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Fifty days after leaving Egypt, the people stand at the foot of Mount Sinai. Thunder, lightning, smoke. Moshe goes up the mountain and comes back down with stone tablets, the Aseret HaDibrot. Forty days later, the people build a golden calf, Moshe smashes the tablets, then carves a second set. The whole edifice of Jewish law begins here.
Cultural note, The 10 commandments are not numbered the same way in Jewish tradition vs. Christian tradition. In Jewish tradition, "I am the Lord your God" is the first commandment (the Christian first). Israelis use "עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת" as a phrase for any non-negotiable rules ("the 10 commandments of Israeli driving").
Sinai Vocabulary
Aseret HaDibrot: The Ten Commandments
Golden Calf Vocabulary
Torah & Law Vocabulary
The Theophany: Exodus 19:16-20
The morning of the third day. The most dramatic scene in the Torah. Thunder, lightning, dense cloud, the sound of a shofar, and then God descends in fire.
The 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:2-14 (full text)
The full text. In Torah scrolls and synagogues, written in two columns of five. Most Israelis can recite the opening line by heart.
The 13 Attributes: Exodus 34:6-7
After the golden calf, Moshe asks to see God\'s glory. Instead, God passes by and proclaims the י"ג מִדּוֹת, the thirteen attributes of mercy. Recited on Yom Kippur and during selichot.