EXOD353 It is a positive commandment to believe that there is a God in existence as Scripture states [this verse]; and He--be He blessed and exalted--brought all existing entities into being, and all the world, by His power and blessed wish. It is He who watches over everything. This is the foundation of our faith, and whoever does not believe this denies the very main principle [the one and only God], and he has no share or right among the Jewish people. We are duty-bound to be ready to give our life and our might and main for this belief. The main thing, though, is to fix firmly in one's heart and soul that this is the truth, and nothing other than this is possible.

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EXOD352 Belief in Hashem's existence. One must believe that the universe has only one God, that everything that exists, existed and will exist in all of Creation is His doing and results from His will. This one God took our nation out of Egypt and gave us His Torah. Do not let your heart entice you into thinking that our liberation from Egyptian enslavement and the plagues suffered by Egypt occurred by chance. One must know that Hashem redeemed us from Egypt. It was His Will and His doing, and every detail of it was under His supervision. He brought it about, as He had promised to our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. It is obvious to all that this principle is the focal point of the Jewish faith. Anyone who denies this principle denies all of Judaism and is not considered a part of the Jewish People. Every Jew must enter these basic beliefs into his or her consciousness, and there must be no doubt about these principles at all. When a Jew is asked about his/her religious beliefs, he/she must immediately respond that these are his/her beliefs. Never would he/she exchange these beliefs for any others, even if threatened with death. We fulfill this mitzvah in the optimal fashion when we understand in our hearts and see with our eyes that these beliefs are indisputably true and it is impossible to believe otherwise. This mitzvah is one of the six constant mitzvos, for we must be conscious of this basic belief at all times, every minute of the day and for all of our lives (See Introduction to Sefer HaChinuch, cited in the Mishnah Berurah, Siman 1, in the Biur Halachah, s.v. Hu Klal).

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EXOD354 When I searched for the most essential principle, the cornerstone of our religion, I found the wholehearted acknowledgement of God's unity to be its root and foundation. It is the very first of the Torah’s gates, and it is the acknowledgement of God's unity that separates the believer from the nonbeliever. It is the central truth of the religion; Whoever deviates from it will be unable to practice [his religious duties] properly or hold on to any belief. For this reason, the first words of God directed to us on Mount Sinai were: “I am Hashem your God.... Do not have any other gods” (Shemos 20:2-3), and later on He exhorted us through His prophet, saying: “Listen [Shema], Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is one” (Devarim 6:4). You must understand this section (the “Shema”) until its end, and see how its words proceed from subject to subject, covering ten subjects, corresponding to [the number of] the Ten Commandments. First, we are commanded to believe in the Creator, as it says: “Listen, Israel: Hashem.” The word “listen” [shema] is used here not in the sense of listening with the ear, but in the sense of believing in the heart, as in the verses: “We will do and we will listen” (Shemos 24:7); “Listen, Israel, and be careful to do it” (Devarim 6:3). Whenever the word “listen” is used in this way, the intended meaning is none other than to believe and accept. After being commanded to believe in the reality of Hashem's existence, we are then commanded to believe that He is our God, as it says: “... is our God.” Then we are commanded to believe that He is truly one, as it says: “Hashem is one.” After commanding us to believe in and accept the three fundamentals just mentioned, Scripture then moves on to what we must add to them, namely, the wholehearted love of God, in the inner life and the outer life, with our souls and with our might, as it says: “Love Hashem, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (ibid. 6:5). I will explain this, with the Almighty's help, in the Gate of Love of God. Scripture then goes on to caution us about the duties of the heart, saying: “These words which I command you this day must be on your heart” (ibid. 6:6), meaning that one should keep them always in one's heart and believe in them in the depth of one's being. Then Scripture proceeds to those duties of the limbs which require both knowledge and action, as it says: “Teach them to your children and [if you have no children] speak of them” (ibid. 6:7); to educate a child is not the only reason why an adult should study. Scripture then continues: “…when you are at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up” (ibid.), for there is never anything to keep the heart and tongue from fulfilling their duties, as may happen to the other limbs. We have already discussed, in the Introduction, how the duties of the heart are perpetually binding. All this serves to reinforce what was stated in the previous verse (“These words which I command you this day must be on your heart”): By keeping these words on one’s lips continually, they are ever in one's consciousness, and one’s thoughts are never empty of God. This is like what was said by King David: “I have placed God always before me” (Tehillim 16:8), and by Scripture: “It is a thing very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you can do” (Devarim 30:14). Scripture then proceeds from duties of the limbs [which require both knowledge and deed] to those which consist of action alone, and gives three examples: “[1] Bind them as a sign on your hand and [2] let them be a frontlet in the center of your head. [3] Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates” (ibid. 6:8-9). The references here are to the tefillin, worn on the hand and head, and to the mezuzah, which bring one to remember the Creator, to love Him wholeheartedly, and to long for Him, just as lovers keep their love in mind. ... Scripture gives three [ways of remembering God], so that they be stronger and more lasting [in effect], as the Wise One [King Solomon] said: “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Koheles 4:12). This section thus covers ten subjects; five of them are spiritual, and five of them physical. The spiritual ones are: (1) Hashem exists; (2) He is our God; (3) He is one; (4) We should love him with all our hearts; (5) We should serve him wholeheartedly. The five physical ones are: (1) “teach them to your children”; (2) “speak of them”; (3) “bind them as a sign on your hand”; (4) “let them be a frontlet in the center of your head”; (5) “write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” Our Masters come of blessed memory, have said “Why is [the section of] ‘Shema’ placed before [the section] ‘if, then, you carefully obey [my commandments]’ (Devarim 11:13-21)? So that one first except accept upon oneself the yoke of God's kingship, and then accept upon oneself the yoke of the commandments.” (Yerushalmi, Berachos 2:2). It is for this reason that I have placed the Gate of the Unity of God before any other of the book’s gates.

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EXOD355 Characteristic of the Jewish faith is th[e] sense of reality, the reality which does not attach prime importance to material or tangible things which are ephemeral, but which concentrates rather on the moral life as expressed in noble conduct and the will to create an shape, to labor and perform. Every page of the Torah is shot through with this desire to love and to be loved, to be happy and to rejoice the hearts of others [See Deut. xvi. 11-14; xxvi.11]. This sense of reality is fostered by the consciousness of a personal, omnipresent God who reveals himself at Sinai not as the creator aloof from the universe but as one "Who brought the out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" [this verse].

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EXOD357 For jealousy is the rage of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance. (Proverbs 6:34) Jealousy is defined as a state of apprehension of being displaced by a rival. All types of human relationships, religious, economic, and domestic, are susceptible to attacks of jealousy. The first commandment, "Thou shall have no other gods before me" [this verse], is reinforced with the declaration "for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God" as a warning that God is vigilant in the protection of monotheism from pagan encroachments. Top executives are jealous of underlings who scheme to replace them in their dominant positions. They react to such threats with sharpened alertness and undisguised hatred. Husbands and wives are jealous of rivals who attempt to steal the affection of a spouse. A threatened mate reacts with a heightened sense of suspicion and vindictiveness. Most people regard jealousy as a legitimate and justifiable reaction, if facts and circumstances warrant it. Unfortunately, jealousy is an explosive emotion which thrives on suspicion more often than on facts. This is particularly true of jealousy arising from romantic involvements. A biblical verse warns of its a dangerous intensity. "For love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave; the flash thereof are flashes of fire" (Song of Songs 8:6). Groundless jealousy is an emotional aberration which does not respond to logic or moral admonitions. An unreasonably jealous individual is not impressed by charges of unethical conduct. On the contrary, his conviction that he is motivated by moral dictates for the preservation of chastity is progressively hardened and insulated by a sense of self-righteousness. Psychologists attribute extreme jealousy to an inferiority complex. This diagnosis offers little hope for short-range relief.

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EXOD359 One is not to utter any word who sense is heresy (Heaven forbid), or some acknowledgment of idolatry (Heaven forbid). For if anyone acknowledges idol-worship, it is as though he denies heretically the entire Torah, since he denies the very fundamental principle. And we are duty-bound to be ready to give up our lives and our might over this; for in regard to all things that touch on the main principle of our faith, there is an obligation to accept death [if necessary] and not transgress.

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EXOD360 One may not believe in any god besides Hashem. This concept, too, is a centerpiece of the Jewish religion. If someone believes in a false deity, it is as if he denies the entire Torah.

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EXOD361 See [[GEN854]] Genesis 15:16 iniquity DORFFDRAG 66

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EXOD362 The Ten Words are usually divided into two tables. (J.H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. Soncino, 1965, p. 295). This is the five-five division. The first table enumerates a person's duties toward God. The second table describes a person's duties to his fellow human being. I propose a different division for the purpose of ethics: the one-eight division. Let us call it the one-eight hypothesis. I perceive in the Ten Words one moral principle followed by eight moral rules. The Ten Words, thus, constitute the fundamentals of a moral system. What is the moral principle in the Ten Words? Can we find in them something comparable to the golden rule or the categorical imperative or the utilitarian principle? To discover it, we do not need to look beyond the second word: “Thou shall have no other gods before me.” [Exodus 20:3]. This principle is a source of moral rules and does not admit of exceptions. We are always called upon to resist idolatry--to keep our priorities straight by not making power, wealth, prestige or anything else but obedience to God our primary goal and fundamental loyalty. When faced with an ethical choice, we must ask: “Am I being loyal to God? Or am I obeying my nation, my social group, my selfish desires?” This is the principle of priorities. This principle cannot be separated from the first word which describes God as the redeemer from slavery. For the first word, with its emphasis on freedom, describes the kind of God who demands our loyalty. This is a God who cares, an ethical God. To such a God, we owe obedience. For the purposes of ethics, the first and second words are inseparable. Together, they form a compelling moral expression of ethical monotheism. Words three through ten are moral rules. Since they are rules, not principles, we can find exceptions to each. Earlier in this book, I quoted the case of Mrs. Bergmeier which constituted an exception to the Seventh Word. The Maccabees (Jewish freedom fighters of the second century B.C.E.) violated the Sabbath in order to preserve Judaism. Occasionally, there are truly sadistic parents who should not be honored. In some situations, stealing is justified. And so it is for every word.

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EXOD358 Nothing must be done to endanger the holy alliance (Kiddushin) of man and wife. The Rabbis devote five tractates of the Talmud to this theme. Kiddushin and Ketubot deal mainly with marriage settlement; Yebamot with Levirate and prohibited marriages; Sotah with the woman suspected of adultery and Gittin with divorce, not to mention the references to these themes scattered over the other tractates. The Rabbis found it necessary to deal with these themes exhaustively in view of the vagueness of the Biblical laws. These Talmudic laws have been systematically collected into works that are still the authoritative sources of every Rabbi. These are the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides and the Eben Ha'ezer of Joseph Karo [no fewer than 178 sections dealing with marriage and divorce appear in Karo's work]. These authorities warns that intermarriage is likely to mar family purity and sew dissension and produce disreputable children [Deut. vii. 3-4; Ezra ix. 1-2, x. 10-11; Neh. x. 31, xiii. 23-25; Ab. Zara 31b; Eben Haezer xvi. 1; Maimonides Issure Biah xii.I]. Though ne Rabbinic view states that "Gentiles in the Diaspora cannot really be termed idolaters", yet marriage with them is disallowed. [Hull. 13b]. That just as virtue and righteousness flow from the worship of God, so do vice and oppression issue from the ungodly marriage, especially with daughters of the heathen. This will explain the seemingly harsh measures taken, especially by Ezra, against idolatry and immorality, both of which are to be eliminated [this verse, Lev. xix. 4; Deut iv. 15-25]. A "holy people" must remove all obstacles to the purity of family life and regard them as abominations [Deut vii.3]. Marriage is something more than a civil contract; it is an institution based on morality and implying the most sacred duties.

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