The most explicit instance of a model with ten elements in the Torah is the Ten Commandments. Though the English term “commandments” is not precise, the Torah explicitly mentions that “he [Moses] was there with God for forty days and forty nights… and he wrote down on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.”[1] The phrase “the ten words” (עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים) has been translated by many as “the Ten commandments.”
Clearly, it would make sense to correspond the Ten Commandments in our parashah, Yitro, with the ten sefirot. Before we begin discussing how to do this, let us look at a beautiful mathematical allusion to the propriety of this correspondence. The “filling” of “the ten words” (עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים) is עין שין ריש תו הא דלת בית ריש יוד מם whose value is 2868. Incredibly, this is the same as the sum of the names of all ten sefirot: “crown, wisdom, understanding, loving-kindness, might, beauty, victory, acknowledgment, foundation, kingdom” (כֶּתֶר חָכְמָה בִּינָה חֶסֶד גְּבוּרָה תִּפְאֶרֶת נֶצַח הוֹד יְסוֹד מַלְכוּת).
Building the Structure
To properly correspond the Ten Commandments with the sefirot, we must begin by understanding their structure in the Torah. As it turns out, structure-wise this is one of the most complex passages in the Torah and even identifying ten distinct elements is not so simple.
Ten Paragraphs (Parshiyot)
Let us start by looking at the way in which the “ten words” referred to by the Torah itself appear in a Torah scroll. The Torah’s text is divided both into verses and into paragraphs—parashot, both of which were given to Moses. In a Torah scroll, the end of a paragraph is marked by whitespace; outside the Torah scroll, the convention is to mark the end of paragraph with a letter פ or ס. The “ten words” referred to are thus:
| 1 | (2) I am Havayah your God who has brought you out of the Land of Egypt, from a house of bondage. You shall have no other gods besides Me. (3) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. (4) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I am Havayah your God, I am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me. (5) But I show kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. | (ב) אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱ־לֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי: (ג) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ: (ד) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי: (ה) וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי: ס |
| 2 | (6) You shall not swear falsely by the Name of your God, Havayah, for Havayah will not clear one who swears falsely by His Name. | (ו) לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה הוי' אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אֶת שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא: פ |
| 3 | (7) Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. (8) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (9) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Havayah your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. (10) For in six days Havayah made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them and then rested on the seventh day; therefore, Havayah blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. | (ז) זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ: (ח) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ: (ט) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַהוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָל מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: (י) כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה הוי' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ הוי' אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ: ס |
| 4 | (11) Honor your father and your mother so that you may long endure on the land that your God, Havayah, is giving you. | (יא) כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הוי' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: ס |
| 5 | (12) Do not murder. | (יב) לֹא תִּרְצָח ס |
| 6 | Do not commit adultery. | לֹא תִּנְאָף ס |
| 7 | Do not steal. | לֹא תִּגְנֹב ס |
| 8 | Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. | לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר: ס |
| 9 | (13) Do not covet your neighbor’s house. | (יג) לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ ס |
| 10 | Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant or female servant, his ox, his donkey, or any of his possessions. | לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ: פ |
Note that according to this authoritative division in the Torah scroll itself what are usually identified as the first and second commandments (“I am Havayah your God,” and “You shall have no other gods”) appear in the same “word”—meaning, in the same paragraph (parshiyah)—reflecting the sages’ statement that these two commandments were heard directly from God. Moreover, only in these first two commandments does God appear as a first-person object, meaning that He is speaking about Himself. Everything else is written with a second-person object, “you.” Also, the phrase, “I am Havayah your God” (אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ) appears twice in this paragraph, once in the first “commandment,” and once in the second.
Two Tablets
The way the “ten words” or elements are colloquially identified can be seen in any representation of the two Tablets of the Covenant on which they were written found in every synagogue. The colloquial division presents 5 commandments on one tablet and 5 on the other and looks like this:
| Left Tablet | Right Tablet | ||
| לֹא תִּרְצָח
Do not murder |
6 | אָנֹכִי
I am |
1 |
| לֹא תִּנְאָף
Do not commit adultery |
7 | לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ
You shall have no |
2 |
| לֹא תִּגְנֹב
Do not steal |
8 | לֹא תִשָּׂא
You shall not swear |
3 |
| לֹא תַעֲנֶה
Do not bear |
9 | זָכוֹר
Remember |
4 |
| לֹא תַחְמֹד
Do not covet |
10 | כַּבֵּד
Honor |
5 |
Lower Cantillation
A third way to divide the text into 10 follows the lead of the cantillation marks. Here we encounter a unique phenomenon that has no parallel: there are actually two different sets of cantillation marks for the text of the Ten Commandments. One is called the “lower” (טעם תחתון), the other is known as the “upper” (טעם עליון). In principle, when one reads the text in private, one would use the lower cantillation marks. When reading the text in public, the upper set of marks is used.[2]
According to most of the commentaries on the Masoretic text, the upper set of marks divides the Ten Commandments into 9 verses. But the lower set of cantillation marks divides the text into 13 verses[3]:
| 1 | (2) I am Havayah your God who has brought you out of the Land of Egypt, from a house of bondage. | (ב) אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים: |
| 2 | You shall have no other gods besides Me. | לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱ־לֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי: |
| 3 | (3) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. | (ג) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ: |
| 4 | (4) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I am Havayah your God, I am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me. | (ד) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי: |
| 5 | (5) But I show kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. | (ה) וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי: ס |
| 6 | (6) You shall not swear falsely by the Name of your God, Havayah, for Havayah will not clear one who swears falsely by His Name. | (ו) לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה הוי' אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אֶת שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא: פ |
| 7 | (7) Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. | (ז) זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ: |
| 8 | (8) Six days you shall labor and do all your work | (ח) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ: |
| 9 | (9) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Havayah your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. | (ט) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַהוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָל מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: |
| 10 | (10) For in six days Havayah made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them and then rested on the seventh day; therefore, Havayah blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. | (י) כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה הוי' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ הוי' אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ: ס |
| 11 | (11) Honor your father and your mother so that you may long endure on the land that your God, Havayah, is giving you. | (יא) כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הוי' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: ס |
| 12 | (12) Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. | (יב) לֹא תִּרְצָח ס לֹא תִּנְאָף ס לֹא תִּגְנֹב ס לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר: ס |
| 13 | (13) Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant or female servant, his ox, his donkey, or any of his possessions. | (יג) לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ ס לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ: פ |
Higher Cantillation
As noted, the higher set of cantillation marks divides the text into 9 parts:
| 1 | (2) I am Havayah your God who has brought you out of the Land of Egypt, from a house of bondage. You shall have no other gods besides Me. (3) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. (4) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I am Havayah your God, I am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me. (5) But I show kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments. | (ב) אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱ־לֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי: (ג) לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל וְכָל תְּמוּנָה אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וַאֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת וַאֲשֶׁר בַּמַּיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ: (ד) לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לָהֶם וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם כִּי אָנֹכִי הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ אֵל קַנָּא פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל בָּנִים עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים לְשֹׂנְאָי: (ה) וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לַאֲלָפִים לְאֹהֲבַי וּלְשֹׁמְרֵי מִצְוֹתָי: ס |
| 2 | (6) You shall not swear falsely by the Name of your God, Havayah, for Havayah will not clear one who swears falsely by His Name. | (ו) לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שֵׁם הוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא כִּי לֹא יְנַקֶּה הוי' אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִשָּׂא אֶת שְׁמוֹ לַשָּׁוְא: פ |
| 3 | (7) Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. (8) Six days you shall labor and do all your work (9) but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Havayah your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements. (10) For in six days Havayah made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them and then rested on the seventh day; therefore, Havayah blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. | (ז) זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ: (ח) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל מְלַאכְתֶּךָ: (ט) וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שַׁבָּת לַהוי' אֱ־לֹהֶיךָ לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה כָל מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: (י) כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה הוי' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי עַל כֵּן בֵּרַךְ הוי' אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ: ס |
| 4 | (11) Honor your father and your mother so that you may long endure on the land that your God, Havayah, is giving you. | (יא) כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הוי' אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ: ס |
| 5 | (12) Do not murder. | (יב) לֹא תִּרְצָח: |
| 6 | Do not commit adultery. | לֹא תִּנְאָף: |
| 7 | Do not steal. | לֹא תִּגְנֹב: |
| 8 | Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. | לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר: ס |
| 9 | (13) Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant or female servant, his ox, his donkey, or any of his possessions. | (יג) לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ ס לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ: פ |
The Ten Words and the Ten Sefirot
Now that we have seen the possible divisions of the text of the Ten Commandments, we can turn to corresponding its 10 elements to the sefirot. First, we need to focus our attention on the division based on the paragraphs, the first one we looked at, where the 10 parts were the “Ten Words.” Next, we need to find a model of the ten sefirot that resembles the characteristics of the paragraph division. There are two specific characteristics we are searching for: 1) that the first two sefirot are as one paralleling the fact that the first “word” contains two commandments: “I am Havayah your God” and “You shall have no gods besides Me.” 2) that the final two sefirot—foundation and kingdom—should be both distinct yet appear as one because “Do not covet your neighbor’s house” and “Do not covet your neighbor’s wife” appear in one verse that is divided into two paragraphs.
The model we are looking for is found in the very first source to mention the Ten Sefirot, Sefer Yetzirah—the Book of Formation—which states at the conclusion of its first chapter:
These are the ten matterless sefirot. One is the Spirit of the Living God; Spirit from Spirit, and Water from Spirit, and Fire from Water; and the extremes Above and Below, East and West, North and South.
We are probably more familiar with the names of the sefirot being: crown, wisdom, understanding, etc. However, Sefer Yetzirah has its own unique naming scheme. According to the commentaries, Sefer Yetzirah divided the crown into two parts—the crown’s interior and its exterior—and therefore its reckoning of the ten sefirot does not include either knowledge (da’at) or kingdom (malchut). In the Zohar and later Kabbalistic texts, the crown’s interior is known as Atik Yomin and its exterior is known as Arich Anpin. Where is knowledge? There is a well-known principle that when the crown is enumerated, knowledge is not, and vice versa.
Thus, the partzuf of the sefirot in Sefer Yetzirah is:
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Atik Yomin עַתִּיק יוֹמִין One, the Spirit of the Living God
Arich Anpin אֲרִיךְ אַנְפִּין Spirit from Spirit
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wisdom-chochmah חָכְמָה Water from Spirit |
understanding-binah בִּינָה Fire from Water |
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loving–kindness–chessed חֶסֶד Extreme of South |
might–gevurah גְּבוּרָה Extreme of North |
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beauty–tiferet תִּפְאֶרֶת Extreme of East
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victory–netzach נֶצַח Extreme of Above
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splendor–hod הוֹד Extreme of Below |
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foundation–yesod יְסוֹד Extreme of West
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What about kingdom? Generally speaking, kingdom can be included in foundation. This is captured in a model known as the Heichalot, or literally the Chambers. In this model, the lowest Chamber, known as the Chamber of the Sapphire Brick, corresponds to both Foundation and Kingdom together.
We are finally ready to present the full partzuf of the Ten Commandments as they correspond to the sefirot. Immediately after, we will explain each correspondence in detail.
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Atik Yomin עַתִּיק יוֹמִין I am Havayah your God
Arich Anpin אֲרִיךְ אַנְפִּין You shall have no gods besides Me
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wisdom-chochmah חָכְמָה You shall not swear falsely by the Name of your God, Havayah |
understanding-binah בִּינָה Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it |
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loving–kindness–chessed חֶסֶד Honor your father and mother |
might–gevurah גְּבוּרָה Do not murder |
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beauty–tiferet תִּפְאֶרֶת Do not commit adultery
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victory–netzach נֶצַח Do not steal
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splendor–hod הוֹד Do not bear false witness |
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foundation–yesod יְסוֹד and kingdom-malchut מַלְכוּת Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife
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Atik Yomin: “I am Havayah Your God”
Chasidic doctrine connects the three words that open the Ten Commandments, “I am Havayah your God,” with God’s self (עַצְמוּת), referred to as “I am who I am”[4] (אָנֹכִי מִי שֶׁאָנֹכִי)—that which is not even hinted to in any letter or any tag of a letter in the Torah. From here and down God is revealed a certain way and all these revelations are known as “Names.” We will see that the secret of God’s Name corresponds to the sefirah of wisdom in our partzuf. In any case, it is the interior part of the crown, Atik Yomin, that is compared to God’s self, since Atik literally means, “removed,” and Atik Yomin refers to He who is “removed from days [of Creation],” suggesting that God is above and beyond His Creation. It is for this reason that the Ten Commandments do not start with a proclamation that God is the one who created heavens and earth, as in the Torah’s beginning—because God’s self is so far-removed and above Creation. About God’s being we say, “His existence is dependent only on His self” (מְצִיאוּתוֹ מֵעַצְמוּתוֹ).
Arich Anpin: “You shall have no gods besides Me”
The prohibition of having a god “besides” God can be understood metaphorically as implying that there is no room for anything but God. This reflects the Zohar’s statement that “there is no place void of Him”[5] (לֵית אֲתַר פָּנוּי מִנֵּהּ). This tenet of belief reminds us of one of the cornerstones of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s thought, that there is no where empty of God. The expression “besides Me” (עַל פָּנָי) is based on the notion of “face” (פָּנָי), and Arich Anpin means “the long face.” Both these expressions make use of the metaphor of space as being “a face.” Thus, when the Torah says, “You shall have no gods besides Me,” it is saying, “There is no room for any gods besides Me” because, indeed, there is no place void of Me.
Wisdom: You shall not swear falsely by my Name
Wisdom is associated with the secret of God’s Name[6] (רָזָא דִּשְׁמֵהּ). In contrast to the first two “commandments” that we heard directly from God’s self, as it were, from here on out, we are receiving a revelation of God. In the early Kabbalah, “name” was used in place of “light,” but both represent the manner in which something is revealed—not the way it is unto itself. Likewise, the World of Emanation is already a “world,” a certain diminishing of the self, the etzem, as it is known in Hebrew and the sefirah of wisdom is the first revelation through which God is revealed throughout the World of Emanation.
The sages write[7] the words, “You shall not swear falsely by my Name” were spoken, all of reality shook. This was explained to anyone who was required to make a vow before a court of law, stressing that taking God’s Name in vain is akin to disrupting the very foundations of Creation—the “Worlds” that God created and that reveal Him to us; “God founded the earth on wisdom.”[8] Just as wisdom is at the source of creation, all of creation is rectified and reaches its intended state of rectification through wisdom, “they are all rectified by wisdom” (כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה אִתְבָּרִירוּ).
Understanding: Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it
Shabbat represents a “taste of the World to Come” (מעין עולם הבא), a taste of the pleasure inherent in the future reality, represented by the sefirah of understanding. Although we tend to associate the holiness of Shabbat with wisdom—a state described by the sages as “Shabbat is already sanctified”[9] (מִקַּדְּשָׁא וְקָיְימָא), as explained in Chasidic teachings,[10] there is another aspect of Shabbat described by the verse, “the Children of Israel with guard the Shabbat, making the Shabbat”[11] (וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת). This verse represents bringing the holiness of Shabbat instantiated from Above, from wisdom to understanding.
Likewise, during the time of the third meal, the light of the crown is brought to understanding and we can experience a taste of the World to Come, which is why the custom by many is not to eat at all (or to eat lightly) during this time, tasting from the World to Come when there will be no need to either eat or drink.[12] This commandment, as it corresponds to understanding, thus enables us to envision the future pleasure of the World to Come within our own reality specifically on Shabbat.
Loving-kindness: Honor your father and your mother
The Torah in general contains two commandments regarding one’s treatment of one’s parents: “Honor your father and mother” and “You shall each revere your mother and father.”[13] This already demonstrates that honoring our parents is the complement to revering them. Since revering is a form of “awe” (יראה), honoring is a form of “love,” the inner experience of the sefirah of loving-kindness.
The sages ask why the order of “father and mother” is different in these two verses and they conclude that the Torah stresses that the commandments require us to overcome our natural tendency. People are naturally inclined to revere their father more than their mother. Therefore, the Torah switches their order, emphasizing that we should revere our mother, not just our father. Likewise, our natural tendency is to honor or love our mother more than our father; the Torah emphasizes that we should honor our father as well.
The entire Torah is known as a “Torah of loving-kindness”[14] (תורת חסד). There are many explanations and examples regarding this principle. One of them is specifically related to this commandment. The sage Ulla teaches[15] that when the nations of the world heard the first four commandments, they said God was giving the Torah for His own sake: I am Havayah your God, You shall not have other gods, Do not take My Name in vain, and remember the Sabbath—that I created the world. But when God said, “Honor your father and your mother” they conceded that God was interested in the benefit of others and that He was giving the Torah as an act of loving-kindness. Thus, it is this commandment that serves as the demonstration of God’s loving-kindness.
Might: Do not murder
Right[16] represents loving-kindness and left represents might. Just as the commandment to honor our parents concludes the right tablet, stressing its connection with loving-kindness on the right, so the commandment to not shed blood opens the left tablet, connecting it with might. Prohibiting murder is meant to nullify Esau’s tendency for bloodshed. Esau’s excitement stems from blood, as Isaac blessed him, “You shall live by your sword.”[17] The power of the sefirah of might is to block this tendency, as the sages say, “Who is brave? He who conquers his [evil] inclination.”[18]
Beauty: Do not commit adultery
Adultery is directly related to the body’s cravings and to physical actions surrounding the body and the body (focusing on the torso) is the direct manifestation of the sefirah of beauty in the human form. As the Tikkunei Zohar states, “Beauty is the body” (תפארת גופא). Beauty is also tied with one’s wife, following the verse, “He gives it the form of a person, like the beauty of man that dwells in his home.”[19] Recall that Rabbi Yosei is quoted saying, “In all my days, I did not call my wife, ‘my wife,’ rather I called my wife, ‘my home’” because she is the essence of the home.[20]
Prohibiting a relationship with another man’s wife is thus a protection for the sefirah of beauty, for the body.
Victory: Do not steal
This prohibition is actually referring to kidnapping and enslavement, i.e., stealing a human being, or as it is known today, human trafficking. The sages learnt this from the fact that the other prohibitions surrounding this one lead to capital punishment and theft of objects (prohibited by a different verse[21]) is not punishable by death.
The reality of the world is such that usually the victims of human trafficking are children. A child is viewed as the extension of his father.[22] The sefirah of victory is also called eternity (netzach). Human beings cannot live eternally. Thus, our eternity, so to speak, is achieved through our children. When a human being’s freedom is stolen, his or her role in the transmission of our eternal heritage is shattered and the person is broken of from his connection with eternity/victory.
Acknowledgment: Do not bear false witness
Acknowledgment is about acknowledging the truth. Its inner experience is one of earnestness (תְּמִימוֹת). This is blemished by falsehood and all the more so by stating falsehood in a court of law. Like the stealer of people’s freedom, which is punishable by death, so the bearer of a false testimony can lead to the death of a defendant. Stressing the deep connection between victory and acknowledgment, one who lies during testimony is trying to steal something that does not belong to them.
Foundation and Kingdom: Do not covet
As we have explained, it was important for us to correspond the commandments to the sefirot in such a way that it would cover both coveting possessions and coveting one’s wife. We already saw above (with regard to beauty and adultery) that one’s wife is called one’s home. Thus, coveting your neighbor’s home is akin to coveting his wife. However, here the stress is on the physical dimension of life and one’s home is the foundation of one’s physical attachment and ability to live life in this world. What the Torah is telling us is that coveting stems from a sense that the owner of the object coveted is not entitled to it in this world; coveting uproots the foundation of other people’s existence.
Of course, the ultimate and worst type of coveting is when one covets another person’s wife, his figurative home.
[1]. Exodus 34:28.
[2]. For a full explanation of the rationale behind these two sets of cantillation marks, let us quote from Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Orach Chaim 494:10-11):
The reason for the two melodies is that the first [the higher set of cantillation marks] is structured according to the manner [in which the commandments] are written [in the Torah]. For each commandment is a separate section…. The second melody [the lower set of cantillation marks] is structured according to the way [the Torah] is [generally] read… It is [always] forbidden to fully interrupt one’s reading in the middle of this verse, even if one is reading [it] only as an individual. [The rationale is that] the division [of the] entire [Torah] into separate verses is a halachah transmitted to Moshe at [Mount] Sinai. It is forbidden to interrupt in a place where Moshe did not make an interruption at Sinai. Since it is forbidden to fully interrupt the reading between these four short sections [“Do not murder. Do not commit adultery…”], therefore even when they are read together, they should be read in a melody that joins them, making them a single verse. For in truth, they are a single verse, since there is no verse in the Torah that is shorter than three words….
When [reading] communally as well, it is only forbidden to stop [in middle of those passages] because of people who enter or leave [in the middle of the reading], as stated in sec. 138. [otherwise, one may stop in the middle of a section.] Therefore, [these passages] are read in a melody that breaks [them] into several verses, for in fact, they are several verses when counting the [total] number of verses [in the Torah].
On Shavu’ot, however, it is customary to read [the Ten Commandments] communally using the first melody, [i.e.,] to read each commandment as a single verse, [even when the commandment contains several verses or only part of a verse. The rationale is that since] the Ten Commandments were given on that day, we read them in the same manner they were given, each commandment constituting a distinct verse.
There are some who follow the custom of always using the first melody when reading [the Ten Commandments] communally, even on Shabbat Parashat Yitro and Shabbat Parashat Va’etchanan. [According to this custom,] the second melody is only used when a person reads [the commandments] in private.
See also in length Y. Weinfeld’s Ta’amei HaMikra, pp. 70-100.
[3]. Note that despite not having a separate verse number according to the Masoretic text, the phrase, “You shall have no other gods besides Me” is considered independent.
[4]. Zohar 1:167b and 3:11a.
[5]. Tikkunei Zohar 57 (91b).
[6]. Zohar 2: 217b.
[7]. Tosefta Sotah 7:2.
[8]. Proverbs 3:19.
[9]. Beitzah 17a.
[10]. See for instance the ma’amar, Et Shabtotai Tishmoru 5725.
[11]. Exodus 31:16.
[12]. Food will not be necessary to sustain life, but it will be possible to eat if someone gains pleasure from it.
[13]. Leviticus 19:3.
[14]. Proverbs 31:26.
[15]. Kiddushin 31a.
[16]. As well as south; see the partzuf of the sefirot in Sefer Yetzirah above.
[17]. Genesis 27:40.
[18]. Avot 4:1.
[19]. Isaiah 44:13.
[20]. Shabbat 118b.
[21]. Leviticus 19:11.
[22]. Eiruvin 70b. See Tosafot on Yevamot 3a s.v. Mikmei.
