Here in America, we hear a great deal of talk in the Christian world about the Ten Commandments. True, there are statues in our Supreme Court of Moses carrying the sacred tablets and the Ten Commandments can be found in the halls of many of our oldest universities and courts of justice. Christian parents can often be heard commenting about how bad things have gotten in the USA "ever since they took the Ten Commandments out of the schools."

THE TORAH: PRAISE THE LAW!

"Torah" is a Hebrew word that means teaching, instruction or law. The Torah is also known as the Law of Moses as well as the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), also referred to as the Pentateuch (Greek for "five containers," which refers to the scroll cases in which books were being kept). The Torah is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews for centuries. The Torah is written in Hebrew, the oldest Jewish language. Torah primarily refers to the first section of the Tanakh- an acronym, based on the letters T (for "Torah"), N (for "Neviim," the Prophets), and K (for "Ketuvim," the Sacred Writings). It is the collection of the teachings from God to human beings in written form - which is sometimes used to refer to Judaism's written law and oral Law, encompassing the entire spectrum of authoritative Jewish religious teachings throughout history, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrash, and more.

For Jews, the Torah was traditionally accepted as the literal Word of God as given to Moses. For many, it is the primary guide to the relationship between God and man, and the whole meaning and purpose of that relationship, a living document that unfolds over the generations.

To the Hebrews, it explains what God requires of them regarding the manner in which they live their lives and the things they should do, can do, and should not do. It spells out the manner in which God was to be approached and how the Hebrews were to keep the Law. The acid test for the chosen people of God was and is their conformity to these Laws.

IS "GOOD" GOOD ENOUGH?

In case one wonders what it is God requires in the Torah, there are HUNDREDS of Laws and statutory requirements revealed there. There are civil laws for functioning as a community, ceremonial laws regarding the sacrificial system and atonement for sin, and there are the moral laws, the Ten Commandments, that are intended to help one live righteously before God.

With so many laws, one cannot help but wonder if ANYONE can actually keep even PART of them. After all, with our propensity toward evil-doing, surely there are NONE among us who could now, or ever, have towed the line.

Let's say I was "good enough" to obey 100 of 300 statutes of the Law. I didn't speed or spit on the sidewalk, for example. Is my keeping of that small portion of the Law enough to merit the favor of my Holy Creator? How would I ever know? Do we then humanize God and hope that He will grade us on some sort of Celestial Curve and assume that He merely requires us to do the best we can?

GUARANTEE: No one will gain God's favor by their own ability to keep the Law because we humans are unable to keep it. 1 John 3:4 says "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." No, self-righteousness simply won't cut it with God. Isaiah says "our righteousness is filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6)

Leviticus 19:2 declares, "Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Are YOU holy? God is. He has no unrighteousness in him but the Scripture says, "There is no one righteous, not even one, (Romans 3:10)." According to my Hebrew Lexicon, the Hebrew word for "unrighteousness" is pronounced "eh'-vel" and is defined as "unrighteousness, violent deeds of injustice, injustice of speech or injustice generally. It refers to evil actions, speech, or even unspoken thoughts.

Ouch.

A drop of unrighteousness will forever stain that which is righteous. Holiness is moral perfection. It is being perfect and completely righteous. To sin even once is to NEVER regain perfection again. The Hebrew word "holy" (qodesh) means "separateness." We use the word "sanctified." We are to "come out from among them and be separate" from the fallen world, holy vessels of the Lord. We are required by God, according to the Torah, to be holy as God is holy.

How's that coming, by the way?

Isaiah wrote that God is "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts," (Isaiah 6:3). I learned in Bible College that, any time God uses a word or phrase more than once, He's using a phrase of exclamation, trying to call attention to its supreme importance. God requires us to be holy. Impossible? NOT if we keep the Law perfectly.

You go first.

It's easy. All you have to do is never sin. Just keep that Law perfectly at every point without fault and you will merit a true holiness before God.

Go ahead.

Try not to think of a long, red, unlit candle. You can't do it? Me neither.

Now, try not to sin. Even if that were possible, one would get prideful about their ability to be perfect.

That's sin, too.

How can anyone keep the Ten Commandments perfectly? If we covet our neighbor