can appreciate this Jewish author's work on the commandments from a moral viewpoint, I tend to view the Old Testament through more of a spiritual lens than he does, but there were plenty of good bits to chew on, David Hazony's The Ten Commandments is a solid exploration of ways in which the devarim are particularly relevant to the modern world, Though written from a Jewish perspective, the lessons Hazony draws from his subject are fairly ecumenical and will likely resonate for many across the religious and secular spectrum, This is, however, part of the The Ten Commandments's weakness as well, in that much of the material is presented at a level of abstraction that robs it of a real spiritual or intellectual heft.
The book devotes a single chapter to each of the ten commandments socalled, though strictly speaking only nine of them are actually commandments, The segues between chapters on occasion feel a little forced and unnecessary, Fortunately, Hazony's strongest and most intriguing discussion was reserved for the tenth commandment "You shall not covet your neighbor's house, ". As with many of the other chapters, Hazony spends less time talking about the commandment specifically enumerated and more time looking into the broader principles at work, In the case of this last commandment, he
spins out an insightful analysis of the role that insecurity plays in leading us astray in so many areas of our life.
It is a discussion which goes beyond simple poppsychology and argues that insecurity, something of which we are all guilty, in fact throws up some serious moral hazards,
Overall, the book sparkles here and there with some truly thoughtul gems, However, its strengths do not shine through consistently, Truly an inspiring book about how to incorporate the values of the Ten Commandments into our everyday lives, Outstanding indepth analysis of the deeper and often surprising meaning of the Ten Commandments, Good shul reading. I am only on chapterof an obviousand I adore this book, There are so many truly awful books on this important subject Dr, Laura springs to mind. As a progressive but observant reform Jew, I feel that most texts on thecommandments either side step the difficult issue of what do we do with a God who gives "utterances" which is a far better translation of the Hebrew or they march in lock step to the simple drum beat of fundamentalism.
This book walks a careful elegant line between scholarship and moral prescription, It's not particularly heady, but challenging, This text examines the ten commandments with in their historical and cultural contexts, but does not leave them there, I sometimes find it refreshing to read a very different sort of interpretation of familiar Scriptural passages, While it's not clear that some of the ideas Hazony discusses are actually what was meant when the Ten Commandments were written in the book of Exodus, his approach offers a lot of food for thought as to the meanings that can be drawn from them.
A very well written, interesting, and instructive book, The author starts from the Ten Commandments and uses them as a base to explore or touch on the whole Bible, rabbinic lore, Mark Twain, C, S. Lewis, on and on. Each Commandment gets its own essay,
His interpretations of the few lines of the Commandments are thoughtprovoking, but sometimes too inventive for me, He reminded me of reading G, K. Chesterton so smooth that he can make you think that white is black and black is white, I particularly disagreed with Hazony saying that coveting your neighbor's house and wife etc, is caused by the sin of insecurity, A lot of criminals seem quite sure of themselves to me, Very unique in regards to the commandments, I'd recommend to Jewish and Christian persons, ACROSS THE WESTERN WORLD, the Ten Commandments have become a source of both inspiration and controversy, whether in Supreme Court rulings, in film and literature, or as a religious icon gracing houses of worship of every Christian and Jewish denomination.
But what do the commandments really stand for According to polls, less than half of all Americans can even name more than four of them, Fewer still can name all ten, or have a clear idea of the ideals they were meant to promote, For most of us, agnostics and faithful alike, they have been relegated to the level of a symbol, and the teachings they contain are all but forgotten, In Western life today, the Ten Commandments are everywhere except where we need them most,
In The Ten Commandments, David Hazony offers a powerful new look at our most venerable moral text, Combining a fresh reading of the Old Testaments most riveting stories and ancient rabbinic legends with a fearless exploration of what ails society today, Hazony shows that the Ten Commandments are not just a set of obscure laws but encapsulate a deeply valuable approach to lifeone that is as relevant now as it was when they first appeared more than two millennia ago.
The Ten Commandments begins with a daring claim: Although they have become a universally recognizable symbol of biblically based religion, they are not, strictly speaking, a religious text.
Rather than making a statement about faith or mystical realms inaccessible to reason, they contain a coherent prescription for how to make a better world, At their core stands what Hazony calls the "spirit of redemption," which he describes as one of the two basic spiritual components of Western civilization, While the Greeks gave us the "spirit of reason," teaching that we should be free to explore and express our views, the spirit of redemption teaches that every individual can, and should, act to improve the world.
This spirit reached us from ancient Israel, in the form of the Hebrew Bible, and has stood at the heart of the most important social movements in our history,
Going through the commandments one by one, Hazony shows how each represents a poignant declaration about honesty, the self, life, love, freedom, community, and inner peace, Each commandment, we discover, adds another piece to the puzzle of how the redemptive spirit may enter our lives and help us become more caring, worldchanging individuals,
Part memoir, part scholarship, part manifesto for a vital approach to life, The Ten Commandments tackles some of the most painful human questions that stand at the heart of who we are as modern, thinking peopleand offers answers that are sure to start a new discussion about the meaning of one of our most enduring, yet least understood, traditions.
About the only thing I had an issue with in this book is the fact that my own view of the Talmud is far less than that of the author.
This is a book written by a conservative or Orthodox Jew for someone who at least has a belief that the Talmud has insight to give to contemporary readers, I would have liked to have seen more biblical exegesis and fewer stories from the Talmud, It is striking to see how the author views the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, through the filter of what centuries of uninspired rabbis thought about it, That said, the author is fundamentally right that paying attention to the Ten Commandments would help to renew modern life, I don't think it very likely that this will happen, but to the extent that it is possible, it is something that should be encouraged and this book is one I can recommend to a reader who is at least willing to read stories about how it is that failing to stick up for a guest may have helped sabotage Jewish freedom in Rome and other such likely imaginative tales.
This book is aboutpages long and opens with a discussion of the Ten Commandments and an introduction that asks the reader if he or she can name all ten.
After that the author discusses the relationship of the Ten Commandments with redemptionconcerning the freedom from slavery and sin, There is then a discussion about the relationship of morality and lonelinessas well as the way in which our lies destroy uswhen when we take the names and reputations of God and others in vain.
After that the author discusses the Sabbath as an aspect of redemptionand also looks at honoring parents as an important matter of the wisdom of the heart, The commandment against murder allows the author to reflect upon the meaning of lifeand the commandment against adultery allows the author to contrast our penchant for sexual sins in the present evil age with the biblical commandment to enjoy sexuality within godly marriage.
There is a chapter on making room for othersas well as a look at the relationship of our communities and ourselves when it comes to integrity, Finally, the book ends with a discussion about peace and the avoidance of envy and resentmentas well as the human element in society as well as acknowledgements, notes, and an index.
One of the more intriguing aspects of this book is that it reminded me that there are at least three different ways to view and count the Ten Commandments, and that this book has a different one than either the Protestant or Catholic ones that I am more familiar with the Catholic one hides the antiidolatry command in the first commandment and this one similarly conflates the first and second commandments to focus on the identity of God as the only God and having no other gods as being connected to avoiding making graven images.
Be that as it may, the author has a great deal of respect for the Bible and its applications and makes some very strong points about the implications of the Ten Commandments in our daily lives, some of which we may all do better than others.
If the author is not one whose every word I can endorse, he is someone who gives plenty of food for thought and reflection and that is something to appreciate even if it is occasionally a bit irritating and frustrating as well.
But sometimes a book is worth reading even when it comes from a very different perspective given it has an otherwise very similar worldview, .