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Dave2 wrote:Does that mean that I broke the 6th commandment when I was maybe 12 and locked the doctor out of his examining room and demanded to see his credentials before involuntarily allowing the nurse to give me my shot? Because I think my mom still gets a bit pale when that one comes up.

Well done for a 12 yr. old! Smart and gutsy. You raise an interesting question. More likely you broke the 5th commandment about honoring your parents since it sounds like your mother is the one who bore the greatest suffering as you were disrespectful and disobedient to her. Could probably ask two rabbis and get three opinions. (BTW, rabbi means 'judge', they help us understand and apply the laws.) Equally interesting, you were only 12 and you're not considered to have the religious and ethical responsibility of an adult until you are 13, so I'll have to investigate what if any of the 10C applied to you.

More thread drift: Non-Jews need only follow 7 laws, not 10 to gain admission to heaven. And of the 7 (Noahide Laws), a couple aren't even part of the 10C.

Back OT, I think the original post in this thread is a very well written work of fiction which nevertheless remains an interesting parable.

RoyGBiv wrote: And as for the 6th commandment...
In Hebrew as in English, there are two distinct words (Hebrew רצח ratsach = Murder)
More here: http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/heb/v ... mber=07523" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Here: http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/heb/f ... lation=str" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and here: http://www.truthortradition.com/modules ... ws&sid=225" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry for the thread drift, but the above illustrates the challenges and difficulties of using Christian translations and interpretations of the Jewish texts. Some of what appears obvious in an English translation may often be much more nuanced. The stem of the word translated as "murder" (ratsach) applies only to illegal killing.

The 6th commandment is Exodus 20:13 which in Tanakh says "Lo Tirtzach" (it includes the stem but it is not ratsach as cited in the above links, I'm looking at it right now). "You shall not kill" is 'Lo taharog'. Reading directly from my Etz Hayim (which is Torah and commentary), "Lo Tirtzach" translates as "You shall not murder", but in this case 'bloodshed' includes embarrassing a fellow human being in public so that the blood drains from their face, not providing safety for travelers, and causing anyone the loss of his or her livelihood. "One may murder with the hand or with the tongue, by talebearing or by character assassination. One may murder also by carelessness, by indifference, by the failure to save human life when it is in your power to do so."

With regard to death penalty, in Second Temple times imposition of the death penalty was extremely rare and legally difficult to impose.

Disclaimer: I am not a theologian nor have I ever pretended to be a rabbi on TV or even a sidewalk. When I want to understand New Testament, I'll ask a pastor, when I want to understand Original Testament, I'll ask a rabbi.