Ten, schmen. Why is ten so important? There are numerous reasons. Ten is related to perfection, especially with our rating systems. Yet, even in the past, because we have 10 fingers and 10 toes you were seen as perfect if you had all of them. Remember we are made in the image of YaHVaH.
The number ten represents a hand. Remember the painting in the church of Elohiym’s hand reaching out to the hand of man? A very powerful visual is represented there to show how Elohiym’s hand is always reaching out to us, if we’d only reach back; with our hands humbly. Gesenius relates, “The hand being the seat of power, strength . . . be’yad, with force, or power, Isa. 28:2; Yad El, the power of God [Elohiym], Job 27:11 . . . Applied to one remarkable and wonderful work, Ex. 14:31” (p. 331). And again, “Specially aid, assistance, Deu. 32:36, az°lath yad ‘help is departed'” or “(4) The hand being used for smiting with, hence a stroke” (p. 331). The hand has power and strength to either help or destroy.
Ten is also the basis of most counting systems, even of old. Why? Well, because we have 10 fingers on our hands, but more importantly because it works. Ten is the foundation upon which all mathematical principles are based. Even the Greek and Hebrew numerical systems are based on ten and a factor of ten. For instance, the tenth Hebrew letter, Y, equals ten when used as a numerical denotation. The next letter is not eleven, but rather equals twenty. Then the letters after that continue as thirty, forty, etc.
These are the Ten Words in this book, Word Ten says, “The beginning first fruits of your land you shall bring to the House of YaHVaH, your Elohiym” Exodus 34:26a. Remember in Number 4 where YaHVaH wants all the first-born males of men and animals? Well, He wants the first of the produce also. This would be the first of the barley harvest in the Spring (near or during the Festival of Matzoth), the first of the wheat harvest at Shavuoth, and the first of the fruits (apples, dates, figs, grapes, olives, pomegranates, and such) at Sukkoth. See how He makes it simple to obey this command by timing the bringing of the fruit of each harvest to one of the three Festivals. This is not by accident, but by plan because the Yisraelites were originally an agricultural society. How much more blessed would we be when we offered up the first of everything we have to the service of YaHVaH.
This Word is also previously stated in Exodus 23:19. Both verses add the following at the end: “You shall not cook a kid in the milk of his mother.” This verse is where the Rabbis get the prohibition of mixing meat and dairy products as is seen in the commentary by Rashi, “The prohibition against cooking meat and milk applies to all ages and species of sheep [and cattle; Rabbinic law extended it to all kosher meat and fowl]. The Torah mentions this prohibition three times, from which the Sages derive that there are three elements of the prohibition. It is forbidden to cook the mixture, to eat it, and even to benefit from it” (Tanach p. 192). However, these verses, Exodus 23:19 and 34:26, never say any of what is in the commentary. Many other Scriptures are repeated three times without having three elements of meaning. Plus this sentence follows the bringing of first fruits of the land; therefore, it must be speaking about male goats offered up as sacrifices. The sentence is also very specific (not every age as the commentary says) in stating only a kid and only in his mother’s milk. A kid is a young goat.
The command does not say calf or lamb; those words would be ‘en°lah for a calf or ‘immar, kar, kesev, keves, or talah for a lamb. However, the Scriptures use g°diy (a male kid goat) in every instance. Since fowls don’t produce milk, you can’t possibly cook any fowl in its mother’s milk. YaHVaH is very specific for a reason and repeats the Scripture exactly each time. YaHVaH chose a male because it refers to the bringing of the first-born males, but why He specified only a kid goat and only cooking in his mother’s milk is beyond this book. One source commented it was because there was a cult doing that then and it was for distancing them from that cult, whether this is the case I’m not sure. There must be some specific significance though. Needless to say, these Scriptures do not apply to cheese mixed with beef, fowl, or other non-goat meats.
The Tenth Commandment (traditionally Number Seven) says, “You shall not commit adultery” Exodus 20:13. Sage Mechlita relates, “By definition, this term refers only to cohabitation with a married woman, which is a capital offense. It is parallel to the second commandment, which forbids idolatry, for someone who betrays the marital relationship can be expected to betray God [Elohiym]” (Tanach p. 184-5). More broadly, this term refers to all sexual relations forbidden in Leviticus 18:6-20 and 20:10-21. There are 16 forbidden sexual relations and their penalties. Most of the verses in chapter 18 say, “The nakedness of . . . you shall not uncover her/their nakedness.” According to Gesenius, the words ervah and ervath translated nakedness refer to the external female genitalia “pudenda” (p. 653); and the words galleh and galloth translated as uncover can be translated as “to make naked” (p. 170). “To go into” is also an alternate translation for galleh and galloth. Chapter 20 clarifies it some by using two different verbs, yish’kav (meaning he lies down with) and yiqqach (meaning he takes hold of).
Notice the Scriptures primarily refer to the responsibility of the man to not do these things. Let’s take the 3rd forbidden relations as an example: “The nakedness (pudenda) of your father’s wife you shall not uncover (make her naked/go into her), it is your father’s nakedness (pudenda)” (18:8), or “A man if he lies down with his father’s wife the nakedness (pudenda) of his father will he have uncovered (made her naked/gone into her)” (20:11). There are two meanings here: One, a wife’s genitals belong to her husband; and two, the son is committing adultery and incest. Verse 20:11 says the son and his father’s wife are to die.
The first 8 forbidden sexual relations and their punishments are:
| A man shall | punishment |
| 1. not to approach a close relative | not listed, but would vary depending on the relative |
| 2. not lie with his mother | death for both |
| 3. not lie with his father’s wife | death for both |
| 4. not lie with his sister or half-sister | separation from his people and bear their iniquity |
| 5. not lie with his granddaughter | none listed, but should be same as number 4 and 6 |
| 6. not lie with his father’s wife’s daughter,
she is his sister |
same as number 4
|
| 7. not lie with his father’s sister | bearing their iniquity |
| 8. not lie with his mother’s sister | bearing their iniquity |
The other 8 forbidden sexual relations and their punishments are:
| A man shall | punishment |
| 9. not lie with his uncle’s wife | bearing their iniquity |
| 10. not lie with his son’s wife | death for both |
| 11. not lie with his brother’s wife | they will be childless |
| 12. not lie with a woman and her daughter | death for all three by burning |
| 13. not lie with a woman and her granddaughter | not listed, but probably same as number 12 |
| 14. not lie with a woman and her sister | not listed, but probably same as number 12 |
| 15. not lie with a woman during her period
(time of separation) |
separation from their people
|
| 16. not lie carnally with (give his emission of
semen to) his fellow/neighbor’s wife |
death for both
|
Numbers 2,3, 9, 10, 11, and 16 are all adultery. Numbers 4, 5, 6, 12, and 13 are incest. The other numbers, except number 15, could involve either adultery, incest, or both. Not all the adultery relations listed above carry the death penalty, but they carry a penalty nonetheless. How many things would be a lot different today if we followed these commandments; which is actually following Number 10 Commandment “Thou shall not commit adultery.”
Bring your proper first-fruits and sacrifices to YaHVaH and don’t be involved in improper sexual relations.
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