The Last Commandment

Yitro

Ex. 18:1 - 20:23

Précis:  Following last week’s trip through the Red Sea, Moses is reunited with his father-in-law Jethro (“Yitro”) and with his family. Yitro acknowledges God, gives wise advice to Moses about delegating responsibility, and Moses appoints assistants (judges). The Israelites come to the foot of Mount Sinai where, in the ultimate transcendental experience, Revelation takes place as the “Ten Utterances” (Commandments) are spoken to the People by the very Voice of God.

Ex. 20:13 “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

            Abarbanel (the 15^th century Spanish commentator) noted that “After the admonition not to harm your fellow man in deed, neither his body (You shall not murder), nor his wife (You shall not commit adultery), nor his goods (You shall not steal), comes the admonition not to harm him by word of mouth…This includes, besides bearing false witness, one who mocks his fellow man, slanders and denigrates him, insults him publicly and the like.”

            At the conclusion – perhaps the summation? -  of the Ten Commandments, we are reminded of the critical importance of human speech. The Sages place the sin of denigrating another person on a par with murder, adultery, and theft of another’s possessions. By denigrating another, we “murder” a reputation. By denigrating another, we may cause a spouse to lose faith in the mate. By denigrating another, we steal one’s most prize possession (one’s good name).

            12 years ago, I wrote in a weekly d’var on this verse, “A common complaint in 21^st century America is that our language has been “coarsened” and that we have morphed into a society where what we say can always be “spun” as circumstances demand.”  Unfortunately, more than a decade later, we find that the “coarsening” of our utterances has reached an undeniably lower point, where some in public life feel free to cast aspersions in ways that would have ended their careers a decade ago. Some may call this just an end to “political correctness,” but I call it a loss of civility, decorum, and decency.

            I suggest that our Torah reading this week should make us focus on the importance of honest and respectful discourse in all parts of our interactions with others.