The Ten Commandments - Why All the Pomp?

Something about the "Ten Commandments" event needs explaining.

The spectacular, awesome pomp surrounding the giving of the Ten Commandments led to what appears as an anticlimax - such simple rules as "Don't steal" and "Don't kill". Without these basic rules a community could hardly function properly, let alone thrive. After all, wouldn't plain common sense require them?

So what necessitated this amazing show of divine power as a backdrop for receiving society's most rudimentary moral standards? What sense does it make to introduce trivial news with fireworks? What's so big a deal about telling folks to "Respect your parents", or not to kill?

Our sages tell us, G-d thereby indicated that morality cannot be upheld unless it's coupled with belief in The Creator. Without belief in divinity behind the commandments, the resulting morality will necessarily be unjust. Leave up to man alone to devise judicious rules of behavior, and they will fail.

Look at history, and look around you; Man cannot compile a decent set of moral values based on his own intellect. In Sparta they reasoned it wise to eliminate weak or handicapped children, to ensure a strong army and progressive society. The Eskimos reasoned it wise to eliminate the sick and the elderly so they not be a drag on the rest of society. The Japanese believed it best never to surrender. The Germans figured it's okay to annihilate "inferior" human species. The Muslims think it's okay to kill, mutilate or torture anybody for the slightest grievance, and trash women.

Right here in America, abortion became legal decades ago and ever since, hundreds of thousands of innocent little people are murdered - until today, all because some are convinced as long as the baby did not breathe air, he/she isn't yet considered human; Or, because the bother to the unwed mother justifies the death. This is another example how man's arbitrary godless rationale (usually fostered by the "liberal" mindset) can lead to no less than a holocaust.

Only when man submits to The Almighty's wisdom and has fear of The Eye Above, acknowledging the awe and trepidation associated with any of His Commandments, can a society function fairly and lawfully.

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A story that happened:

Once an Israeli young man left to Thailand and became involved in their spirituality. He joined the Buddha priesthood to learn more. Over the years he advanced steadily.

His parents tried desperately to dissuade him, but to no avail. This young man dearly loved his aging grandmother. For her birthday, he succumbed to go back to Israel, but only for a week. During that week the parents invited rabbis to come and speak to him, to persuade him to stay home. But he remained adamant.

On Shabbos, he agreed to go to a Chabad shul with his father. They entered during a Talmud session where the subject was - can we rely on our minds to distinguish right from wrong. The rabbi taught, "No, we can't, because the love we have for ourselves blinds our reasoning." At the end of the lesson, the man and the rabbi got into an argument. He did not accept the rabbi's contention that man can easily pervert what's right to suit himself. The young man argued that the lofty ability of man's mind can determine right from wrong.

He returned to Thailand to pursue his career. He had one final exam upcoming in a few days to reach the highest rung in the Buddhist hierarchy. He and a few others were to take this exam on the peak of a high mountain they would climb.

During their climb up the mountain, the young man spotted a wallet up ahead. His instructor, walking before him, saw it too, picked it up, opened it and then pocketed it. Noticing the instructor's happy face, the man asked him when he expects to return it to its owner. The instructor said, "I won't. It was meant for me to have. Divine providence wanted to reward me and did so by giving me this opportunity to merit the lost wallet."

Suddenly the man remembered the argument he had with the rabbi of Chabad regarding reliance on one's own mind to determine right from wrong. He stayed at the peak only for a few moments then dashed down the hill and took the very first plane home to Israel.

Planned Parenthood & Pro-Choice - The Right Way and the Wrong Way

The wisest Jew that ever lived, King Solomon, wrote (Proverbs 3, 29), "Don't plot against your friend while he places trust in you." Accordingly, Maimonides rules in his book on Jewish Law, "A man must not marry a woman if he intends to abandon her." In Judaic law, the physical act itself between man and woman consummates their marriage. The custom for a canopy ritual has been propagated, nevertheless, to discourage reckless behavior.

Planned parenthood in Judaic terms takes its cue from such reasoning. In other words, planned parenthood begins before conception, and most certainly well before childbirth. In fact, as we saw, planned parenting begins before the union of man and woman. The reproductive act demands responsibility on the part of both parties. This is when the planning must begin.

Leaving the "planning" for a later stage in effect rips away this act's accountability from its proper place. As soon as the original act is removed from relevancy, thereby separating cause from effect, any "planning" from this point forward can no longer be responsibly done, because it's unfair to the baby. Irresponsibility breeds irresponsibility.

Often the term "Planned Parenthood" serves to rationalize away a life; To kill a fetus whose subsequent entry into the world imposes upon the composure of an immature woman who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy, or of an immature man who recklessly pursued lust without considering or caring for its consequences. This cheap use of the term "planned parenthood", where they turn the act of love into an inconsequential factor, thereby flippantly releasing themselves of responsibility to be held accountable for this act - is not what is meant here. Promoters of such carefree standards cannot themselves be trusted for responsible reasoning. Two people behaved in a way to create a 3rd, and now the 3rd is discounted. The act of procreation is trivialized and brushed off as a worthless whim. Life for these people holds no sanctity.

Like the child who brags, "I'm very smart", this latter group calls themselves by the euphemistic term "Planned Parenthood". But this "parenthood" has nothing to do with responsible actions. They often lobby government to promote "Pro-Choice" legislation. Here too they stick to their immature ways.

Woe to the young woman who falls for the "sympathy" of these promoters, for they only support their own agendas and care nothing for the young woman in distress.

What should we advise young women? They need to thoroughly understand the semantics involved. Then they can intelligently separate ethics from politics.

We should tell young women to be pro-choice. Because it's important to make the right choice! And once they make the right choice, they must be committed to it. The choice must be a responsible one, because she must decide between temporary lust versus the potential birth of a baby 9 months later. If she chose temporary lust and overlooked the responsibility of a pregnancy, she'll need to decide in whose hands to offer the little human being - but G-d forbid she should kill the viable life. This fetus mustn't be sacrificed for the sake of a few moments of lust in a passing frenzy of heat.

She should be told, "Be pro-choice. But think hard before you make your choice. Choose to behave as husband and wife would, or, especially if you're still unmarried, wait until you are married. The latter choice is smart and mature, comes with all the advantages and - avoids murder.

"An abortion is murder to cover for an irresponsible choice. Proponents of abortion tell you 'It's your body and you can do what you want with it', they're telling you to behave irresponsibly. Why do they want that? These are irresponsible people themselves who find comfort among others who behave irresponsibly. The more people they persuade to behave irresponsibly, the less their own irresponsibility stands out. When they say you should have 'freedom' to do what you want with your body, they purposely ignore mention of the act that made you pregnant, because that act, as far as they're concerned, should have nothing to do with what happens later. The 'free choice' for you to make then, according to them, is to act irresponsibly - to act carefree of responsible choice. They like to promote promiscuity and spurn a marriage partnership.

"If you still believe those who want you to go ahead with an abortion are intelligent people of integrity, at least discuss with them the responsibility that comes with making that choice; Ask them about the few moments of lust and whether the trade off is worth the life of a newborn baby. Listen closely and see how little they value morality. Their only emotional attachment to sacrificing your baby is their own political views - which really has nothing to do with you."