Exodus 20
“And God spoke all these words”…“You shall not…You shall not…You shall not.”
We do not appreciate being told what not to do. We are generally a law-abiding people but we tend to treat the laws promulgated by the legislators we elect as being necessary evils and, when disposed and able, we are delighted to find a way around them.
Torah is another word for law. It specifically refers to the law of Moses. Ancient Israelites considered this law to be an expression of wisdom inspired by God but gained from reflection on life. It was a wisdom developed out of insight into what would lead to happiness and what would not. In other words into what would serve the common good.
The Israelites cherished their law much as the Greeks, for the same reasons, revered their philosophies.
What about us? Are we missing something?
