May/June 2026

The Jewish anniversary of the Decalogue or Shavuot commemorates the giving and the receiving (literally: Kabballah) of the main body of the covenant; the Ten Commandments. This religious origin story actually lays the bedrock / foundation of Western civilization, the very basis of our culture. These two tablets can never be separated, and images of Lions are set to guard them lest anyone try to split or tear them asunder. The two tablets are actually one: merging civil law and religious statute.  Nearly every Jewish House of worship worldwide, features a design of two Lions at the Holy Ark guarding the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. These two fierce creatures remind us that even though we received two tablets at Mt. Sinai, these two tablets are actually one, inseparable, and they may never be decoupled. They are linked; eternally and inextricably. These guardians are the custodians of the commandments, protecting their integrity and guaranteeing that no one can sever these two distinct bodies of Law. One tablet governs our relationship with our fellow human beings and the second tablet concerns and regulates our relationship with the Divine. 

Some interpreted the need for two separate tablets as representing the two individual witnesses required for the wedding ceremony between God and Israel at Sinai, which took place on Shavuot. This clearly refers to the often-repeated rabbinic phrase: "Torah Haketuba "; the Torah as the document of marriage/wedding. According to Torah, both sacred and civil law are of divine origin. The commandment to honor parents is included in the category of human duties to God because the Creator is one of three essential partners in creating each individual human life. In fact, honoring parents became the link or linchpin between our obligations towards others and our duties towards God. 

Furthermore, our duties towards others are given priority over our obligations to God; the One Who is always waiting for the sincere penitent to turn from sin and evil with the promise of forgiveness from on high. By contrast, sins against others must wait until we can obtain pardon from those we hurt. Only the victims of our words and deeds can grant us forgiveness. No one else can do this! 

During Roman persecutions, when different groups of Jews and Christians suffered severe cruelties, one Christian strategy for survival was to: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God, that which is God's". Judaism viewed this approach as a patent violation of the Sinai covenant because both realms belong to God! Again, the two tablets/realms may never be separated. 

Our greatest modern moral tragedy has resulted from the efforts of many to sever and separate the two tablets, thus banishing the divine presence from many areas of our lives. It is incumbent upon us to keep our tradition whole and to guard, like Lions, the integrity of the commandments.

 Chag Sammay-ach!