The first “commandment” in the Decalogue is not a commandment but a statement. God is introducing Himself and pointing out that what comes next is not from man but from Him. That this was the purpose of the Exodus.
Quick D’var Torah – Parashat Yitro
This week’s parashah gives us the Aseret HaDibrot—the Ten Commandments. But it’s fascinating how they begin:
“Anochi Hashem Elokecha asher hotzeiticha me’eretz Mitzrayim” —
“I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt.”
That’s not a commandment. It’s a statement.
God is essentially saying: Whether you believe in Me or not, I am here. I am your God. I took you out of Egypt.
This opening frames everything that follows. These laws are not a human social contract—they are divine. They’re not based on convenience or politics, but on what God defines as right and just.
That already sets the Torah apart from ancient law codes. Human systems—like Hammurabi’s—were attempts to regulate society. The Torah does that too, but on an entirely different level: holiness, not expediency.
But there’s something deeper going on here.
God is telling the Jewish people:
Do you think I took you out of Egypt just because you were slaves? Just because I oppose slavery?
No. Slavery existed everywhere in the ancient world—and, tragically, well into modern times. God knows slavery will happen. But that’s not why He redeemed us.
He took us out for a purpose.
Freedom is not the goal; it’s the beginning. The purpose of the Exodus is mitzvot—to build a society grounded in justice, morality, and responsibility as God defines them. Not freedom from Egypt alone, but freedom for something higher.
And that leads to another radical difference between the Torah and ancient legal systems: equality before the law.
In many ancient codes, punishment depended on social class—rich and poor were judged differently. Not in the Torah. Before God’s law, everyone stands equal. Wealth, status, power—none of it matters.
That idea—equality before the law—doesn’t come from modern political theory. It comes from the Torah.
So now we understand why the Ten Commandments begin the way they do.
“I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt” isn’t background—it’s the foundation. Redemption wasn’t an end. It was the opening line of a mission.
Something to think about.
Leave a Reply