21 September 2011

Fourth commandment

Shabbos has two dimensions: the first directly between man and God; the second between man and man with God mediating between the upper classes and the lower classes. 
The second version of the fourth commandment in Deuteronomy 5:15 has zakhor invoked not for the Sabbath day but for God taking a servile Israel out of the Egyptian people. This replicates the double dimension of sheviit/shemitta with sheviit being directly between man and God; and shemitta being between man and man, with God mediating. 
The other Shabbos, the monthly Shabbatot, also has two dimensions: pesach is about the role of God in the demography of the Israelite nation; succot is about the role of God in the geography of the Israelite nation. 

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