Ten Commandments – Value Judgement 

A program developed by Rabbi Shari Shamah, Jewish Life Specialist 

May ‘25 

OVERVIEW: 

On Shavuot, we read the Ten Commandments.  These statements assert values that we hold in our faith.  Have you stopped to think about the order in which they were given?  What does each statement mean?  Which are more important to you, and others? 

This program can be done at home with Shavuot dairy snacks, or can be taken “on the road” as a Shavuot mountain or nature hike.   

MATERIALS:  

• If done at home – Dairy snacks 

• Each of the 10 Commandments printed out and separated.  (Enough for individuals or small groups) 

• If done on the road – 1 sheet per person, or per leader 

• Hiking path 

PROGRAM DETAILS:  

Beginning – Introduction to Shavuot and the 10 Commandments 

• The Torah portion for Shavuot recalls the moment of Revelation – when God gave the Tables to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  The 10 Commandments are a part of this Torah portion so they are associated with the holiday. 

• Shavuot commemorates receiving the Torah.  We are supposed to stay up all night studying, and dairy foods are customary on this festival. 

• Ask the question… have you ever really dissected the 10 Commandments and thought about why they were put in that order?  Are some more important than others?    
   

• Educational background on the order: The Ten Commandments | My Jewish Learning 

Middle – Deep Dive into 10 Commandments 

• In small groups, or one large group, dig into the 10 Commandments.  What does each one mean?  Does the order have something to do with importance?  Would you have arranged them thus?   

• Give out pre-cut slips with each of the commandments and give groups time to re-order and discuss the commandments.  Which ones stand out?  Do they all still ring true today?  Do they hold a place in your life? 

End – Wrap up 
 

• If you are hiking, this is a great chance to have a snack and finish your hik. 

• If you are at home, this could be a chance to have a dairy snack. 

 
The Commandments (in Jewish Tradition) from The Ten Commandments | My Jewish Learning 

First Commandment (Exodus 20:2) 

I am the Lord Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Second Commandment (Exodus 20:3-6) 

You shall have no other gods beside Me. You shall not make for yourself any graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord Your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 

Third Commandment (Exodus 20:7) 

You shall not take the name of the Lord Your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain. 

Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11) 

Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord Your God, in it you shall not do any manner of work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy. 

Fifth Commandment (Exodus 20:12) 

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord God gives you. 

Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) 

You shall not murder. 

Seventh Commandment (Exodus 20:13) 

You shall not commit adultery. 

Eighth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) 

You shall not steal. 

Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) 

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:14) 

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his wife, his man-servant, his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. 

Hebrew: Exodus 20 – from Sefaria