In the Torah portion Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23), we look at the ten commandments. If we can faithfully obey these, we have made excellent strides in obeying YHVH. It is definitely true that the two greatest commandments are to love YHVH, and love your neighbor.

He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:26-27 KJV

The ten commandments help us to further understand how to keep those two great commandments. If YHVH had only given us the two commands, there would have been way too much room for personal interpretation. So, He gave us the ten commandments and the rest of Torah to make sure we would understand. This video by Dr. Frank Seekins is a tremendous look at how the ten commandments help us to honor YHVH and honor our neighbor.

July 16, 2011: Dr. Frank Seekins at El Shaddai Ministries from El Shaddai Ministries on Vimeo.

To help my children understand how the ten commandments connect with the two great commands, we did a little activity. All you need is paper and pencil for this one.

Divide the page into two columns. At the top of one, write “Love YHVH.” At the top of the other, write “Love your neighbor.” As a group, decide whether each command should be put under the first column or the second. This is a great opportunity to discuss ways to obey each one. Younger children can either copy the words from a sibling or parent, or they could possibly draw pictures. Simple activity, but I hope it helps your family see how the commands fit together. Enjoy studying with your family!

Never forget what to read for each Torah portion again! Get the Torah portion printable to keep in your Bible by signing up below.

[grwebform url=”https://app.getresponse.com/view_webform_v2.js?u=BxIrO&webforms_id=4720305″ css=”on” center=”off” center_margin=”200″/]