Many years ago in religious education class, I gave a presentation on the Ten Commandments. Back then I held the Hoffnung für alle (“Hope for All”) translation in my hand — and even then, what mattered most to me was what these ancient sentences actually bring us in real life, for our own good and for living together. And of course, my 11th Commandment could not be left out at the very end — as a small joke with a serious background.
Today, many years and quite a few experiences later, I look at them anew. When you blow away the dust of moralizing sermons and look at the original Hebrew text, you realize: it says nothing at all about “Ten Commandments” or a strict penal code. It says Aseret ha-Dibrot — the “Ten Words.”
The grammatical form in Hebrew can be read as “You will not…” Many therefore understand them not as a mere command meant to keep human beings small, but as a promise — and that is exactly how I read them today: as signposts for how liberated people live so that they do not fall back into new dependencies. The exact principle I value elsewhere in life and in my work: structure on the outside, freedom on the inside. A protective space for the individual and for the community.
And here is the list — the core Hebrew thought freely rendered along with my thoughts on it, much like back then in class:
1. The Foundation
“I am the Eternal One who led you out of the house of slavery — you will need no other gods beside me.”
Before any rule comes liberation: whoever does not turn earthly things like money, power, or status into a “god” remains inwardly free and protects society from blind submission.
2. No Rigid Images
“You will not make yourself a rigid image.”
To me, that also means not putting either God or your neighbor into a ready-made box.
3. Not Abusing the Sacred
“You will not carry the name of the Most High before you for what is hollow and false.”
No one may use religion or morality as a high horse to place themselves above others or to manipulate people for their own ends.
4. The Day of Rest (Shabbat)
“Pause on the seventh day — you, your people, the stranger, and your animal.”
In antiquity, slaves and day laborers did not have a single day off in their entire lives. This word draws a hard boundary against exploitation: your worth as a human being is not measured by how much you produce. Once a week, the machinery stands still for everyone. You are allowed to put the apparatus down, stop functioning, and simply be — and rich and poor stand on the exact same level of dignity on that day.
5. Giving Weight to Your Roots
“Give weight (Kabed) to your father and your mother.”
The Hebrew here does not say “obey blindly” or “cower,” but kabed — “to give weight to.” That is an enormous difference. It does not mean approving of everything that happened in one’s own childhood. But it invites us to look honestly at our own origins and the burdens of the generations before us, instead of remaining stuck in accusation for a lifetime. Whoever finds their own peace with their roots stands firmly on the ground — and also holds the generations together in the larger picture.
6. Not Murdering
“You will not murder.”
The original text is about extinguishing innocent life — and in a broader sense that I consciously allow myself, that already begins where someone is stripped of their dignity through public shaming or character assassination.
7. Not Betraying Trust
“You will not break the closest bond of faithfulness.”
8. Not Exploiting Anyone
“You will not steal anyone’s freedom, dignity, or trust.”
9. Not Sticking False Labels on Others
“You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
A sentence from the courtroom: it protects the individual from being branded for life by rumors or false accusations.
10. Not Reaching for Your Neighbor’s Life
“You will not scheme to appropriate what belongs to your neighbor.”
This is not about a fleeting envious thought, but about the greed that wants to take something away from another — whoever stays with themselves does not poison their own happiness and begrudges their neighbor nothing.
And Finally: The 11th Commandment
“Don’t get caught.”
Back in religious education class, that was the laugh at the end, but to me there is real life experience in it. It does not mean guilt doesn’t matter as long as nobody sees it. It means: even the best ten commandments must never turn human beings into glass. Everyone needs a space that belongs to them alone.
By René Jochum - LLM Translated. License: CC-BY-4.0.