Day 70 - Exodus : Chapter 20

The thread that connects people is amazing. I've been wanting to call my dad since yesterday. I somehow felt that something had happened. Couldn't get him yesterday. Spoke to him the first thing in the morning. One of his long time friends, Kumarettan, had died yesterday in an accident. He said, the whole evening, he's been pondering over everything in the past 30 years !

"Any mans death diminishes me,
     because I am involved in Mankind"
~ John Donne

Exodus 20 : The Ten Commandments
In a thunderous voice, God speaks the commandments by which the Israelites are to live. There are actually more than 10 if you take every sentence as a commandment. Was surprised to see the corresponding Wikipedia entry in which different groups parse them differently. The Orthodox version is below.

1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me 
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol 
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God 
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy 
5. Honor your father and mother 
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery 
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife . You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

People hear God's voice and tremble with fear. They tell Moses that they don't want God to talk to them. It is fine if Moses talks to them. They stay far away from Mount Sinai.

God gives instructions to Moses about building an altar.
"In every place that I set aside for you to worship me, I will come to you and bless you. " [24]