Who we are?
The Aseret movement is a social, apolitical movement that has grown from the bottom up. We are men and women with a desire to connect to ourselves, and to live a life based on values, focused on unity and peace. Each and every one of us is special in our own way, with different religious views and varying political opinions. In our approach, instead of focusing on the differences, we believe it is possible, and necessary, to first and foremost focus on our common values and to unite by our agreements on them. These are the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments,
where should we start?
Let's start from the beginning…
Thousands of years ago, we all stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, brothers and sisters, “as one person, with one heart”. We were not interested in who is right-wing and who is left-wing. Who is religious and who is secular. Who is Sephardic and who is Ashkenazic. We received the Ten Commandments out of unity and mutual responsibility.
As they did then, and as they continue to today as well, the Ten Commandments have the power to emphasize what we have in common and to build bridges of agreement. This is extremely critical for us in our journey to create a common identity and become a model society, while maintaining both Jewish and democratic values, enabling us to be an example to the entire world.
We are the Ten Commandments.
How was the idea born?
In 2007, Rabbi Shalom Schwartz founded the Ten Commandments movement out of a vision to find a common denominator that connects all parts of Israeli society, while revealing the core values of the people of Israel found in the Ten Commandments, which constitute a moral compass for each and every one of us. The Ten Commandments are a Jewish, universal, and relevant value platform for creating a reformed society and building a better world.
Watch the video to see how it all started.
Aren't the ten commandments “only for religious people”?
Definitely not! The Ten Commandments are not just instructions on how to observe the Halacha. While of course, they contain instructions that deal with the mitzvot in the Torah, however, above all, they are ten principles, rules for life, or in the language of the Bible – the Ten Things.
The Torah doesn’t choose to call them “the ten things” for no reason; the word “thing” does not express a position nor is it binding. This term expresses their essence in an appropriate manner, since they are indeed not just binding commandments and restrictive laws.
The word commandment is an English translation of the Hebrew term dibrot and it does not do justice to the true meaning of the Ten Things. In fact, these are ten general principles, kind of ‘fundamental laws’, or even ten ‘general rules,’ from which both individual commandments and guidelines for an improved life can be derived.
No one group can claim a monopoly on the Ten Commandments, and even more so, we can benefit from studying each and every one’s different, yet legitimate, interpretation on them. They can even apply it to their own lives and allow it to influence their world view. The Ten Commandments are like a master key, through which anyone and everyone can connect through them to their inner world.
From the very beginning, the Aseret Movement has advocated for the integration of all opinions in our society, knowing that in order to receive the whole truth, it must be learned from the other. Only in this way, can we discover the infinite meanings and interpretations of the Ten Things, and make them relevant in our everyday lives.
How do we work to fulfill our vision?
For over 15 years, we have been working in Israel and around the world in order to teach, deepen and reveal the connection that we all have to the Ten Commandments, as core values, and to raise awareness to them in public discourse.
Our activities include: meetings for college students and young people across the world, conferences, weekend shabbatons, large scale social events, art exhibitions at leading institutions, programs for elementary and middle schools, beit midrash programs for students, online courses, empowerment programs for women, workshops for Resilience Centers, articles, our book, as well as developing content, including videos, podcasts, and more.
We aim to increase the span and the audiences of our activities and expand them to as many different sectors, ages and types of people as possible. We are constantly thinking and working to advance our activities with the aim of integrating the discourse on the values of the Ten Commandments in all aspects of life.
How can you “live” the Ten Commandments?
All rights reserved for everyone.
Here we offer a basic understanding of the Ten Things as everyday values. However, we urge you not to settle for this interpretation. In order for the Ten Things to be relevant to everyone, and for their revelation to be complete, each and every one of us must contribute our part to the interpretation of the Things. We encourage you not to remain spectators – take action! Consider how the Ten Things are interpreted in your worldview and share with us new ways that they can be lived and expressed.
Faith has a different meaning for each person. Many people define themselves as unbelievers, but at the same time define themselves as optimistic people. We think that faith is actually synonymous with optimism.
The first commandment focuses also on the Creator’s desire to do good to others. I can draw inspiration from this to live a life of giving, to see the sorrow and suffering of those around me, and to always try to help the weak on the fringes of society. In addition, God addresses the reader in the singular, a personal address that expresses that he believes in us, no less than that we believe in him. So you can learn that there is a spark of goodness inside me. I must believe in myself and strive to realize my abilities and talents.
In a world where idolatry is not as popular as it used to be, it is necessary to understand what the essence of the “other Gods” is relavent. Not to be enslaved to external forces. Fight addictions of all kinds – from alcohol, drugs, food, sex, and also sleeping, smartphones, pursuit of money and social status. Other people can also enslave us and impose opinions, feelings and actions on us, whether it’s a boss, an overly dependent friend, or a spouse.
Carrying the name of God is a serious responsibility that requires those who bear his name to behave accordingly. This could mean that I should behave in a way that respects me and my environment. Not to do despicable acts in the name of sacred values. Not to lie in the name of God, not to use violence or distortion of any kind in the name of religion. Maintain credibility and only promise things I can keep.
Shabbat offers us to take a weekly day to stop everything. Take time to rest. You can celebrate Shabbat with Kiddush and prayer, you can make time for getting closer – to yourself and your family. Time for culture, for divinity, for falling in love, for parenting, a little relief of the loneliness that may accumulate during the week, all this in simplicity and innocence. Make sure we stop the race of life sometimes to think about its meaning. Try to be and not just do. Not to spend our lives in a rat race. Let the body and mind rest. And of course, to enable and encourage productivity during the rest of the week.
Besides the simple understanding, honoring parents puts the spotlight on the duty to take care of society, because the smallest social cell is the family. Respecting parents means, among other things, giving “weight” to the opinions of my parents in particular, but can also teach us to listen respectfully to the opinion of every person in general. The thought of the previous generation also concerns the elderly. In addition, the parents raised us and gave us the gift of life, so in honoring them lies the gratitude to all those who supported me in my life.
No violence of any kind. Physically, verbally, mentally, sexually, financially, against women, against men, violence on the roads, against LGBT, against ultra-Orthodox, and any violence directed against who’s different. The value of life and the integrity of everyone’s body must be preserved, because every person is created in Gods image.
The value of trust. In a world where it sometimes seems that you can always compare and flirt using various apps, it is necessary more than ever to be faithful in all our different relationships: marital, friendships, businesses, in front of God and even in front of myself.
To preserve the freedom, wealth and dignity of every person. Behave fairly and honestly, and avoid taking shortcuts in my personal life. Do not take anything that is not mine, because a person’s property is part of his soul. In addition, oppose human trafficking, and fight corruption.
Do not testify falsely in court but also in the court of life. To use our ability to speak for good, not to speak slander and gossip behind others’ backs. Don’t go down on others – empower the. Be committed as a society to justice.
The very need to want what the other has comes from a place of lack of joy on my part. The struggle not to covet the house, the spouse, the traits of character and beauty, the social and economic status of the other, actually starts with coveting what I have, loving my life, living it to the fullest, and not harming others out of envy.
Didn't we exaggerate the interpretation??
An important question that comes up from time to time is, can these values really be deemed ‘universal,’ and even ‘non-binding,’ from a classical religious point of view, like the rest of the mitzvot? Is it really possible to interpret the commandment ‘I am the Lord your God’ as a commandment that deals with compassion? And the commandment ‘Do not have any other gods before me’ as one that deals with addictions? And the commandment ‘Do not carry God’s name in vain’ as one dealing with respect and how I represent myself and my society? Is this not an attempt to present the Ten Things as something they are actually not?
The answer to this, according to Rabbi Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Italy, 1470-1550), is that every commandment has a “main intention” which then sheds light on the entire matter. The purpose of the main intention is twofold: first, it is an explanation of how the commandment is expressed in a practical manner, and, secondly, it conveys the essence of the commandment, which includes all of the possible interpretations that have been thought of and will still be thought of in the future.
One example of this can be understood from the following explanation of the commandment: “Do not steal.” Rashi cites the words of the Sages, in which he shares that the scripture refers to one who steals as a “stealer of souls” – here he infers that the main intention of the commandment is kidnapping and human trafficking. However, this example also illuminates the nature of theft in general. When something is taken from a person, either from his tangible or abstract property, a feeling of desecration arises in his soul, as if a person entered inside of him and took something from him, desecrating his private space. The feeling that something that belonged to me is now in someone else’s hands is so unpleasant that it pushes me past rational thoughts of the financial loss caused by the stealing. In light of this, we can understand that the scripture did indeed refer to the stealing of souls, both in the sense of stealing a person’s freedom and also in the case of stealing anything, physical or abstract, as well.
Another example is: Do not commit adultery. Here too, the commentators explain that the main intention is not having relationships outside of marriage, since this is the most common sin in this field. However, all other prohibited sexual intercourse are also included in this statement. When a person is unfaithful to himself, for example, he undermines the essence of loyalty, even with just himself, though perhaps not on the same level as marriage, but in the same way.
This is how we relate to all of the commandments, and this is also how you can see how “I am the Lord”, “Do not have any other gods before me”, and “You shall not carry God’s name in vain” can all be interpreted in countless different ways, while still maintaining their original intention, a person’s relationship with God. After all, every time we help the weak – we are actually our faith in God who teaches us what giving is. Every time we say no to a cigarette, we refuse to worship other gods, in the most essential and relevant ways. And every time we stay true to our word, we carry God’s name with us forward in the world.
