This new version of the Eilu Devarim (lit., “These are the things,” which is also sometimes referred to as the “Rabbinic Ten Commandments”), recited before daily prayer, recognizes that it may be difficult for those coming from abusive households to honor their parents. Other changes have been made as well in this contemporary rendering of the prayer.
These are the obligations that enhance our world,
Honoring compassionate friendship,
performing acts of compassion and justice,
recognizing the need for education during any point in life,
welcoming the stranger,
showing equality to all people no matter where they are on the journey called life,
mourning and celebrating a life passed on,
turning life into a prayer,
creating peace out of moments of chaos,
Rejoicing in TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. because it encompasses them all!
