(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ס)
(ב) אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ ה' אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים׃
(ג) לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ
(ד) לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ
(ה) לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י ה' אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃
(ו) וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי׃ (ס)
(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־ה' אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ ה' אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)
(ח) זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ
(ט) שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒
(י) וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַה' אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ (יא) כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה ה' אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ ה' אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ׃ (ס)
(יב) כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ה' אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
(יג) לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃ (ס)
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף׃ (ס)
לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃ (ס)
לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃ (ס)
(יד) לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ (פ)
(1) And God spoke all these words, saying: (S)
(2) I am the Eternal your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
(3) You shall have no other gods before Me.
(4) You shall not make for you a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
(5) you shall not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I the Eternal your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the ancestors upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those that hate Me;
(6) and showing mercy to the thousandth generation of those that love Me and keep My commandments. (S)
(7) You shall not take the name of the Eternal your God in vain; for the Eternal will not hold them guiltless those that take God's name in vain. (P)
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
(9) Six days shall you work, and do all your creative activity;
(10) but the seventh day is a sabbath for the Eternal your God; on it you shall not do any manner of creative labor, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates;
(11) for in six days the Eternal made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; thus the Eternal blessed the sabbath day, and make it holy. (S)
(12) Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which the Eternal your God gives you. (S)
(13) You shall not murder. (S)
You shall not commit adultery. (S)
You shall not steal. (S)
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (S)
(14) You shalt not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s. (P)
How are we to understand "Ten Commandments"?
The Ten Devarim -- they are not called the Ten Commandments, even though they are commandments. They are called Devarim because the meaning of the term diber, as the Rambam says, is the highest generality, including all aspects and manners, If they were called mitzvot, it would mean just the specific mitzvot. They are therefore called Dibrot to express that they are Ten Statements which encompass any details and details of details. They include the entire Torah.
How do we see the 10 Commandments or 2 Tablets understood throughout our text?
- Deuteronomy 4:13: עַל־שְׁנֵ֖י לֻח֥וֹת אֲבָנִֽים al-shnei luchot avanim "two tablets of stone"
- Exodus 32:15: שְׁנֵ֛י לֻחֹ֥ת הָעֵדֻ֖ת shnei luchot ha'edut "the two tablets of the testimony"
- Exodus 34:28: עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֗ת אֵ֚ת דִּבְרֵ֣י הַבְּרִ֔ית עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים al-haluchot et divrei ha'brit aseret had'varim "the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words."
- Exodus 25:21: אֶת־הָ֣עֵדֻ֔ת et-ha'edut "the testimony"
How should they be divided? How would this relate to their content?
והנראה במכתב הלוחות שהיו החמש ראשונות בלוח אחד שהם כבוד הבורא כמו שהזכרתי, והחמש השניות בלוח אחד, שיהיו חמש כנגד חמש, כענין שהזכירו בספר יצירה (א ג) בעשר ספירות בלי מה כמספר עשר אצבעות, חמש כנגד חמש, וברית יחיד מכוונת באמצע ומזה יתברר לך למה היו שתים, כי עד כבד את אביך הוא כנגד תורה שבכתב, ומכאן ואילך כנגד תורה שבעל פה ונראה שלזה רמזו רבותינו ז''ל שאמרו (תנחומא עקב י) שתי לוחות כנגד שמים וארץ וכנגד חתן וכלה וכנגד שני שושבינין וכנגד שני עולמים. וכל זה רמז אחד, והמשכיל יבין הסוד:
What makes sense with regards to the writing of the tablets is that the five first ones are on one tablet, which are about Honoring the Creator, as I have mentioned, and the second set of five on one tablet, which makes five against five, as they mentioned in Sefer Yeztira (1:3), with regards to the ten sefirot, which is also like the number of ten fingers, five against five, and a personal covenant is meant in the middle, and from this it is made clear why there are two, because until Honor Your Father, which corresponds to the Written Torah, and from here onwards, they correspond to the Oral Torah, and it seems that our Sages hinted at this when they said; Two tablets corresponding to Heaven and Earth, and corresponding to Groom and Bride, and corresponding to two wedding attendants, and corresponding to two worlds. And all of this is one hint, and the enlightened one will understand the secret.