The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Discussion about the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeology, etc.
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Secret Alias
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The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

If the LXX is the exemplar of a common text that was once written in Greek and Hebrew and spread to all the Jews in Judea and around the world shortly after 270 BCE why are the ordering of the commandments different? Surely Jews had a replica of the ten commandments in their temple. How did they produce copies of this original document from Alexandria with a different ordering of the ten commandments (both in text and in "replica" displayed in the house of worship) so soon after after it's original production?

12. Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the good land which the Lord thy God gives to thee.
13. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
14. Thou shalt not steal.
15. Thou shalt not kill.
Secret Alias
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Re: The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

Philo on the order of commandments 6 through 10

Of the second table, the first commandment is that against adulterers, under which many other commands are conveyed by implication, such as that against seducers, that against practisers of unnatural crimes, that against all who live in debauchery, that against all men who indulge in illicit and incontinent connections; (169) but the lawgiver has set down all the different species of such intemperance, not for the sake of exhibiting its manifold, and diverse, and ever-changing varieties, but in order to cause those who live in an unseemly manner to show most evident signs of depression and shame, drinking in with their ears all the reproaches heaped together which they incur, and which may well make them blush. (170) The second brief commandment, the prohibition of slaying men, is that under which are implied all those necessary and most universally advantageous laws, relating to acts of violence, to insults, to assaults, to wounds, to mutilation. (171) The third, that which forbids stealing, is the one under cover of which are enacted all the regulations which have been laid down, respecting the repudiation of debts, and those who deny what has been deposited with them, and who form unhallowed partnerships, and indulge in shameless acts of rapine, and, in short, in any kind of covetousness by which some person are induced, either openly or secretly to appropriate the possessions of others. (172) The fourth, that which is concerning the duty of not bearing false witness, is one under which many other prohibitions are conveyed, such as that of not deceiving, of not bringing false accusations, of not co-operating with those who are committing sin, of not making a pretence of good faith a cloak for faithlessness; for all which objects suitable laws have been enacted. (173) The fifth is that which cuts off desire, the fountain of all iniquity, from which flow all the most unlawful actions, whether of individuals or of states, whether important or trivial, whether sacred or profane, whether they relate to one's life and soul, or to what are called external things; for, as I have said before, nothing ever escapes desire, but, like a fire in a wood, it proceeds onward, consuming and destroying everything; (174) and there are a great many subordinate sins, which are prohibited likewise under this commandment, for the sake of correcting those persons who cheerfully receive admonitions, and of chastising those stubborn people who devote their whole lives to the indulgence of passion.
Secret Alias
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Re: The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

I am surprised that more people haven't taken an interest in this thread. It's JUST that the Jews, Samaritans and (likely) the Alexandrians (Jews and Samaritans separately or collectively) had copies of the Ten Commandments with different ordering of the commandments and readings. They each, at undoubtedly the earliest possible period had a replica of the two tablets (either broken or intact) in their temple/house of worship. We know this because the rabbinic tradition took issue with the former orthodoxy (now called heresies) for directing some of the prayers to the ten commandments (as the Samaritans still understand their services). So it wasn't just that IN A TEXT somewhere there was a different ordering of the ten commandments. There must have been from the beginning physical artifacts at the center of each community's worship of god which thanked god for giving Moses NOT THE PENTATEUCH but the ten commandments. This means that AT THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE PERIOD (according to Gmirkin's hypothesis) Jews, Samaritans and Alexandrians had physical representations of the ten commandments IN THE ORDER ASSOCIATED WITH THE VARIOUS RECENSIONS OF THE COMMUNITIES. How was this possible? Are we really accepting that Philo's or the LXX's ordering of the ten commandments was once held in common with Jews and Samaritans in the Holy Land? How can all of this be made to fit a 270 BCE creation of the Pentateuch AND THE REPLICA OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS? The Qumran settlement with their surviving Exodus scroll from 250 BCEish had or knew of a replica outside of Alexandria. It must have been so. Do we really believe that these Jews from 250 BCE maintained the reading of the LXX and/or Philo or the other way around? Why then the textual differences between the Hebrew and the Greek? It seems unlikely that the Pentateuch was created c. 275 BCE.
Secret Alias
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Re: The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

While it is dated to a much later period the ten commandments were found in Cave 4:

16 “Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you; that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you, in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
17 “You shall not murder.
18 “You shall not commit adultery.
19 “You shall not steal.
20 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire covet your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

LXX:

12. Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the good land which the Lord thy God gives to thee.
13. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
14. Thou shalt not steal.
15. Thou shalt not kill.
Secret Alias
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Re: The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

Mishna Tamid 5:1
The superintendent said to them: “Say one blessing,” And they blessed. They recited the Ten Commandments; “Hear, [O Israel . . .]”, “And it shall come to pass, if you hearken . . .” (Deuteronomy 11:13–21), “And the Lord spoke . . .” (Numbers 15:37–41). They blessed the people with three blessings: “True and enduring” [the blessing that follows the Shema prayer in the morning prayer service], Avodah [the blessing that many Jews say as part of the Amidah prayer calling for Divine acceptance of the Temple service], And the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26). And on the Sabbath, they added a blessing for the [priestly] watch that was leaving.
Berakhot 12a:4-5
They recited the Ten Commandments, the Shema, the sections "And it shall come to pass if ye diligently hearken", and "And the Lord said", "True and firm", the Avodah, and the priestly benediction'. Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel: Outside the Temple also people wanted to do the same, but they were stopped on account of the insinuations of the Minim.
Both the Babylonian and Yerushalmi Talmuds tell us that the reading of the ten commandments was dropped because of the ‘claims’ (טענות in Y. Berachot 3c) or ‘rebellion’ (תרעומת in B. Berachot 12a) of the minim. The Samaritans direct their prayers to the Ten Commandments as the "Torah" that was given to Moses by God on Sinai.
From the Query:In one community they were accustomed to stand during the reading, until a wise rabbi came there and annulled that custom, instructing them to sit when it was read and preventing them from standing ... and he[the rabbi]included in his reply that anyone who wishes to stand when the Ten Commandments are read from the Torah scroll should be reproached, because to do so is the way of heretics who believe that the Ten Commandments have more importance than the rest of the Torah, and whenever the heretics believe differently from our Rabbis, of blessed memory, we must distance ourselves from them.Maimonides' reply: That which the late rabbi instituted, to sit, is proper and his proofs are correct... and there is nothing to add to them. And it would be proper to do this in every place where they are accustomed to stand; one should prevent them from doing so because of the possible damage to belief, as some people may imagine that there are various levels of Torah and that only some parts are exalted, and that is a very bad thing... The claim of the opposing sage that in Bagdad and several other cities they did this[i.e. stood for the Ten Commandments], is by no means a proof. For if there are sick people, we do not make the healthy sick in order to render them all equal, rather we would try to cure each sick person... The Rabbis have already taught us that there is no difference between one who denies the Divine nature of the entire Torah and one who claims that a single verse 'Moses authored on his own'. There were among the heretics(minim) those who believed that only the Ten Commandments were given from Heaven and the remainder of the Torah was said by Moses himself, therefore the daily reading of the Ten Commandments was eliminated. And it is strictly forbidden to treat part of the Torah as if more exalted than another part.(Responsa of Maimonides, Blau Edition, Jerusalem, 1960, § 263).
“Leave Israel alone,” said Hillel, “for even if they are not prophets, they are still the children of prophets.” Ordinary Jews had a passion for the Ten Commandments. They were the distilled essence of Judaism. They were heard directly by the people from the mouth of God himself. They were the basis of the covenant they made with G‑d at Mount Sinai, calling on them to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...Jews kept searching for ways of recreating that scene, by standing when they listened to it from the Torah, and by saying it privately after the end of the morning prayers. Despite the fact that they knew their acts could be misconstrued by heretics, they were too attached to that great epiphany—the only time in history God spoke to an entire people—to treat it like any other passage in the Torah. The honor given to the Ten Commandments was the custom that refused to die.
Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Great Britian and the British Commonwealth, "The Custom That Refused to Die."
Secret Alias
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Re: The Ten Commandments in Greek and Hebrew

Post by Secret Alias »

On the location of the ten commandments in the temple:

מֵיתִיבִי אָרוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי אׇרְכּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רׇחְבּוֹ וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי קוֹמָתוֹ בְּאַמָּה בַּת שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים
The Gemara raises an objection to what is taught with regard to the length of a Torah scroll from a baraita: With regard to the Ark of the Covenant that Moses fashioned, its length was two and one-half cubits, its width was one and one-half cubits, and its height was one and one-half cubits (see Exodus 25:10), the cubit used for these measurements being six handbreadths. Therefore, the Ark was fifteen handbreadths long, nine handbreadths wide, and nine handbreadths high.
וְהַלּוּחוֹת אׇרְכָּן שִׁשָּׁה וְרׇחְבָּן שִׁשָּׁה וְעׇבְיָין שְׁלֹשָׁה מוּנָּחוֹת כְּנֶגֶד אׇרְכּוֹ שֶׁל אָרוֹן כַּמָּה לוּחוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת בָּאָרוֹן שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר טְפָחִים נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים צֵא מֵהֶן טֶפַח חֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה וְחֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁנֵי טְפָחִים שֶׁבָּהֶן סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה מוּנָּח
The baraita continues: And as for the tablets, their length was six handbreadths, their width was six handbreadths, and their thickness was three handbreadths. The tablets were placed along the length of the Ark, one next to the other. If so, how much space did the tablets occupy along the length of the Ark? Twelve handbreadths, as each tablet was six handbreadths long. Three handbreadths were left there along the length of the Ark, for a total of fifteen handbreadths. Deduct a handbreadth from them: One-half a handbreadth for this wall, namely, the thickness of the wooden Ark itself, and one-half a handbreadth for the other wall. Accordingly, two handbreadths were left there, in which the Torah scroll written by Moses lay.
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֵין בָּאָרוֹן רַק שְׁנֵי לֻחוֹת הָאֲבָנִים אֲשֶׁר הִנִּחַ שָׁם מֹשֶׁה [וְגוֹ׳] מַאי אֵין בָּאָרוֹן רַק מִיעוּט אַחַר מִיעוּט וְאֵין מִיעוּט אַחַר מִיעוּט אֶלָּא לְרַבּוֹת סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה שֶׁמּוּנָּח בָּאָרוֹן
What biblical source indicates that a Torah scroll was placed there? As it is stated: “There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there” (I Kings 8:9). What does “there was nothing in the Ark except” mean? This is an example of a restriction following a restriction, as both terms, “nothing” and “except,” indicate that the Ark was empty. And there is a hermeneutical principle that a restriction following a restriction serves only to amplify and include other matters. In this case, it serves to include a Torah scroll that lies in the Ark.
פִּירְנַסְתָּ אָרוֹן לְאׇרְכּוֹ צֵא וּפַרְנֵס אָרוֹן לְרׇחְבּוֹ כַּמָּה לוּחוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת בָּאָרוֹן שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים צֵא מֵהֶן טֶפַח חֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה וְחֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁנֵי טְפָחִים שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה נִכְנָס וְיוֹצֵא כְּשֶׁהוּא דָּחוּק דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר
The baraita continues: With this explanation you have accounted for the entire length of the Ark; go now and account for the width of the Ark, which was nine handbreadths. How much space did the tablets occupy of the width of the Ark, which was nine handbreadths wide? Six handbreadths; therefore, three handbreadths were left there along the width of the Ark. Deduct a handbreadth from them: One-half a handbreadth for the thickness of this wall and one-half a handbreadth for the thickness of the other wall. Accordingly, two handbreadths were left there. What was their purpose? These were necessary so that the Torah scroll would be able to go in and out without being pressed; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir.
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר בְּאַמָּה בַּת חֲמִשָּׁה טְפָחִים וְהַלּוּחוֹת אׇרְכָּן שִׁשָּׁה וְרׇחְבָּן שִׁשָּׁה וְעׇבְיָין שְׁלֹשָׁה מוּנָּחוֹת בְּאוֹרְכּוֹ שֶׁל אָרוֹן כַּמָּה לוּחוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת בָּאָרוֹן שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר טְפָחִים נִשְׁתַּיֵּיר שָׁם חֲצִי טֶפַח אֶצְבַּע לְכוֹתֶל זֶה וְאֶצְבַּע לְכוֹתֶל זֶה
Rabbi Yehuda disagrees and says: The cubit used for all the measurements of the Ark was five handbreadths long. There-fore, the Ark was twelve and one-half handbreadths long, seven and one-half handbreadths wide, and seven and one-half handbreadths high. And as for the tablets, their length was six handbreadths, their width was six handbreadths, and their thickness was three handbreadths, and they were placed along the length of the Ark, one next to the other. If so, how much space did the tablets occupy along the length of the Ark? Twelve handbreadths, so that one-half a handbreadth was left there, which is two fingerbreadths. One fingerbreadth of those two was for the thickness of this wall and one fingerbreadth of those two was for the thickness of the other wall.
פִּירְנַסְתָּ אָרוֹן לְאׇרְכּוֹ צֵא וּפַרְנֵס אָרוֹן לְרׇחְבּוֹ כַּמָּה לוּחוֹת אוֹגְדוֹת בָּאָרוֹן שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים נִשְׁתַּיֵּיר שָׁם טֶפַח וּמֶחֱצָה צֵא מֵהֶן חֲצִי טֶפַח אֶצְבַּע וּמֶחֱצָה לְכוֹתֶל זֶה וְאֶצְבַּע וּמֶחֱצָה לְכוֹתֶל זֶה נִשְׁתַּיֵּיר שָׁם טֶפַח שֶׁבּוֹ עַמּוּדִין עוֹמְדִין שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אַפִּרְיוֹן עָשָׂה לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֵעֲצֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן עַמּוּדָיו עָשָׂה כֶסֶף רְפִידָתוֹ זָהָב מֶרְכָּבוֹ אַרְגָּמָן וְגוֹ׳
With this explanation, you have accounted for the entire length of the Ark; go now and account for the width of the Ark, which was seven and one-half handbreadths. How much space did the tablets occupy in the Ark? Six handbreadths, meaning that one and one-half handbreadths were left there along the width of the Ark. Deduct one-half a handbreadth, one and one-half fingerbreadths for the thickness of this wall, and one and one-half fingerbreadths for the thickness of the other wall. Accordingly, one handbreadth was left there in which the silver columns were placed on either side of the tablets, as it is stated: “King Solomon made himself a palanquin of the timbers of Lebanon; he made its columns of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple” (Song of Songs 3:9–10). This is understood as an allusion to the Ark of the Covenant.
וְאַרְגַּז שֶׁשִּׁיגְּרוּ בּוֹ פְּלִשְׁתִּים דּוֹרוֹן לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מוּנָּח מִצִּדּוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאֵת כְּלֵי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר הֲשֵׁבֹתֶם לוֹ אָשָׁם תָּשִׂימוּ בָאַרְגַּז מִצִּדּוֹ וְשִׁלַּחְתֶּם אוֹתוֹ וְהָלָךְ וְעָלָיו סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה מוּנָּח שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לָקֹחַ אֵת סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה וְשַׂמְתֶּם אֹתוֹ מִצַּד אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה׳ מִצַּד הוּא מוּנָּח וְלֹא בְּתוֹכוֹ
And the chest in which the Philistines sent the gift to the God of Israel was placed alongside the Ark, as it is stated: “And put the golden devices which you are restoring to Him for a guilt-offering in a chest by the side of it, and send it away that it may go” (I Samuel 6:8). And upon this chest lay the Torah scroll, as it is stated: “Take this Torah scroll and put it at the side of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 31:26). This means that it was placed at the side of the Ark, and not inside it.
וּמָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּים אֵין בָּאָרוֹן רַק לְרַבּוֹת
And accordingly, how do I realize the meaning of that which is stated: “There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there,” which, according to the opinion of Rabbi Meir, teaches that something else was in the Ark besides the tablets themselves? It serves to include
14b
שִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת שֶׁמּוּנָּחִים בָּאָרוֹן וְאִי סָלְקָא דַעְתָּךְ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה הֶקֵּיפוֹ שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים מִכְּדֵי כֹּל שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּהֶקֵּיפוֹ שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים יֵשׁ בּוֹ רוֹחַב טֶפַח וְכֵיוָן דִּלְאֶמְצָעִיתוֹ נִגְלָל נְפִישׁ לֵיהּ מִתְּרֵי טִפְחָא רַוְוחָא דְּבֵינֵי בֵּינֵי בִּתְרֵי פּוּשְׁכֵי הֵיכִי יָתֵיב
the broken pieces of the first set of tablets, which were placed in the Ark. Having cited the baraita, the Gemara now presents its objection to what was taught earlier with regard to the dimensions of a Torah scroll: And if it should enter your mind to say, as Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi held, that the circumference of a Torah scroll is six handbreadths, now since any cylindrical object having a circumference of three handbreadths has a diameter of one handbreadth, a Torah scroll with a circumference of six handbreadths has a diameter of two handbreadths. And since a Torah scroll is wound to the middle, since it is rolled from both sides, it must take up more than two handbreadths due to the space between the sheets of parchment and the double rolling. According to Rabbi Meir, who says that the Torah scroll was placed inside the ark, how did the scroll fit in the remaining two handbreadths [pushkei] of space in the Ark?
אָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב סֵפֶר עֲזָרָה לִתְחִלָּתוֹ הוּא נִגְלָל וְאַכַּתִּי תְּרֵי בִּתְרֵי הֵיכִי יָתֵיב אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי דְּכָרֵיךְ בֵּיהּ פּוּרְתָּא וְכַרְכֵיהּ לְעֵיל
Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: The scroll of the Temple courtyard, which was kept in the Ark, was wound to its beginning, i.e., it had only a single pole, so that its circumference was only two handbreadths. The Gemara asks: But still, how does an item that is two handbreadths wide fit into a space that is precisely two handbreadths? It would be impossible to fit it in. Rav Ashi said: A small section of the scroll was wound separately and then placed on top of the scroll.
וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה מִקַּמֵּי דְּלַיְתֵי אַרְגַּז סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה הֵיכִי הֲוָה יָתֵיב דַּפָּא הֲוָה נָפֵיק מִינֵּיהּ וְיָתֵיב עִילָּוֵהּ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה וְרַבִּי מֵאִיר הַאי מִצַּד אֲרוֹן מַאי עָבֵיד לֵיהּ הַהוּא מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ דְּמִתְּנַח לֵיהּ מִצַּד וְלָא מִתְּנַח בֵּינֵי לוּחֵי וּלְעוֹלָם בְּגַוֵּיהּ מִן הַצַּד
Having concluded its current discussion, the Gemara now addresses the details of the aforementioned baraita and asks: And according to Rabbi Yehuda, who says that the Torah scroll rested on the chest that came from the Philistines, where was the Torah scroll placed before the chest arrived? The Gemara answers: A shelf protruded from the Ark and the Torah scroll rested on it. The Gemara asks: And according to Rabbi Meir, who says that the Torah scroll rested inside the Ark, what does he do with this verse: “Take this Torah scroll and put it at the side of the Ark” (Deuteronomy 31:26)? The Gemara answers: He requires that verse to teach that the Torah scroll was placed at the side of the tablets, and that it was not placed between the two tablets, but it was actually placed inside the Ark at the side of the tablets.
וְרַבִּי מֵאִיר עַמּוּדִין הֵיכָא הֲווֹ קָיְימִי מִבָּרַאי וְרַבִּי מֵאִיר שִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת דְּמוּנָּחִין בָּאָרוֹן מְנָא לֵיהּ נָפְקָא לֵיהּ מִדְּרַב הוּנָא דְּאָמַר רַב הוּנָא מַאי דִּכְתִיב אֲשֶׁר נִקְרָא שֵׁם שֵׁם ה׳ צְבָאוֹת יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרֻבִים עָלָיו מְלַמֵּד שֶׁלּוּחוֹת וְשִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת מוּנָּחִים בָּאָרוֹן
The Gemara asks: And according to Rabbi Meir, where were the silver columns placed? The Gemara answers: Outside the Ark. The Gemara further asks: And from where does Rabbi Meir derive that the broken pieces of the first set of tablets were placed in the Ark, as the verse from which Rabbi Yehuda learns this: “There was nothing in the Ark except” (I Kings 8:9), is needed by Rabbi Meir to teach that the Torah scroll was placed there? The Gemara answers: He derives this point from what Rav Huna expounded, as Rav Huna says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The Ark of God, whereupon is called the Name, the name of the Lord of hosts that sits upon the cherubs” (II Samuel 6:2)? The phrase “the name, the name of the Lord” teaches that both the second tablets and the broken pieces of the first set of tablets were placed in the Ark.
וְאִידַּךְ הַהוּא מִבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְכִדְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַשֵּׁם וְכׇל כִּינּוּיָו מוּנָּחִין בָּאָרוֹן
The Gemara asks: And what does the other Sage, i.e., Rabbi Yehuda, derive from this verse? The Gemara responds: He requires that text for that which Rabbi Yoḥanan says, as Rabbi Yoḥanan says that Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: This teaches that the ineffable name of God and all of His appellations were placed in the Ark.
וְאִידַּךְ נָמֵי מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְהָכִי אֵין הָכִי נָמֵי אֶלָּא שִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת דְּמוּנָּחִין בָּאָרוֹן מְנָא לֵיהּ נָפְקָא לֵיהּ מִדְּתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף דְּתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ וְשַׂמְתָּם מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַלּוּחוֹת וְשִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת מוּנָּחִין בָּאָרוֹן
The Gemara inquires: And doesn’t the other Sage, Rabbi Meir, also require it for that? The Gemara answers: Yes, it is indeed so. Rather, from where does he derive that the broken pieces of the first set of tablets were placed in the Ark? The Gemara expounds: He derives this from that which Rav Yosef taught, as Rav Yosef taught a baraita: The verses state: “At that time the Lord said to me: Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first…and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you shall put them in the Ark” (Deuteronomy 10:1–2). This teaches that both the second set of tablets and the broken pieces of the first set of tablets were placed in the Ark.
וְאִידַּךְ הַהוּא מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ לְכִדְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ שֶׁשִּׁבַּרְתָּ:
The Gemara asks: And what does the other one, Rabbi Yehuda, learn from this verse? The Gemara answers: He requires it for that which Reish Lakish teaches, as Reish Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is stated: “The first tablets, which you broke [asher shibbarta]”? These words allude to the fact that God approved of Moses’ action, as if the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: May your strength be straight [yishar koḥakha] because you broke them.

On the ten commandments in Ethiopian Coptic culture

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... oly-tablet

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collectio ... 868-1005-2

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