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[1] Kaplan does not include a restatement of the initial declaration of the Decalogue, counted as the first of the ten commandments in rabbinic Judaism. |
אָנֹכִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִ͏ים׃ (שמות כ:ב, דברים ה:ו) |
1. I am YHVH your elo’ah who brought you out of the land of Mitstrayim, from the house of slaves. (Exodus 20:2, Deuteronomy 5:6) |
On Not Having Other Gods Don’t organize your life around other people’s principles. |
לֹא־יִהְיֶ͏ה־לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל־פָּנָי וכו׳ (שמות כ:ג-ו, דברים ה:ז-י) |
2. You shall have no other deities besides Me… (Exodus 20:3-6, Deuteronomy 5:7-10) |
On Not Taking God’s Name in Vain Don’t violate your own fundamental principles or treat lightly what is important to someone else. |
לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וכו׳ (שמות כ:ז, דברים ה:יא) |
3. You shall not swear falsely by the name of YHVH your elo’ah (Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11) |
On The Sabbath Keep yourself above material and monetary concerns. Take time regularly to nourish the things you feel are of a higher nature and contribute to your own completion. |
זָכוֹר וְשָׁמוֹר אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ וכו׳ (שמות כ:ח-יא, דברים ה:יב-טו) |
4. Remember and Preserve the Sabbath day to keep it holy… (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15) |
On Parents Give thanks to us your parents by doing for your children what we have tried to do for you.[2] This personal directive appears to indicate that Mordecai Kaplan composed this restatement of the Ten Commandments for his daughters. |
כַּבֵּד אֶת־אָבִיךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּךָ וכו׳ (שמות כ:יב, דברים ה:טז) |
5. Honor your father and your mother… (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16) |
On Murder Don’t knowingly cause pain to others either by doing something or by leaving undone something which you could realistically do. |
לֹא תִּרְצָ͏ח׃ (שמות כ:יג, דברים ה:יז) |
6. You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) |
On Faithfulness Don’t say things to those you love that are not true. Seek to live your life as one whole so that there is nothing to conceal. |
לֹא תִּנְאָ͏ף׃ (שמות כ:יג, דברים ה:יז) |
7. You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) |
On Stealing Don’t steal the thoughts and attitudes of others. |
לֹא תִּגְנֹב׃ (שמות כ:יג, דברים ה:יז) |
8. You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) |
[3] Kaplan does not include a restatement of the ninth commandment. Find above, “On Faithfulness.” |
לֹא־תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר׃ (שמות כ:יג, דברים ה:יז) |
9. You shall not, against your neighbor, bear false witness (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) |
On Coveting Don’t be jealous and covet what others have. Be the Measure of yourself. |
לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ וכו׳ (שמות כ:יד, דברים ה:יח) |
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house… (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18) |
This is a restatement of the Decalogue offered as life wisdom by Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Kaplan for his daughters, sometime in the 1920s, possibly as early as 1922 at the Bat Mitsvah of his oldest daughter Judith. The document was found by Mel Scult and shared by him from his Mordecai M. Kaplan group on Facebook.
Notably, the document only presents restatements of eight of the ten commandments, eliding the initial declaration, “I am YHVH your elo’ah…” (counted as the first commandment in rabbinic Judaism) and the ninth commandment, forbidding bearing false witness. Possibly, to Rabbi Kaplan, the idea inherent in the ninth commandment was also contained in his commentary “On Faithfulness” (as arranged, a restatement of the commandment against Adultery). I have included the commandments in Hebrew and English translation and set them side-by-side with Kaplan’s commentary. –Aharon Varady
Source(s)
[An application of the Decalogue] (Mordecai Kaplan, undated)
Notes
| 1 | Kaplan does not include a restatement of the initial declaration of the Decalogue, counted as the first of the ten commandments in rabbinic Judaism. |
|---|---|
| 2 | This personal directive appears to indicate that Mordecai Kaplan composed this restatement of the Ten Commandments for his daughters. |
| 3 | Kaplan does not include a restatement of the ninth commandment. Find above, “On Faithfulness.” |
“On the Decalogue, life wisdom for a Bnei Mitsvah by Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Kaplan (ca. 1920s)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
Mordecai Kaplan
Many thanks to you Aharon. Your work is extremely valuable and your dedication deeply praiseworthy.
Mel Scult
Thank you for sharing this Dr. Scult!