RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

THE GOALS
The meaning of obedience to God: ethical living and social
justice, Part 1
In Judaism, man has duties towards himself as well as towards his fellow
man. This is suggested in the Shema as, according to the rabbis, the best
display of ‘love of God’ is for people to live and act towards their fellow
men in such a way as to make God and His Torah beloved in their eyes.
In Jewish terms a moral individual is one who combines personal
spiritual development with concern for other people. Acting in this way
is an essential part of serving God.
The Ten Commandments, which were given to Moses and the children
of Israel on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20), transformed the Israelites from
being a rabble of freed slaves to a nation with a legal structure. The Ten
Commandments are effectively a summary of many of the most
important mitzvot of the Torah. The first four refer to duties between
man and God; the remaining six deal with duties between man and his
fellow man. The Ten Commandments promote a code of living for the
world at large and are not exclusively for Jewish people. They are
particularly special to Jews for two reasons:
1. They are universal commandments which are valid for all time –
and so they require to be kept at all times.
2. They are regarded as subject headings since many other
commandments can be categorised under them. For example, laws
about injury and compensation come from the eighth
commandment – ‘Thou shalt not steal’.
Most synagogues have a motif of the Ten Commandments, usually the
first word of each commandment in two columns on the Ark or on its
curtain representing the two tablets of stone which Moses brought down
from the mountain.
Jewish ethics lay great emphasis on reverence for parents and the aged.
Being truthful is also an important Jewish ideal. The command not to
take God’s name in vain (the second of the Ten Commandments)
includes the crime of perjury whether in a court of law or not. The
Torah tells Jews to ‘Keep away from a false word’ (Exodus 23: 7).
Stealing, oppression and hatred of one’s neighbour are forbidden.
However, man has duties towards himself as well as towards his fellow
man; so he should preserve his health and he is allowed to protect his
family, since life is considered precious because it has been given by God
(Genesis 2: 7).
RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 37
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