Broken Tablets: Restoring the Ten Commandments and Ourselves

by Rachel S. Mikvah (Editor), Lawrence Kushner (Introduction), Arnold Jacob Wolf (Afterword), Eugene B. Borowitz (Contribution by)

Overview

Let the Ten Commandments command your imagination … and enrich your life.

When the Holy One gave the Torah, no bird chirped, no fowl flew, no ox lowed, not one angel stirred its wing or sang its song. The sea did not roar, creatures did not speak—the whole world was hushed into breathless silence; it was then that the voice went forth: "I am the Lord your God…"
—Exodus Rabba 29:9

Even people who claim not to be “religious” will generally maintain that they do observe the Ten Commandments. Why is it that these ten statements, thousands of years old, continue to have such a special hold on us?

Here, twelve outstanding spiritual leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish thought bring us to the life and soul of the Ten Commandments' unusual power. In voices that are personal and diverse, they help us take a closer look at the ten utterances that not only touch every aspect of our lives, but also present each of us with a profound challenge.

Contributors include:

Eugene B. Borowitz • Leonard Fein • Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer • Laura Geller •
Lawrence A. Hoffman • Menachem Kellner • Peter S. Knobel • Richard N. Levy • Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi • Levi Weiman-Kelman

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580237024
Publisher:	Jewish Lights
Publication date:	12/06/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rachel S. Mikva is committed to sharing with others the rewards of spiritual study and the power of a relationship with God. She is rabbi of Community Synagogue in Rye, New York, and was ordained at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. While she serves on the Reform movement's Commission for Religious Living as well as on the Responsa Committee and on numerous other community and national not-for-profit boards, she dedicates most of her time to teaching, which she considers her most important work.

Lawrence Kushner, author, lecturer and spiritual leader, is regarded as one of the most creative religious thinkers and writers in America. A commentator on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, he has focused us on spiritual renewal with wisdom and humor. Through his books and lectures, people of every faith and background have found inspiration and new strength for spiritual search and growth. It has been said that some spiritual leaders blend religion and psychology to help us walk better on the ground, but Lawrence Kushner draws on the wisdom of the mystics to help us dance better on the ceiling.

Kushner's acclaimed books include I’m God; You’re Not: Observations on Organized Religion&Other Disguises of the Ego; Honey from the Rock: An Easy Introduction to Jewish Mysticism; Invisible Lines of Connection: Sacred Stories of the Ordinary; The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet; Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians; and In God’s Hands, an inspiring fable for children, with Gary Schmidt (all Jewish Lights).

Kushner served as rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, Massachusetts, for almost thirty years; he is currently the Emanu-El scholar at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, and an adjunct faculty member at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion. He is fascinated by graphic design and computers (designing most of his Jewish Lights books). He enjoys Mozart, hanging around sailboats, and making his granddaughters giggle.

Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf was ordained at Hebrew Union College in 1948 with honors in theology and homiletics, and was later awarded a Doctorate of Divinity. He is responsible for more than two hundred fifty essays and five books, most recently Jewish Spiritual Journeys and Unfinished Rabbi. He was a founding editor of Sh'ma:A Journal of Jewish Responsibility and is presently an editor for Judaism. Rabbi Wolf is a board member of the Jewish Peace Fellowship, the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, and other social action organizations. He was founding rabbi of the avant-garde Congregation Solel on Chicago’s North Shore, and Jewish Chaplain at Yale University.Arnold Jacob Wolf is rabbi emeritus of K. A. M. Isaiah Israel in Chicago, Illinois, where he served as senior rabbi from 1980 to 1999.

Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz is the Sigmund L. Falk Distinguished Professor of Education and Jewish Religious Thought at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City, where he was ordained. His books include Renewing the Covenant: A Theology for the Postmodern Jew and A Touch of the Sacred: A Theologian's Informal Guide to Jewish Belief (Jewish Lights).

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Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction by Rabbi Lawrence KushnerPerspectives on the Ten Wordsby Rabbi Rachel S. Mikva1. The First CommandmentI, Adonai your God, [am the one] who brought you outof the land of Egypt, from a slavehouse.First WordsI [Am the One]by Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz2. The Second CommandmentHave no other god before Me....First WordsNo Otherby Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi3. The Third CommandmentYou shall not lift up the name of Adonai your God forvain purpose, for Adonai will not clear one who usesthe Name in vain.First WordsThou Shalt Not Take the Nameby Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer4. The Fourth CommandmentRemember the Sabbath day and keep it holy....First WordsThe Meaning of Shabbat: A Virtual Domain in Timeby Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman5. The Fifth CommandmentHonor your father and mother that your days may be prolongedon the soil that Adonai your God is giving you.First WordsI Was Young, and I Have Also Grown Olderby Leonard Fein6. The Sixth CommandmentYou shall not murder.First WordsUndoing Creationby Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman7. The Seventh CommandmentYou shall not commit adultery.First WordsSacred Boundariesby Rabbi Peter S. Knobel8. The Eighth CommandmentYou shall not steal.First WordsA Bit of a Thiefby Rabbi Richard N. Levy9. The Ninth CommandmentYou shall not answer against your neighbor asa false witness.First WordsCompeting Valuesby Rabbi Laura Geller10. The Tenth CommandmentYou shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall notcovet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave,or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.First WordsDesireby Dr. Menachem KellnerTen More Wordsby Rabbi Arnold Jacob WolfSources and NotesAbout the Contributors

Editorial Reviews

"What really happened at that mountain in the wilderness? ... Consider the implications, for instance, if Moses simply concocted the whole thing or if those words on the tablets are literally God's words. Are these two options mutually exclusive?"
—Lawrence Kushner

“By too easily claiming and naming God, by encouraging others to do the same, did I take the name of the Lord in vain?”
—Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer

“Real idolatry today is the worship of money, technology, addictions, absolute political systems—even of 'Judaism’ and of the personal ego.”
—Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi

“According to the Talmud, the first question that we will be asked in the World to Come is ‘Were you honest in your world?’ The question challenges us on many different levels. Were you honest in your dealings with other people, in your public life, in your private life, with your family, with your friends? And it also pushes us to ask an even harder question: Were you honest with yourself?”
—Laura Geller

From the Publisher

This noteworthy, in-depth exploration of the Ten Commandments pays tribute to Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, who influenced many of the book's contributors and who offers a moving expression of gratitude as a conclusion. Editor Mikva, now rabbi of the Community Synagogue in Rye, N.Y., served for four years as Wolf's assistant rabbi in the Chicago synagogue where Wolf officiated for almost two decades. The book examines each Commandment, following the same format. First, the biblical text is presented in Hebrew and English, then Mikva offers "First Words," an introductory statement. This is followed by a scholarly analysis, which, in nine instances, is written by a rabbi; the lone exception is a contribution from Leonard Fein, a writer, teacher and editor, who brilliantly discusses the Fifth Commandment, about honoring one's parents. The other essays match the high standard of his inquiry. In each case, the author goes beyond the literal words, offering parables, Talmudic passages and explanations that stretch the meaning of the Commandment. For example, Levi Weiman-Kelman's consideration of "You shall not murder" extends to questions of suicide, euthanasia and the possibly fatal impact of hateful words. Similarly, Richard Levy expands the scope of "You Shall Not Steal" to include the theft of ideas, reputations and time. The precepts of ethical behavior set forth in the Ten Commandments are wisely and lucidly explicated in this important volume. (Dec.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Could there be new insights into the Ten Commandments? This slim and beautifully designed volume proves page after page that the timeless content of the commandments will always provide interpretations that allow us to understand our relationships--to one another and to God--in unexpected ways. An introduction by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner (well known for popularizing Jewish spirituality) discusses each of the commandments and the ways in which they interconnect. Mikva's (rabbi, Community Synagogue, Rye, NY) interpretation of each commandment is followed by a longer discussion by prominent Jewish thinkers (Eugene Borowitz, Lawrence Hoffman, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, and Laura Geller). One of the most attractive characteristics of this book is the variety of approaches and writing styles employed to give new meaning to the commandments and Jewish spirituality. Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike will gain fresh ideas from the essays. Recommended for larger religion collections in public and college libraries.--Olga B. Wise, Compaq Computers, Austin, TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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