Parashat Vaetchanan פָּרָשַׁת וָאֶתְחַנַּן

It’s worthwhile to take a brief look at what we probably know is the SECOND version of the Ten Commandments that the Torah gives us.

There are lots of attempts to explain WHY there are two versions, and, at some point, we may want to have an adult education class or some classes that look at those hypotheses.  But, for now, let's look at a few differences in three of the Commandments.

Maybe you think they’re just a matter of semantics, but I don’t think so. Even if you don’t believe that God directly dictated the Torah to Moshe, as Orthodox Jews do, it’s striking that some key words ARE DIFFERENT.

So, let’s look at the FIRST WORD of the two versions of the FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 

•             In EXODUS: the word is REMEMBER
•             In DEUTERONOMY: the word is KEEP

The first seems to be about thoughts, maybe prayers.

The second seems to be focused on ACTION - the prohibition is on forbidden work.  

The message may be that it’s not enough just to pray and to light candles but that we also have to refrain from anything that is considered by the Torah (and by God) to be work. 

Let’s look at the FIFTH  COMMANDMENT- "honor thy father and mother"

You might notice that the version in today’s parsha ADDS a phrase: “as the Lord God commanded you.”  and it offers another reward - not just that your days will be LENGTHENED but also that “it may go well with you.”  

In other words, you won’t just live a LONGER life; you’ll live a BETTER life.  You may remember that this is one of only two mitzvot that offers a reward for obedience.

The TENTH COMMANDMENT in DEUTERONOMY is "DON’T COVET". Just look at the two differences. In a way, it’s similar to the variation we just saw in the fourth commandment.

In   EXODUS  , we’re told "NOT TO COVET"

In Va’ethannan, we’re told not only not to covet but also "NOT TO DESIRE".

So, we can’t, according to  EXODUS, actively take something from our neighbor that is not rightfully ours.  But, in today’s parsha, the mitzvah includes not only COVETING BUT ALSO DESIRING.

Again, not just actions but also THOUGHTS.

Some sages say that God dictated BOTH sets of commandments miraculously at the same time, and, equally miraculously, that Moshe heard them both clearly and distinctly.  Regardless of how you explain these two somewhat different sets of guidelines, there’s no question that the bar for us Jews is REALLY high.