Exodus 23
We continue on in our discussion of, and enlarging upon, the Ten Commandments, bearing in mind that these words were written in rertrospect many centuries later. Also, they were written with communities of people in mind, not necessarily these nomads who had been wandering the desert for so long.
The Israelites at this time had had no time to form communities, had no gathering place, though they had three festivals a year: the festival of unleavened bread, the festival of the harvest, and the festival of the ingathering at year's end.
Surely there was a woman's group to direct the setup of such events, the menu, the flowers, etc..
We are to bear in mind also that the commandments themselves were a covenant, that is, an agreement, between man and God. They came directly from God and were law, no questions about it. But there was no end of amplification and interpretation, much of it involving health, care for widows, children and needy, and simply to establish "the order of things." There were laws regarding slaves, worship, and endless rituals to do with food. These were established by the people themselves.
Many of these laws, i.e., the separation of milk and fish dishes, keeping kosher kitchens, not blending fabrics, still exist today. But many, which so define the Jewish faith, are disappearing with the blending of faiths and races, particularly in the United States. The question arises:"How do you stay Jewish when you are not being persecuted?"
But basically, the laws were meant to benefit people, not bind them.
Submitted by Deenie Miller
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