JHE Photo Essay: Shavuot 2021 — Images of the 10 Commandments to Mark the Holiday

(JHE) — The festival of Shavuot, which begins tonight, marks the reception of the Torah — and 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.

As we have done in the past, we are marking Shavuot by posting here pictures of some of the many, many examples of the 10 Commandments found on the interior and exterior of synagogues.

We also draw you attention to the important — and provocative —  article published last year by Sally Berkovic, the CEO of the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe — 10 other Commandments: 10 “Commandments for Jewish Heritage.”