The Ten Commandments
On the surface, the laws and principles of the Ten Commandments seem clear, but they contain a deeper layer. It is highly relevant to today’s interconnected and interdependent reality, in which we are all in the same boat, and to the problems currently threatening the people of Israel and humanity.
The Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai after the Exodus from Egypt. “Egypt” is a code name for the ego’s rule over a person. What exactly is the ego? It is the desire to enjoy for personal benefit alone at the expense of others. It is also called “the evil inclination” for the reason that while it aims to make us feel good on a narrow, personal scale, it ends up leading us all to suffer on a broader scale.
This is exactly what we see in the world. There are ego games everywhere, in every field and at every level, from relationships and family life, through interactions at work, on the roads, and among society, to the international arena and humanity’s relationship with the environment. Everything is driven by the ego. Innately, we wish to be greater than others in one way or another. When we begin to recognize that this is the root of every problem, we can move toward the exodus from Egypt, i.e., the liberation from slavery to narrow egoism.
At the next stage of development comes the event at Mount Sinai. It symbolizes a state in which the ego embedded within human nature rises once again. It stirs thoughts of hatred among the people of Israel. Slander, contempt, and rejection amid their connections brings about a terrible division. Simultaneously, an understanding emerges that precisely here lies an opportunity to rise above all divisiveness and build ourselves into a spiritual nation, i.e., a nation united by a spiritual idea to unite (“love your neighbor as yourself”) above division (“love will cover all crimes”) in order to become a conduit for such unity to spread to humanity (to be “a light unto the nations”).
Unlike other nations, which formed on the basis of a natural common denominator, such as living in the same geographical area, the people of Israel became a nation solely through a common effort to unite in love above all egoism and rejection. In other words, it is an ideologically-based nation, not a biologically-based one.
The revelation at Mount Sinai was a temporary taste of what it feels like to be connected, of how connection can elevate us above material existence, above the sensation of physical life. Bonding, love, and mutual responsibility gave rise to a feeling of the revelation of a higher positive force that dwells in nature. We began to sense a higher level of existence, where each person comes out of themselves and lives among everyone else, caring for others and wanting to fulfill them. One’s body seems to disappear, and one begins to feel that a special force dwells between people. This is how we discovered that nature contains an inner force, the foundation of creation. In Hebrew Gematria, HaTeva (“Nature”) and Elohim (“God”) share the same numerical value (86). This teaches that all of nature is a single mechanism, an integral system the parts of which are connected in a marvelous unity.
At this event, we were given ten principles by which we could strengthen our connection with one another and with that force. These laws are intended to bring us to a full awareness of the network of connections that links all aspects of reality—inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human—into a single harmonious system. Each commandment guides us in improving our relationship with everyone and everything outside us, until we come to feel the eternal and perfect connection among all parts of the system.
Below, we will briefly explore some of what is contained within each of the Ten Commandments, which are the laws governing the system of connection.
The First Commandment: “I Am the Lord Your God Who Brought You Out of the Land of Egypt”
The first commandment states: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
The ten commandments, which are laws that govern the system of connection, begin with the first principle that enables a correct perception of reality: the revelation of the one force that dwells within everything. This force embodies the unity of all existence, and its quality is pure love and bestowal.
By nature, we do not initially feel this single force operating throughout reality because we lack the proper receiver. In other words, we do not have the quality required to perceive it. The necessary quality is that of bestowal and love, whereas human beings are naturally created with the opposite quality called “the ego,” or “self-love.”
Therefore, the first commandment directs us to learn how to recognize the extent by which the ego enslaves us, how we are its servant, and how ruthlessly it exploits us. This awareness lets us distinguish between life enslaved to the ego, which in the Bible is called “the exile in Egypt,” and life beyond it.
In the Bible’s language, we are called “slaves” when we seeks to exploit others. This is because we do everything in service of our egoistic desire, aspiring to satisfy it and devoting all of our energy and thoughts to its fulfillment. We then have the opportunity to rise to the qualities of bestowal and love, to attain wholeness and make contact with eternity, yet we lose that because we remain confined in a narrow egoistic perception, bound by self-love.
The exodus of the people of Israel from the land of Egypt symbolized a departure from an egoistic attitude to reality. Following this, at Mount Sinai, we came to understand what it means to be connected through love and mutual responsibility. It was then that we received the first commandment: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
This commandment defines the fundamental condition for the existence of the people of Israel: through the effort to unite above divisions, a higher force of bestowal and love becomes revealed among us. It lifts us out of our narrow self-love and harmoniously connects us.
The Second Commandment: “You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me”
The second commandment states: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” This is the second law, teaching that we should not imagine the upper force in various forms or figures.
Instead, only what we attain in practice, through connections between people, can be considered the upper force that dwells within our connections.
In other words, it is only through mutual connection that we attain God, the higher force that has a nature of bestowal and love.
The general formula for spiritual development is: “From the love of others to the love of the Creator.” Only through love of others can we attain the highest form of love in reality, which is also called “love of the Creator.” Such is the attainment of the quality of pure love and bestowal.
The Third Commandment: “You Shall Not Take the Name of the Lord Your God in Vain”
To “take the name of the Lord in vain” means engaging in various actions that are unrelated to building connection between us, while expecting them somehow to bring us into contact with the Creator, i.e., the upper force of love and bestowal. In other words, if we direct our efforts at anything other than positive human connection, our actions will ultimately be in vain.
Taking the name of the Lord in vain also means misunderstanding the concept of prayer. True prayer is the work of the heart. It is the effort to direct our hearts at connection with everyone and to cultivate love for all people. When we strive to do this and discover that we are incapable of it, a deficiency is formed within us, i.e., a gap between what we wish for and what we are actually able to achieve.
From this deficiency arises a genuine request: the desire to become capable of bestowal and love, the plea to acquire a “second nature” above our original egoistic nature.
The Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy”
The fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to Keep It Holy,” means that we need to undergo a process of correction in order to reach a state of perfect connection. A correction takes place when we use our ego for the benefit of others instead of for self-benefit. By nature, we constantly think about ourselves. Now, however, we accept upon ourselves a new condition: that in all of our possibilities, i.e., in thought, feeling, and action, we work for the sake of others.
We place ourselves at the service of the collective. This is what it means to correct ourselves.
We achieve such corrections gradually through stages called the “six weekdays.” Step by step, we become more connected to each other. Accordingly, as the ego continues growing, we need to strengthen our connection. Every time new “transgressions” or divisions are revealed between us, we cover them with love, as it is written, “Love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12).
This is how we eventually reach a state in which we have fully utilized our egoistic desires, and they become transformed into qualities of bestowal, love, and connection. At that point, we discover the force of bestowal and love in its fullness. This state is called “the Sabbath day.”
In short, the commandment “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” teaches us to always keep the state of Sabbath, which is a state of perfect connection, as our ultimate goal.
The Fifth Commandment: “Honor Your Father and Your Mother”
The fifth commandment, “Honor Your Father and Your Mother,” is one of the most well known. On the literal level, it instructs us to honor our parents. Before exploring its deeper meaning, let us consider what honoring one’s parents entails. A child who honors their parents recognizes and appreciates the care and upbringing they have received. They treat their parents with respect and reverence and do not disregard their guidance. They are also confident that when they need support, their parents will be there for them.
The deeper, inner meaning of this commandment can be explained through the following example. When we wish to connect with others through relations of bestowal and love, yet feel powerless, directionless, and lacking the strength to do so, we realize that we need guidance. When we feel this deficiency, while at the same time honoring and valuing the qualities of bestowal and love as the highest of all qualities, we begin to discover that there is a spiritual system above us, and it is designed to correct our egoistic nature and help us connect with each other.
This is a special system from which I can receive assistance. In the language of Kabbalah, this spiritual system is called “Father and Mother” (Abba ve Ima).
The Sixth Commandment: "You Shall Not Murder"
The commandment “You shall not murder” teaches that we must never sever any possible connection with another person and always judge others favorably. We should see in every person a potential for connection, even if we feel that they hate us, do not understand us, or are incapable of connecting with us, or if we ourselves feel alienated from them.
In every situation, we should avoid cutting off the connection. Instead, we should let the other person receive the spirit of life and connection through us. This is what it means not to “murder” them.
In this context, “murder” means depriving another person of their connection to the “light of Life,” to the “air to breathe” that exists within the bond between us. By breaking that connection, we cut them off from the vital force that flows through human unity.
The commandment therefore calls upon us to preserve and nurture every opportunity for connection, regardless of the difficulties or divisions that might arise between us.
The Seventh Commandment: “You Shall Not Commit Adultery”
In order to build a society founded on connection and love, we must aspire to connect with the desires of others and fulfill what they lack. We should place ourselves in the service of others, seeking to feel what is missing for them and to satisfy their needs.
This process of developing an attitude of bestowal and love toward others unfolds gradually. Every person has several desires, and we are neither required nor able to fulfill all of them at once. At each new stage of our development, we need to distinguish between the desires of others that we are capable of fulfilling and those that we cannot yet address.
What, then, is the connection to “You shall not commit adultery”?
In the language of the Bible, the desires in another person that I am able to fulfill at my current level are regarded as my “wife.” These are the desires I am meant to work with and fulfill. The other desires of that person, which I am not yet capable of fulfilling, are considered the “wife of another.” In other words, those desires are not presently assigned to me; they have not been given to me as part of my work or responsibility.
Since I am not yet capable of bestowing to them properly, I refrain from interfering with them. This is how I avoid causing harm or distortion. The commandment “You shall not commit adultery” therefore teaches a person to recognize the limits of their current capacity for giving and to work only with those desires they are truly able to fulfill for the benefit of others.
The Eighth Commandment: "You Shall Not Steal"
If we think about our own benefit instead of the benefit of the collective, this is considered theft. Moreover, in its fullest sense, theft is not only taking something from society, it also includes failing to contribute to society, to the best of one’s ability, at every moment.
In other words, if we have the ability to participate actively in society and contribute to the collective through a particular capacity that is currently at our disposal, yet we choose not to do so, this is regarded as stealing from society. We have withheld something from society that we were capable of giving.
The human body provides a useful analogy. Life is possible only because each part of the body performs its unique function to the fullest extent of its ability. Likewise, in a society that aspires to function as a single integrated system, anyone who contributes less than they are capable of contributing is considered a thief, because they deprive the whole of the benefit they could have provided.
The Ninth Commandment: “You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor”
The ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” carries a profound meaning. False testimony implies that, both with regard to ourselves and to others, we stand as witnesses, participants, and partners in everything that takes place within the system of connection.
What does this mean? The sages explain that a person is a miniature world, and therefore each of us bears responsibility for everyone else. If a malfunction or problem arises anywhere in the system, we must each feel a personal responsibility for it. We should regard ourselves as accountable for the occurrence. This is the level of mutual responsibility to which we should aspire.
False witness means that, in a certain sense, we have let harmful conditions arise. We have participated in the system in a false manner, or in other words, we have failed to contribute a sufficient measure of positive energy to the network of connections. Instead of distancing ourselves from responsibility, we should seek to correct ourselves and thereby exert a positive influence on the system.
In this context, it is important to mention the unique responsibility that the people of Israel bear toward humanity. Since the people of Israel constitute the inner influential part among the nations of the world, everything that takes place in the world ultimately has its roots in the connection between the people of Israel. When relationships of connection, mutual responsibility, and bestowal prevail among the people of Israel, abundance and goodness flow throughout the world. Conversely, when division and fragmentation dominate in the connections between the people of Israel, the entire world pays the price and grows hostile toward them.
The Tenth Commandment: "You Shall Not Covet"
The tenth and final commandment is: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his servant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
We are measured not only by our actions but also by our intentions. Every action is preceded by a thought and an intention. Therefore, true correction lies not merely in performing good deeds toward others. It is primarily in correcting the intentions behind those deeds. Each person can examine whether they genuinely intend what is good for another, or whether they are secretly seeking some personal gain from the action they perform.
To covet means to intend to use for one’s own benefit something that does not belong to oneself, or in other words, to act toward another person with an egoistic intention. Even if, outwardly, it appears that we have done something good for someone else, it is possible that our real intention was to gain something for personal benefit.
For this reason, the commandment “You shall not covet” teaches that we should not seek personal gain at another person’s expense. Our correction must reach such a level that not even within our hearts does there arise an intention to exploit others for our own benefit. The goal is to attain a state in which our motives are as pure as our actions, directed entirely at the well-being of others and the strengthening of the bonds that connect us.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, everything in the Ten Commandments comes back to the fundamental principle: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
When we begin to learn the method of heart-to-heart connection developed by the sages—a method explained in the wisdom of Kabbalah—the inner meaning of the Ten Commandments will become revealed in the network of connection that we build between us, along with the ability to put them into practice.
Step by step, we will rise together to a new level of existence. We will discover Godliness among us as the quality of bestowal and love, and through this example we will help lead all of humanity toward such relationships.
When we look at what is happening in the world today, it becomes clear that there is no alternative. True connection is the sole path to salvation.
Based on “New Life 159 – The Ten Commandments, Part 2” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.