The Commandments - May 30, 2020

The holiday of Shavuot, which was just celebrated last week, is a useful illustration of how religion evolves over time. Originally it was an agricultural festival that marked the harvest. But, as the Israelites became more urban, the association with agriculture was lost. The Rabbis, then, associated the holiday with the anniversary of the date the Israelites received the Torah, and all the commandments by which they should live. We know about the Ten Commandments, and many of us are familiar with the concept of 613 commandments. Join us as we peak behind the curtain to see where the 613 might have come from.