The Ten Declarations That Will Change the World
The Ten Commandments deal primarily with proper human behavior. They also declare how the world will operate in the future Messianic Era PARSHAS YISRO PARSHAS YISRO
THE TEN DECLARATIONS THAT WILL
CHANGE THE WORLD
Commandments or Declarations?
The Ten Commandments are actually referred to in the Torah as “Eseres Hadevarim, the Ten Statements,” because they are not just commandments; they are declarative statements!
A declarative statement, in contrast with a commandment, is a statement of fact; “this is the way it is,” as opposed to a commandment which expresses a desire on the part of the Commander that this is the way He would like it to be. And, indeed, this is the way the world will look like in the future Age of Redemption, when G-d’s plan will finally be realized.
PARSHAS YISRO
Hence, we may take the liberty, to retranslate the Ten Statements in ways that they will reflect that future reality and the state of humanity then:
True Freedom
- “My very Essence and transcendence will permeate your consciousness; which will liberate you from all constraints and forms of bondage.
In this first declaration G-d informs us how, in the ultimate age of enlightenment, we will experience true freedom because our entire being will be suffused with G-d’s Essence.
No Other Controlling Influences
- You will have no other controlling influences in your life because you will all be in My presence.
In the Messianic Age, there will be no false gds or other powers or influences in the world. While Moshiach will be our king and leader, it will be manifestly clear that he is PARSHAS YISRO “simply” channeling G-d’s power to the world. It goes without saying that we will no longer worship money, fame, influence and power. We will be liberated from these debilitating obsessions.
No Compromise
- “You will no longer compromise the name of G-d, your G-d.
In the present, when we refer to G-d by name it does not capture His true Essence. Because of Galus-exile conditions we may not pronounce G-d’s ineffable name. Instead we use an alternate name which describes G-d in His mode of Master rather than His transcendent Essence. In the Messianic Age, the prophet predicts “G-d will be one and His name will be one.” The Talmud explains that this means we will no longer have to modify and thereby compromise G-d’s name.
In the present day and age we tend to “bifurcate” G-d. There is the elusive, transcendent aspect of G-d associated with His ineffable name, and there is the aspect of PARSHAS YISRO G-d which is involved in our world and in our lives. To be in our world, G-d has to contract and obscure His true identity. In the Messianic Age, there will be no need for that “bifurcation.” We will be able to see that the transcendent G-d and the contracted, involved G-d are one and the same. Our G-d will no longer require a compromised name.
No Need for Reminders
- “You will be fully aware of the Sabbath’s illuminating power, and experience its otherworldliness.
Today our lives are marked with forgetfulness when it comes to spiritual matters. While we instinctively get out of bed and go through the daily rituals of getting dressed, etc., without much thought, spiritual matters demand special attention. We have to be commanded to remember those things that ought to be an integral part of our lives at all times. The Messianic Age will be completely different. It is referred to as the ultimate Sabbatical Age. We will enjoy eternal rest and PARSHAS YISRO tranquility and bask in G-d’s utter sublimity. We will not need to be reminded of our spiritual nature and of G-d’s presence.
External and Internal Parents
- “You will appreciate your father and mother as well as the intellectual faculties of chochma and binah they represent.”
In today’s world, there is (and, and in truth, throughout history there has been) a much commented on generation gap. Our parents are the bridge between G-d’s authority and us. Resistance to G-d’s authority and the lack of appreciation for parents, which is natural in pre-Messianic times particularly in exile, is what creates the schism between children and their parents and ultimately leads to societal breakdown.
The breakdown of authority can further be traced to the failure to use our soul’s intellectual powers of chochma and binah, which are referred to as the father and mother of our emotions. Chochma is the ability to conceptualize and binah is the ability to develop and flesh out an idea. When PARSHAS YISRO our internal father and mother are respected and valued we can control our emotions.
In the Messianic Age, we will fully appreciate the role of our earthly parents. There will no longer be an external generation gap because there will no longer be an internal generation gap between our chochma-binah and our emotions.
This list concludes the First Tablet, which focuses on our relationship with G-d. We now proceed to the Second Tablet which highlights the way we will relate to other people and retranslate the next five statements to conform to the reality that will become the norm in the imminent Age of Redemption.
Divine Imprimatur
- “You will not deny the image of G-d imprinted on every human being.”
Today, we can cause harm to others—even, G-d forbid, murdering them. Before an evil person can cause harm to another, he must PARSHAS YISRO first devalue the other and deny the other’s humanity, which the Torah defines as created in the image of G-d.
In the Messianic Age, however, we will no longer see a human being without also seeing his or her Divinity. We will fully value each other and recognize that our faults do not define us.
In today’s distorted world, when a person does something wrong people commonly say “well, he’s only human.” That is a misnomer. When a person commits a crime we should say, “that’s the animal soul within his humanity,” and only when someone is doing something right say “he is human!” G-d’s image, which defines humanity, expresses itself through each person’s goodness and righteousness.
In the Messianic Age, our Animal Souls will be fully tamed and refined. There will be nothing clouding our Divine images and therefore nobody will do anything to disrespect another.
PARSHAS YISRO
No Pendulum Swings
- “You will no longer be capable of dividing your loyalties.”
Adultery is just the most extreme example of betraying one’s loyalty to another. But we currently engage in far more subtle forms of this betrayal. With the dawn of the Messianic Age we will no longer compromise our relationships – any of them.
Betrayal is the consequence when we forget that certain individuals deserve more love and attention than others. One of the worst forms of contemporary evil is the attempt to make everyone equal by declaration. This leads to our having no special relationships with anyone. Instead we extend our care and concern to everyone, and in so doing dilute them. The Torah demands that we discriminate between people. We must treat our spouses differently from everyone else. There are also special roles for a friend, members of one’s family and extended family and the Jewish people.
PARSHAS YISRO
The problem with relationships throughout history has been their pendulum-like swings in opposite directions. Either we demonize those who are not like us and erect barriers between us or, quixotically, we declare the equality of every member of society. Both systems—which reached their nadir of evil with the Nazi and Stalinist ideologies—are responsible for the greatest inhumanity to, and betrayal of the other.
In the Messianic Age, while we will grasp the underlying unity of all existence, we will still be able to recognize our unique relationships for what they truly are: precious.
The Supremacy of the Physical World
- “You will not disrespect the integrity of the physical world.”
According to the Talmud, this statement in its “commandment mode” prohibits kidnapping, but by extension, it may include all forms of theft.
PARSHAS YISRO
Although, it may seem counterintuitive, a lack of respect for the physical world, and its role in realizing the purpose of creation, underlies the evil of theft in all its forms.
When G-d gives us our bodies, and by extension our material possessions, He does so with a purpose. Our physical aspect is not evil. On the contrary, it is the only channel we have to connect to G-d. The only way we can connect to Him is by performing a mitzvah which involves our bodies and our possessions. However, each one of us is given our own exclusive body and possessions to refine and elevate. Stealing another’s physical resources (be they body or material) denies that person the ability to elevate the physical world and fulfill its purpose.
In the Messianic Age, we will come to a complete understanding of the value of the physical and how our bodies and possessions are ours to use in the service of G-d.
True Integrity
PARSHAS YISRO
- “You will not misrepresent who you truly are.”
At the present time we misrepresent (“bear false witness”) ourselves by not having our lives in perfect alignment with G-d and our soul’s true nature. Just as if we were to complain of the cold in the midst of the heat of summer, we a misrepresent reality. When we go in directions inconsistent with our mission and soul, we are, in effect, bearing false testimony about who we really are and whom we represent.
In the Messianic Age, there will be no dichotomy between the reality of who we are and how we comport ourselves.
No Need for Rivalry
- “You will not need to covet your neighbor’s possessions and resort to the motivating force of rivalry.”
The last statement of Maimonides’ Code of Law, in which he describes the more advanced stages of the Messianic Age, PARSHAS YISRO mentions that there will be no more jealousy and rivalry because everything will be abundant and the world will be deluged with the knowledge G-d.
It would seem that rivalry and jealousy are the last human frailties that will be remedied. Because, after all is said and done, rivalry is part of what motivates us to grow. To get rid of rivalry prematurely might stifle our spiritual progress. We may never be content with our spiritual lives. However, once we have seen the fulfillment of the preceding nine declarations, which will enable us to say “mission accomplished,” then can we shed our need for rivalry entirely.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Yisro by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
