Erev Yitro 5778

Ten Commandments and Swearing

Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein 2 February 2018

InawayitisstrangethatwerarelyreadtheTenCommandmentsinsynagogueservices.Thereare3occasionsthatwemightreadthemasaTorahportion:Shavuot,thisweekinExodus20andagainwhenwegettoDeuteronomy6wheretheyarerepeated.Inthepasttheywerequotedastheessentialcodeofmoralbehaviour,representedbythetwotabletsovermanyanArk,thoughneverthefulltextjustopeningwordsorevenjust10letters.InmanyaProtestantchurchyougetthefulltextemblazonednexttothealtar.ThepassagewasdeliberatelyleftoutoftheJewishliturgy,itissaid,lestwegetledastrayandthinkthesearetheonlycommandments,whereaswehave613allequallythewordofGod.LetsbreakwithtraditionandreadtheDecaloguetogiveititsGreekname.ReadTenCommandmentsSiddurLevChadashp.536AvaluedAmericancolleagueofmineRabbiRifatSonsinorecentlypublishedanexcellentbookexploringeachofthecommandmentsandtheirrelevance,asthesubtitlesays:toContemporaryEthics.IhadafewideasfromrereadingitthatIwasgoingtousetodeveloptonight’ssermon,butthesegottrumpedbyanintriguingarticlebyananonymouscommentatorcalledPhilologus.Heorshewritesafascinatingarticleeachmonthonaweb-magazinecalledMosaic,andthefollowingisbasedonthatarticle.IsaidtrumpedandthedreadedPresidentbeginsthetheme.EvidentlyPalestinianPresidentMahmoudAbbascursedtheAmericanPresidentinaspeechinRamallahon14thJanuary,inArabicofcourse:Yichribbeytakwhichmeansliterally“mayyourhousebedestroyed”.ClearlymeaningmorethantheWhiteHouse.AparallelHebrewcurseis“yimachshimcha”-“MayYournamebeerased.”IntheBibleonessheymonesnamewasvital:justthinkofalltheotherwiseboringlistsofnamesintheTorah.Thememoryofone’snamewasallonehadtoleavebehind.Justthink,forinstance,oftheRabbinicquote:“RabbiShimonsaid:‘Therearethreecrowns:thecrownoflearning,thecrownofpriesthood,andthecrownofroyalty;butthecrownofagoodnameexcelsthemall.”Tohaveonesnameerasedwasamightycurse.Itisasifyouneverlived.Similarly,foranancientArabculture,forthesemi-nomadicBedouin…tohaveonesancestraltentdestroyedleftyouwithoutprotectionanddestituteinthislifejustaslossofnameleftyoubereftinthefuturelife.Philologusthenwentontoremindushowcurses,oncepowerful,seemtolosetheireffectandhowseeminglymildcursesinoneculturearemorepowerfulinothers.YichribbeytakoryimachshimchamightnotcauseusinNorthwoodtotrembleorshockus.AndthinkofpossibleEnglishequivalents:“Gotohell”,GoddamnYou”Oncethoughtpowerfulbutnowquitemild.FormosthellorevenGodhavelittleaweorfearorevenreality.ButIsupposeincertainfundamentalistChristiancirclessuchwordswouldneedtheoffendingmouthwashedwithsoap.“OhGod”spokenlightlywouldoftenbecorrectedbykeen

parents…theseprohibitionsbasedonthethirdcommandment–nottakingGod’snameinvain.ButwhorememberstheTenCommandmentsanymoreandeveninanagewhenwedid,Isupposethelateronesaboutnotstealingmurdering,orcommittingadulterywereconsideredmoreimportant.Ofcourseweliveinanagewhenswearwordslosetheirpower.WatchTVmostnightsandyouwillseewordsoncebeyondthepaleusedwithnosecondthought.The“f”wordoncecausedscandalwheninadvertentlyslippedintoaTVintervieworprogramme.The“c”wordacoupleofyearsagoagreedtobethelastwordbeyondthepale,buteventhatnowusedopenly.Oncenewspapersuseddotsbetweenthefirstandfinallettersofthesewordsbutincreasinglywegetthefullmontyasitwere.Butisthistrendgoingagainstthethirdcommandmentorisitjustasadreflectiononourpoorgraspofagenerousvocabulary?AndI’mnotsurewhereitgoesfromherebecausetheso-calledfourletterwordsusedsocasuallyhavealsolosttheirpowertoshock.Howwillonereallycurseinthefuture?RabbiSonsino,inhisbook,remindsusthattheHebrewfortheTenCommandmentsisAseretHa-dibrot“TheTenWords”whichofcoursearejustwhatwehaveaboveourArk.Tenwordsremindsusthatwordsthemselvescaneitherpraiseorcurse.ThoughthethirdcommandmentwasinfactmorethanjustaboutnegativeuseofGod’snamebutapositiveuseforwrongreasons.“YoushallnotswearfalselybythenameofGod….”Ithadtodowithtakinganoath,incourtorbusinessorprivatepromisesanddemonstratingonessinceritybysaying“mayGodstrikemedown”ifIdon’tkeepmyvoworIamnotsincereinthewordsIspeak.”HandingwitnessesincourtaBibleorotherholybookstillmakesadramaoutofthiscommandment…butIwonderforhowmuchlonger?Soweneedanewinterpretation.ThebestIcancomeupwithisinSonsino’sbook.ItisbyaChristianC.MathewMacMahon:

“WeuseGod’snameinvain…whenwelivehypocritically;whenweuseitinidlediscourse,whenweworshipwithourlipsandnotwithourhearts;whenwepraybutdonotbelieve;whenweteachbadtheology;whenwemakeapromiseanddonotkeepit;whenweuseourtonguesinawaythatdishonoursGod’sname;whenwemakerashvows;whenwegrumbleandgripeagainstGod;andfinallywhenwefalsifyapromise.”

Agoodlistworthremembering.Thoughthe12thcenturySpanishcommentatoribnEzramadeiteasiertorememberwithaoneliner:“Ifonedoesnotkeeponesword,thatistantamounttorepudiatingthenameofGod”