הוֹצֵאתִ֗יהָ נְאֻם֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וּבָ֙אָה֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הַגַּנָּ֔ב וְאֶל־בֵּ֛ית הַנִּשְׁבָּ֥ע בִּשְׁמִ֖י לַשָּׁ֑קֶר וְלָ֙נֶה֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ בֵּית֔וֹ וְכִלַּ֖תּוּ וְאֶת־עֵצָ֥יו וְאֶת־אֲבָנָֽיו׃
“Aku telah mengeluarkannya, demikianlah firman Yang Mahakekal semesta alam, dan kutuk itu akan masuk ke dalam rumah pencuri dan ke dalam rumah orang yang bersumpah dusta demi nama-Ku; kutuk itu akan tinggal di dalam rumahnya dan membinasakannya, beserta kayu-kayunya dan batu-batunya.”
Kli Yakar
“Do not take [God’s name in vain]” corresponds to Do not steal. For one who steals will ultimately swear falsely, as it is said You shall not steal… and you shall not swear… (Leviticus 19:11-12), because one sin leads to the other. Therefore it is written It shall enter the house of the thief and the house of one who swears falsely by My name and it shall consume it… (Zechariah 5:4). The verse equates these two transgressions because one leads to the other, and their essence is the same: the thief acts as if the Eye Above does not see, as it were, and similarly, one who swears falsely in order to validate his lies before people also acts as if the Eye Above does not see, as it were. Therefore, whoever commits one sin falls into the other, even if he swears about something unrelated to theft. This is my understanding, in addition to what is mentioned in the Mechilta.
Rabbeinu Bahya
You will have to consider this very carefully. Although the Commandments are not listed in their usual order, i.e. parallel to the sequence of the ten emanations, you will realise the reason why the commandment אנכי had to be the first one. This is because seeing that G’d is first and we have to believe in that fact, the second commandment, which ensures that we do not dilute our belief in the supremacy of G’d as the first and only מציאות at that time, had to be commandment number two although the angels were created before man and it might seem odd to command man who did not exist yet how not to relate to G’d. This might seem especially peculiar when we consider that it was commanded in a framework when seeing there had not been any angels or other agents of G’d, man could not have become guilty of idolatry even if he had tried.
The angels represent second rank in the order of creation, immediately below G’d Himself. This is why they were created on the second day (see author’s comment on Genesis 1,21 under “a kabbalistic approach). This is the reason why the angels are called שנאנים based on Psalms 68,18 אלפי שנאן (from the word שני “second”). The third commandment לא תשא is the third as anyone who uses G’d’s name in vain destroys the world which is built on three pillars, i.e. Torah, service of the Lord, and the performance of deeds of loving kindness for fellow human beings (Avot 1,2). The penalty for contravening that commandment also is threefold: Such a person destroys “his bones, his timber, and his stones.” Compare Zecharyah 5,4 who describes what G’d will do to people who swear false oaths as: “it (the curse) shall lodge in the inside of their houses and shall consume them to the last timber and stone.” The Torah repeats the sin, concluding the commandment with the words: “who will use His name in vain,” to emphasize how severely G’d views violation of this commandment. Treating G’d’s honour as of little consequence is equivalent to shaking off the whole range of the commandments as an intolerable burden. The prophet Malachi 1,6 phrased it thus: “If I am a father, where is the honour due Me? If I am a master, where is the reverence due Me?” The reason the commandment זכור was chosen to be the fourth commandment is because the Sabbath is the fourth day following the fourth day, the day on which sun, moon, and all the celestial phenomena were placed in their respective orbits. The sun is the fourth of the seven (or nine) such celestial orbits revolving around the earth. [The author as well as the Kabbalists whose views he mentions lived long before Copernicus, Ed.] The moon is in a fourth orbit relative to the sun, based on the sequence שצ'ם חנכ'ל, the seven “fixed stars” which we have mentioned on repeated occasions. The luminaries are considered מרובעים, “divided into four,” seeing the day is divided into four parts. You will also note that שבתאי, Saturn, the planet corresponding to the Sabbath is the fourth from (inside) the orbit of the גלגל השכל, the sphere of intelligence. Immediately above (outside) that sphere is the eighth sphere that of the כוכבים, the stars. Beyond that sphere is the ninth sphere, the one called ערבות, beyond which is the גלגל השכל the sphere of intelligence.
Everything connected with the Sabbath is divided into “four.” There are four separate prayers on the Sabbath none of which is a repetition of any other. The prophet (Isaiah 58,13) when describing the outstanding features of the Sabbath and how we are to behave on it, makes his points in sentences of four words each, such as 1) אם תשיב משבת רגליך, “if you refrain from trampling the Sabbath; 2) עשות חפציך ביום קדשי, “from pursuing your affairs on My holy day.” The fifth commandment כבד is the fifth in number as there are five contributing components which result in offspring being born, in parents becoming parents. They are father, mother, fundamentals of nature, i.e. יסודות, time, and G’d. The father contributes the sinews, the bones and everything in the human being that is coloured white; the mother contributes all the red-coloured parts, such as the blood, the flesh, the hair and the black in the pupil of the eyes (compare Niddah 31). This black-looking colour is in reality a form of red, it has been impaired (Niddah 19). The יסודות are the four basic raw materials our physical universe is composed of. These four basic components function in various combinations, i.e. they are to a human body what a mixture of metals is in an alloy. Time is a factor as a baby’s development inside the womb is determined by the passage of a certain amount of time. Development of the embryo is not complete unless a certain amount of time has elapsed. G’d contributes the soul which is the principal contribution to man’s intelligence. Without G’d’s contribution man would not amount to anything worthwhile although there had been input from 4 other sources. You will find that there are 5 different categories of living creatures in nature: man, mammals, birds, fish, and creeping creatures. When formulating the fifth commandment, the Torah referred to life on האדמה, “on the earth,” i.e. the part of nature yielding some sort of harvest. This part of the earth is divided into 5 categories, i.e. fields yielding a grain harvest; vineyards; vegetable gardens, orchards, forests growing trees for making furniture, heating, etc. There are also five basic kinds of metals that the earth yields for man: gold, silver, copper, iron and lead.
The sixth commandment לא תרצח, was placed in sixth position as 6 different character traits may be responsible for a human being murdering another human being. They are: jealousy, greed, hatred, anger, irresponsibility, and drunkenness. The first murder was committed against a human being who had been created on the sixth day (of the week and of creation).
The seventh commandment, לא תנאף, is appropriately number seven as there are seven forbidden sexual relationships. 1) sleeping with a woman married to someone else; 2) sleeping with any woman including one’s own when she is in a state of menstruation. 3) A High Priest must not marry a widow. 4) An ordinary priest must not marry a divorcee. 5) sexual relations with animals. 6) homosexual relations. 7) sexual relations with non-Jews. There are seven prohibitions (6 are Rabbinic) that might lead to such forbidden sexual relations. 1) visual, i.e. a situation which may cause arousal because one has viewed what is forbidden. 2) Aural arousal, i.e. listening to the seductive voice of a woman with whom relations are forbidden. 3) secreting oneself with such a woman; 4) conversation with her. 5) touching her; 6) kissing; 7) the actual deed.
The eight commandment לא תגנב, is in eighth place as there are eight varieties of violating this commandment. 1) wrong numbering; 2) wrong measuring; 3) wrong weights; 4) withholding found property. 5) kidnapping a Jew or Jewess. 6) stealing money. 7) גנבת דעת, deliberately misleading, i.e. “stealing somebody’s mind.” 8) “stealing for oneself,” i.e. embezzling funds entrusted to one by using them for one’s own needs in a legally permissible way such as if one is a trustee of funds of an orphan using these funds or part of them to pay for a wedding or even to become the dowry of the trustee’s son marrying such a female orphan. Concerning this way of taking advantage of one’s position as a trustee the Torah wrote (Leviticus 19,13) “You shall not defraud your fellow; You shall not commit robbery.”
The ninth commandment, לא תענה, was placed ninth because it is well known that the ninth (highest) celestial sphere ערבות contains the throne of G’d’s glory where He stored the souls prior to assigning them to bodies; deserving souls return to that region after death. Anyone who testifies falsely denies the existence and significance of that region and as a result his soul will never return to its sacred origin. Finally, the tenth commandment לא תחמוד was placed in tenth position as anyone who covets other people’s possessions and money will not be likely not give up a tenth of the money he already has; he will not set aside his tithes, etc. By placing this commandment in tenth position, the Torah found an elegant way of warning people that the positive commandment of paying one’s tithes is conceptually linked to the negative commandment not to covet. This commandment concludes the list of the Ten Commandments which correspond to the ten celestial spheres The fact that they have not been listed in the order corresponding to the sequence of the ten emanations is testimony to the deep wisdom of our sages who have said that the Torah is under no obligation to write matters in a chronological sequence of events These sages have displayed deep insight into how all of the 613 commandments are represented in the Ten Commandments and the 613 letters that the list comprises. They have even revealed to us the reason for the absence of the letter ט in this version, i.e. the absence of the words למען ייטב לך, a promise written in the second set of Tablets in the Book of Deuteronomy. Kabbalists suggest that the reason may have been that G’d knew that this set of Tablets was going to be smashed and He did not want the letter ט which symbolises טוב to be smashed (compare Baba Kama 55).
The angels represent second rank in the order of creation, immediately below G’d Himself. This is why they were created on the second day (see author’s comment on Genesis 1,21 under “a kabbalistic approach). This is the reason why the angels are called שנאנים based on Psalms 68,18 אלפי שנאן (from the word שני “second”). The third commandment לא תשא is the third as anyone who uses G’d’s name in vain destroys the world which is built on three pillars, i.e. Torah, service of the Lord, and the performance of deeds of loving kindness for fellow human beings (Avot 1,2). The penalty for contravening that commandment also is threefold: Such a person destroys “his bones, his timber, and his stones.” Compare Zecharyah 5,4 who describes what G’d will do to people who swear false oaths as: “it (the curse) shall lodge in the inside of their houses and shall consume them to the last timber and stone.” The Torah repeats the sin, concluding the commandment with the words: “who will use His name in vain,” to emphasize how severely G’d views violation of this commandment. Treating G’d’s honour as of little consequence is equivalent to shaking off the whole range of the commandments as an intolerable burden. The prophet Malachi 1,6 phrased it thus: “If I am a father, where is the honour due Me? If I am a master, where is the reverence due Me?” The reason the commandment זכור was chosen to be the fourth commandment is because the Sabbath is the fourth day following the fourth day, the day on which sun, moon, and all the celestial phenomena were placed in their respective orbits. The sun is the fourth of the seven (or nine) such celestial orbits revolving around the earth. [The author as well as the Kabbalists whose views he mentions lived long before Copernicus, Ed.] The moon is in a fourth orbit relative to the sun, based on the sequence שצ'ם חנכ'ל, the seven “fixed stars” which we have mentioned on repeated occasions. The luminaries are considered מרובעים, “divided into four,” seeing the day is divided into four parts. You will also note that שבתאי, Saturn, the planet corresponding to the Sabbath is the fourth from (inside) the orbit of the גלגל השכל, the sphere of intelligence. Immediately above (outside) that sphere is the eighth sphere that of the כוכבים, the stars. Beyond that sphere is the ninth sphere, the one called ערבות, beyond which is the גלגל השכל the sphere of intelligence.
Everything connected with the Sabbath is divided into “four.” There are four separate prayers on the Sabbath none of which is a repetition of any other. The prophet (Isaiah 58,13) when describing the outstanding features of the Sabbath and how we are to behave on it, makes his points in sentences of four words each, such as 1) אם תשיב משבת רגליך, “if you refrain from trampling the Sabbath; 2) עשות חפציך ביום קדשי, “from pursuing your affairs on My holy day.” The fifth commandment כבד is the fifth in number as there are five contributing components which result in offspring being born, in parents becoming parents. They are father, mother, fundamentals of nature, i.e. יסודות, time, and G’d. The father contributes the sinews, the bones and everything in the human being that is coloured white; the mother contributes all the red-coloured parts, such as the blood, the flesh, the hair and the black in the pupil of the eyes (compare Niddah 31). This black-looking colour is in reality a form of red, it has been impaired (Niddah 19). The יסודות are the four basic raw materials our physical universe is composed of. These four basic components function in various combinations, i.e. they are to a human body what a mixture of metals is in an alloy. Time is a factor as a baby’s development inside the womb is determined by the passage of a certain amount of time. Development of the embryo is not complete unless a certain amount of time has elapsed. G’d contributes the soul which is the principal contribution to man’s intelligence. Without G’d’s contribution man would not amount to anything worthwhile although there had been input from 4 other sources. You will find that there are 5 different categories of living creatures in nature: man, mammals, birds, fish, and creeping creatures. When formulating the fifth commandment, the Torah referred to life on האדמה, “on the earth,” i.e. the part of nature yielding some sort of harvest. This part of the earth is divided into 5 categories, i.e. fields yielding a grain harvest; vineyards; vegetable gardens, orchards, forests growing trees for making furniture, heating, etc. There are also five basic kinds of metals that the earth yields for man: gold, silver, copper, iron and lead.
The sixth commandment לא תרצח, was placed in sixth position as 6 different character traits may be responsible for a human being murdering another human being. They are: jealousy, greed, hatred, anger, irresponsibility, and drunkenness. The first murder was committed against a human being who had been created on the sixth day (of the week and of creation).
The seventh commandment, לא תנאף, is appropriately number seven as there are seven forbidden sexual relationships. 1) sleeping with a woman married to someone else; 2) sleeping with any woman including one’s own when she is in a state of menstruation. 3) A High Priest must not marry a widow. 4) An ordinary priest must not marry a divorcee. 5) sexual relations with animals. 6) homosexual relations. 7) sexual relations with non-Jews. There are seven prohibitions (6 are Rabbinic) that might lead to such forbidden sexual relations. 1) visual, i.e. a situation which may cause arousal because one has viewed what is forbidden. 2) Aural arousal, i.e. listening to the seductive voice of a woman with whom relations are forbidden. 3) secreting oneself with such a woman; 4) conversation with her. 5) touching her; 6) kissing; 7) the actual deed.
The eight commandment לא תגנב, is in eighth place as there are eight varieties of violating this commandment. 1) wrong numbering; 2) wrong measuring; 3) wrong weights; 4) withholding found property. 5) kidnapping a Jew or Jewess. 6) stealing money. 7) גנבת דעת, deliberately misleading, i.e. “stealing somebody’s mind.” 8) “stealing for oneself,” i.e. embezzling funds entrusted to one by using them for one’s own needs in a legally permissible way such as if one is a trustee of funds of an orphan using these funds or part of them to pay for a wedding or even to become the dowry of the trustee’s son marrying such a female orphan. Concerning this way of taking advantage of one’s position as a trustee the Torah wrote (Leviticus 19,13) “You shall not defraud your fellow; You shall not commit robbery.”
The ninth commandment, לא תענה, was placed ninth because it is well known that the ninth (highest) celestial sphere ערבות contains the throne of G’d’s glory where He stored the souls prior to assigning them to bodies; deserving souls return to that region after death. Anyone who testifies falsely denies the existence and significance of that region and as a result his soul will never return to its sacred origin. Finally, the tenth commandment לא תחמוד was placed in tenth position as anyone who covets other people’s possessions and money will not be likely not give up a tenth of the money he already has; he will not set aside his tithes, etc. By placing this commandment in tenth position, the Torah found an elegant way of warning people that the positive commandment of paying one’s tithes is conceptually linked to the negative commandment not to covet. This commandment concludes the list of the Ten Commandments which correspond to the ten celestial spheres The fact that they have not been listed in the order corresponding to the sequence of the ten emanations is testimony to the deep wisdom of our sages who have said that the Torah is under no obligation to write matters in a chronological sequence of events These sages have displayed deep insight into how all of the 613 commandments are represented in the Ten Commandments and the 613 letters that the list comprises. They have even revealed to us the reason for the absence of the letter ט in this version, i.e. the absence of the words למען ייטב לך, a promise written in the second set of Tablets in the Book of Deuteronomy. Kabbalists suggest that the reason may have been that G’d knew that this set of Tablets was going to be smashed and He did not want the letter ט which symbolises טוב to be smashed (compare Baba Kama 55).