it, corresponds with the ninth Commandment, "You shall not bear false witness against your fellow," because Shabbat is Decreed a day of rest, when people review their actions and judge their creations. Those who would enslave their souls without resting to question their behavior and take responsibility for their actions, are the ones who overlook the consequences of their actions; living in denial and not hesitating to spread falsehoods.

The fifth Commandment, which is to honor your father and mother, does not exactly describe a relationship between G-d and mankind, except that, like our parents, G-d Created and Cares for us. To honor your father and mother is analogous to honoring G-d. This corresponds with the tenth Commandment, "You shall not covet the house of your fellow, or anything that is his," because by honoring your father and mother, you honor their household; your family. If you honor your parents' household and all that is theirs, then how could you covet your fellows household and all that is his?--for he is your fellow; he is your "brother."

These are the Laws of G-d, and they are not to be transgressed. It is by observing them that people are Blessed. But to observe the Ten Commandments, you should understand them, what is Intended by them, and the Punishment for breaking them. For this I discuss each Commandment in depth. Many will deny these Laws, for they will say they are not reasonable and the punishment is unjust. It is for this reason that I explain the Laws in detail, that none will deny their validity and none will say they are unclear to them. The Word of G-d is Clear to me, and it is the Law for me. Some people are seduced by desire to reject these universal Laws, but G-d's Laws must not be perverted for they are undoubtedly Just. And they apply to all, for all who bless themselves through the Judgement of G-d, are Redeemed according to His Laws.