Ten Utterances for “Torah for the 22nd Century"

Dear companions in the struggle for justice, freedom, and democracy,

I am continuing to work on “Ancient Torah Transformed for the 22nd Century,” and the text that follows will be the Ten Utterances from Sinai as I imagined them, transformed for and beyond the year 2100. I will be sending these to a new and growing Substack. For the Substack, I will be free to write or share whatever is tickling my fancy or keeping me up at night whenever I wish, in addition to and beyond what I send in my weekly Shalom Center Prophetic Envoy email.

I strongly invite you to join the Substack by clicking RebArthurWaskow.substack.com. I will be able to use Substack as I used to use “prophetic voices.” So if you want to be able to get such materials, please be sure to sign up at Substack even now, right now. 

Many thanks and blessings of Shalom,

Arthur

1. Anokhi, I, YHWH, [pronounced Yahhhh, or Breath of life] drew on all the sacred energies of the Universe — Elohim — to liberate you, the Godwrestling Folk, and many other peoples and communities, from subjugation and various forms of slavery. No separate individual element of the universe is God, but every element of the universe has an aspect of Godliness and should be treated with reverence and love.

2. When you address God or discuss God, do not use “Lord” or “King” or other words from the language of hierarchy. Use wordsfrom the language of ecology — InterBreath, Wellspring, Love. 

3. Swear rarely and with truthful loving care if you need to swear by the name YHWH or any other name that affirms the interconnection of all elements of the universe.

4. Remember and observe Shabbat day and keep it holy. Each Shabbat shall remember and observe the rhythmic restfulness needed by all elements of the cosmos, especially by human beings who intend to embody and enact freedom, or regard themselves as members of the Godwrestling Folk. This Shabbat shall also be observed to honor and encourage the freedom of all members of a free community. Six days (or less when and where the economy can support additional or other days of rest) shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of YHWH your God. You shall not do any work, you, your spouse, your children, anyone whom you employ as your worker, the stranger who is within your settlements, and animals and plants with whom you are closely associated. Midrashically interpret ancient Torah’s provision for the sabbatical years called shmita and yovel to come as close as possible to a year-long Shabbat for the whole society in which you live. 

5. Honor all members of your community and your broader society, of any sexuality and gender. Honor your parents and grandparents, children and grandchildren. 

6. You shall not murder. Members of the Godwrestling Folk shall not take part in any war unless a state-run armed force actually invades the territory of the national society in which they live. 

Individuals may, if they choose, call into effect physicians to aid them in choosing how and when to die. They may define, in writing, conditions under which, at a future time, these provisions will go into effect. 

7. Honor the nonviolent attractive elements of other human beings not by invading or envying another’s sexual partnerships or commitments nor by stealing another’s property or wisdom — all aspects of Greed — but by respecting such attractive elements in another person or group as an ecological difference with which you seek a friendly relationship.

8. If you or ancestors by blood or thought have suffered biting trauma that continues to poison your relations, interpersonal or  intercollective, do not turn your energy toward revenge against those who  may  have perpetrated the trauma or toward others, but to clearing yourselves of the trauma.

9. You shall not bear false witness against another person or group of people. 

10. What do YOU want to add?

I welcome your comments, both supportive and critical. Remember, these Ten Utterances are intended to be part of Torah as Transformed for use by the Jewish people and others, before or by the year 2100. You can write me directly at AWaskow@theshalomcenter.org or, I would prefer to build a space of deeper exploration by having you register as part of the Substack. Please register at RebArthurWaskow.substack.com.