The festival of Shavuot, which begins Saturday night, marks the reception of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Jews traditionally go to synagogue on Shavuot to hear the Ten Commandments read out:
1. I am the Lord your God. 2.’You shall have no other gods before me; You shall not make for yourself a graven image; 3. ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain;’ 4. ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy;’ 5. ‘Honor your father and your mother;’ 6. ‘You shall not murder;’ 7. ‘You shall not commit adultery;’ 8. ‘You shall not steal;’ 9. ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor;’ 10. ‘You shall not covet.”
The two tablets of the Ten Commandments have become a symbol of Judaism and are frequently found in synagogue decoration — inside the synagogue above the Ark or as murals, and outside above the doorway or atop the peak of the facade.
To mark Shavuot we post here pictures of some of the many, many examples. (We will also be posting a photo gallery, where you can contribute your own images).
1 comment on “To mark Shavuot — the Ten Commandments”
“où le regard n’a plus de prise
sur l’objet.”
Edmond Jabes,Récit ,Les cinq états du Manuscrit ,Éditions Textuel,2005,Paris.