God’s Law and Commandments – From Judaism’s Holy Tanakh: Book of Exodus, Part 1 of 2

Today, September 4, marks the birthday of the Prophet and Messenger of God, Moses (vegetarian). In commemoration of this significant day, we are honored to present readings about the biblical event in which Moses received the commandments from God.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, ‘Come up to Me into the mount, and be there; and I will give Thee the tables of stone, and the Law and the commandment, which I have written, that Thou may teach them.’ And Moses rose up, and Joshua His minister; and Moses went up into the mount of God. […] And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. […] And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, the two tables of the Testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: ‘Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of Him.’

And Aaron said unto them: ‘Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.’ And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf; and they said: ‘This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ […]

And the LORD spoke unto Moses: ‘Go, get Thee down; for Thy people, that Thou brought up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said: “This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”’ […]

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the Testimony in hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. […] And it came to pass, as soon as He came near unto the camp, that He saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and He cast the tables out of His hands, and broke them beneath the mount. […]

And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: ‘Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of gold. Yet now, if Thou will forgive their sin –; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou have written.’ And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Whosoever has sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto Thee; behold, Mine angel shall go before Thee […].”