Facing each other
On the right are the first five commandments, dealing with human duties to God.
Facing them, on the left-hand side, are the second five commandments, setting out the duties that human beings owe to each other.
Almost instinctively, we tend to read the commandments down each tablet. But they can also be read across. Thus, a famous piyyut or religious poem sees more than co-incidence in the fact that the first commandment faces the sixth, the second faces the seventh, and so on.
The first commandment says, “I am the Lord thy God”: the sixth, “Thou shalt not murder”. They are integrally linked, because man is made in the image of God, and the person who commits murder harms and diminishes the image of God that is in every man.
The second commandment proclaims, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”; the seventh, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Duty to God requires that we remain faithful and not go astray after other gods and philosophies; duty to human beings reaches its acme in the mutual trust and loyalty of husband and wife.
The third commandment? “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”. A promise to God is sacrosanct. A plighted word must be honoured. The eighth? “Thou shalt not steal”. Other people are sacred – their lives, their property and their dignity.
The fourth commandment declares, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. The ninth commands, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour”. Both are concerned with peace and good order. The Shabbat law ordains a weekly day of serenity and balance; the ninth aims at constant peace, harmony and truth in society.
Says the fifth commandment, “Honour thy father and thy mother”, insisting we accept our parents and background for what they are. On the second tablet, the final command, “Thou shalt not covet”, makes a similar point concerning self-acceptance. You only have the parents you have; you only have the self you are. But you can still do a great deal with both.
The two tablets are the twin bases of religion – theology and ethics. One leg without the other makes religion and civilisation unable to stand. To love God (theology) without being good to people (ethics) is as inadequate as it is to try to be good without God.
Standing side by side, the two tablets demonstrate that their partnership is the pattern to follow.
