Last weekend was Shavuot. In the diaspora it is a two day holiday. I admit it is an emotional holiday for me. I love Shavuot.
The holiday of Shavuot is the day on which we celebrate the great revelation of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, more than 3,300 years ago. You stood at the foot of the mountain, as did your grandparents and great-grandparents before them. The souls of all Jews, from all times, came together to hear the Ten Commandments from G‑d Himself.
What was involved?
Moses ascended Mount Sinai, and G‑d spoke to him the following words (Exodus 19:3-6): “So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings, and I brought you to Me. And now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be to Me a treasure out of all peoples, for Mine is the entire earth. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation.”
Moses returned from Sinai and called for the elders of the people and put all these words of G‑d before them. Unanimously, with one voice and one mind, the people answered: Naaseh Venishma – “Everything G‑d has said, we will do.” Thus they accepted the Torah outright, with all its precepts, not even asking for a detailed enumeration of the obligations and duties it involved
So last Sunday, June 9, I went to my synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments and reaffirm the covenant with G‑d and His Torah. There are actually 613 commandments, like little holy bread crumbs helping you find your way to G-d. But within the 10, they contain kernels from which the others come.
Number 6 is the one that seems to confuse people. It does not say “Thou shalt not kill”. It says “You shall not murder”. Which is a very different kettle of fish.
I also note it does not say that “You shall not murder by a so-called assault weapon” “You shall not murder using a adequate capacity magazine” “You shall not murder using a shoulder thingy that goes up” “You shall not murder using a ghost gun” “You shall not murder if you are in a citizen registry” “You shall not murder if your ammunition is registered” “You shall not murder if you are taxed so high you can’t afford to defend your family” “You shall not murder with a knife” “You shall not murder with an ax” “You shall not murder with a screwdriver” “You shall not murder with a rope” “You shall not murder with a car” “You shall not murder by drowning” “You shall not murder by poison” “You shall not murder with a chain” “You shall not murder with your hands”.
Just a very simple “You shall not murder”.
And yet, our politicians have put who knows how many gun control laws on the books that only law-abiding citizens will obey in the first place. Criminals are not the least affected by laws, the more the merrier for them.
We can live by G-d’s law or die by man’s I heard a Rabbi say.
So, for your information, here’s a handy clip out guide to the current crop of aspiring tyrants running as the Demoncratic candidates for President of the United States. Where I didn’t come up with a snazzy nickname for one of the aspiring tyrants, feel free to suggest one. Anything in italics is just my comments.
| Aspiring Tyrant | Citizen Control Scheme |
| Joe “Sniffy” Biden | Obligatory Universal background checks
National Database Obligatory “Assault weapons” ban High (adequate) capacity magazine ban Opposes protecting school children |
| Cory “Spartacus” Booker | Universal background checks
Ban on “assault weapons” & Bump Stocks Prohibition of standard-capacity magazines Establish a federal registry of guns Federal registry of gun owners You have to apply to Washington for permission,reapply every five years Inform the executive branch of each weapon you own in your home Use of the error ridden terrorist watch list to prohibit gun ownership. Allow lawsuits against gun manufacturers. “Red flag” gun confiscation |
| Bernie Sanders the millionaire communist | A nationwide ban on assault weapons
Expanded background checks Ban on “high capacity magazine over ten rounds.” A “common sense proposal on guns that will have the support, not of everybody, but a significant majority of American people.” “We need strong sensible gun control, and I will support it,” “I support what President Obama is doing in terms of trying to close the gun show loopholes.” Mostly vague |
| Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren | Obligatory “Assault Weapons” ban
Obligatory “Universal background check” Mostly vague |
| Kamala Harris | Vows to use executive action on “Day 1”
Reminiscent of Valerie Jarrett’s statement obama would be “ready to rule from Day 1” Direct the ATF “to promulgate a regulation” that makes it so that “if you sell five or more guns for profit a year, you will be considered a ‘dealer’ and required to perform background checks.” Ban Semi-automatic firearms Direct the ATF “to promulgate a regulation” that makes it so that “if you sell five or more guns for profit a year, you will be considered a ‘dealer’ and required to perform background checks.” Require universal background checks Ban high-capacity ammunition clips Make gun trafficking a federal crime (no mention if this applies to the ATF as well) Prohibit those convicted of a federal hate crime from buying firearms. Repeal the Protection of Commerce in Arms Act |
| Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke | Obligatory Universal background checks for gun sales
Obligatory weapons ban “Red-flag” gun confiscation laws Close the boyfriend loophole, the Charleston loophole, the gun show loophole, the online loophole<<gibberish Fully invest in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and research into gun violence<<taxpayer fraud |
| Pete Buttigieg | Obligatory Universal background checks for gun sales
Obligatory weapons ban National gun-licensing system |
| Eric “Duke Nukem” Swalwell | Gun Confiscation
Drop nuclear weapons on American Citizens |
You know, on Shavuot, we reaffirm our dedication to G-d and living according to his Torah commandments. I would suggest that to be a candidate for the office of President, the candidates of all parties need to reaffirm their dedication to our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. All of them, every single one. Including the Second Amendment.
But then, see my comment above about criminals and laws. The laws don’t apply to them, right?
That mistranslation — and a couple of linguists have assured me that Sheila is correct — in Christian Books has caused no end of problems. A very convenient “mistake” for those who wanted a monopoly of force excluding the ruled.
I learned about the 10 Commandments back in the early 1980’s in Bible College, and our professor made certain to explain that it was translated as thou shall not commit murder, and not thou shall not kill. He explained that there were many reasons that killing, while never to be done simply for an easy way out of a bad situation, was nonetheless allowed in cases of self defense, where your life or that of another were threatened, and also in time of war, where the defense of your country was at stake.
We actually had a fairly decent discussion on this, as even as far back as this was, there were many liberals beginning to slip into colleges, even Bible colleges, and bringing with them their leftist leanings of not allowing for self defense, but rather expecting the police and the government to take care of them. In class that day, it was mostly female students who spoke up against defensive use of any weapons, but now of course, they have brought beta type males over to their side.
I am not a typical alpha male, and yet I stand for defending my loved ones and my country. From speaking to many men, including my sons, over my lifetime, I have heard over and over the refrain that many men think that they were born a generation or two too late. That they think that they would have fit in much better with the generation of WWII. Because of the thought process back then that allowed for men to act like men, without being ostracized. And where a man who worked in a blue collar job for his entire life, was not looked down upon, but rather celebrated,.
The other thing is, many women I went to high school with feel the same way, that they would have been content to have been able to simply stay at home raising their children, and maintaining a loving home for their family, instead of feeling the pressure to work outside of their home, to bring in a second income.
I have 3 children with my first wife. I ended up divorced, and remarried my 2nd wife, and we adopted 2 sisters. My wife and I decided that she would quit working and stay home with our daughters, since we felt that it was not fair to them, to adopt them, and then allow a stranger to raise them for us. We ended up with less money perhaps than if we both had worked, but we also ended up with much more intangible gains as a family.
Also, Joe Biden should be renamed Joe Touchy Biden. Just sayin.