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Towards the end of his extensive commentary on the Aseres HaDibros in
Parshas Yisro RSRH writes <br><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>It is precisely this prohibition of
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Lo Sachmod </i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>and
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Lo sisaveh </i>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>that sets the<br>
seal of God on the social part of the Decalogue. Even a mortal
lawgiver<br>
can decree “You shall not murder,” and so forth. But only God can<br>
decree “you shall not covet.” He alone probes the mind and the
heart.<br>
Before Him, not only deeds, but also thoughts and feelings, are
manifest.<br>
A human being can forbid only the crime, and when the crime is
committed,<br>
he can — with difficulty — bring the criminal to justice. But<br>
the source and breeding place of the crime eludes human sight. And<br>
once the crime has matured in a person’s heart, he is seldom
deterred<br>
from carrying it out by fear of the punishment meted out by human<br>
courts of law.<br><br>
Hence all human state-building is in vain, for the edifice remains<br>
unfinished and shaky as long as it is based solely on human glory.
Even<br>
if the builders do lay the cornerstone “in God’s Name,” the building
is<br>
erected without Him. They profess respect for the “Ten
Commandments,”<br>
but pay homage to man. They do not subordinate human power<br>
to the state, the state to the law, and the law to God; on the
contrary,<br>
they pay lip service to God as a means of gaining support for
faltering<br>
homage to man.<br><br>
Only when God will be “King over all the earth” and His Will will<br>
become the Law in the midst of mankind, only then will prisons be<br>
closed and will wretchedness disappear from the earth.<br><br>
Let us add that the “Ten Commandments” do not have greater holiness<br>
or greater importance than any other of the Torah’s commandments.<br>
They are neither the whole Law nor are they holier laws than<br>
all the rest. God expressly declared them as being merely an
introduction<br>
to and preparation for the whole main Lawgiving that would follow<br>
after them: “I am coming to you . . . so that the people may hear
when<br>
I speak with you </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>and so
trust in you forever</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>”
(above, 19:9). Thus it is<br>
expressly stated that the purpose of the revelation on Sinai was
none<br>
other than to prepare the people for the acceptance of
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>all the other<br>
commandments that would be transmitted to them by
Moshe</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>, and to<br>
prove to them beyond the shadow of a doubt, by their own experience,<br>
that “God did speak </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>to
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>your entire assembly”
(</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><i>Devarim
</i></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3>5:19). Thus,<br>
they would receive all the other commandments, too, as the Word of<br>
God through Moshe, and would fulfill them — forever — with steadfast<br>
faith.<br><br>
Nevertheless, the Ten Commandments are basic principles and general<br>
headings for all the other laws and commandments.<br>
If we consider the order in which these basic principles are set
forth,<br>
we find in it a truth that sheds light on the whole conception of
God’s<br>
Torah.</font></body>
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