The Sacred And The Profane - Rabbi Desiree R. Ntolo (best books to read all time txt) 📗

own eyes and in the eyes of those who see you. Adorn your table with the fineries that you possess, and serve the finest foodstuffs and wines. But at the same time, avoid excessive indulgence and drunkenness. In fine, simply make it to be a very special day, distinctively different from all the others.’
‘With regards to asking those who break the Sabbath in your house to leave, we urge you to never compromise your quest for Divinity. It is best to fall out with a Human being, than risk the wrath of God the Mighty One.
‘Everything you do while observing the Ten Primordial Laws of God is taken into account. Do not for one moment think that any of your efforts are wasted. You shall realize just what advantages come with obeying these Laws, when you begin to acquaint yourselves with the Mysteries.’
‘Respect the Day of the Lord and keep it holy. But as we have said, learn to recognize the times when concessions are necessary and acceptable. Always be obedient and even a slave to God; but sometimes when necessary, you do not have to be a slave to the Law, or to your Religious Denomination, or to your tradition.’
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
‘This also is a perfect Law. You must show all due respect to your parents. On no account, must you abuse, insult, neglect or disrespect them. In our eyes and before God, nothing justifies an appalling attitude towards parents. Let your parents be in your eyes as God that you have never seen, and show them the same respect as you show your Monarchs and all people in authority in your countries.’
‘The same as they had looked after you when you were young, and even if they had not looked after you properly because of their poverty or state of physical or mental health, do look after your parents from the moment you have the means, and in their old age.’
‘If you have the comfort and the means to support them when they are old and senile, do not put them away in a hostile hostel or old people’s home. But let them live their final years with you, surrounded by the attention, companionship and the warmth of their children and descendants. The only exception to this rule should be if their state of health is such that they need constant professional help and attention which you could not provide; or if they are a danger to you, to themselves and to others.’
‘But if in their old age, their attitude or habits make living with your spouse or your chosen life companion difficult; arrange for your parents to have a habitation in the grounds of your property or immediately close to your home, where you would be able to care for them without them destroying your own relationships with others.’
‘But on no account should you let them interfere with your efforts, in your search for Divine Realization. And if despite your efforts, their attitude is such that you cannot live happily with them, then separate yourself from them and suppress all physical contact with them. But still endeavor to care for them from afar, as much as you can. And even then, on no account, should you return their abusive attitude in a manner alike to theirs.’
‘Obey your parents, no matter how old or stupid you may think they are. Thus if you are ready and on your way to go to Church, Synagogue, Mosque or Temple, and on of your parents asks you to do something useful to them, like fetching water for example; you must first fetch them water, before going to the place of worship. In this case, obeying your parent in doing something useful and needed to him, is much more important than going to the place of worship.’
‘Refusing to obey such a reasonable request from a parent in order to go to the place of worship, will not excuse you before God. You have broken God’s Law of obedience to your parents.’
‘However, if a parent stops you from going to the place of worship and asks you instead to go and worship the Devil with him, or to go and carry out a robbery, you must not obey him or even listen to him. Because he is asking you to break the First Commandment, and (or) the Eighth Commandment that says: ‘You shall not steal.’
‘Notice the difference between the first and second situations, and be wise.’ Be perfect and impeccable, as the Lord your God wants you to be. For that is why that Law was given to you.’
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
‘You shall on no account kill anyone or anything for fun, or out of jealousy; nor to disguise a crime committed either by yourself, your relatives, your friends, or for someone else or for money. But the same as with the other Commandments there are attenuating circumstances even for this Law.’
‘Thus, if you kill a Human being that is trying to murder you, after you have exhausted all attempts at escaping them or protecting yourself, you do not sin in the eyes of God Most High, nor in our eyes. The same goes with animals. While it is permissible to kill an animal that is trying to kill you, or that would otherwise kill you if you spare its life, it is a terrible and an unforgivable sin to kill any animal for no apparent reason, or for sport.’
And if you live where fruit, vegetables, eggs and milk and cheese are in abundance, you shall refrain as much as possible from consuming meat. It is however acceptable to kill an animal and eat it, when you are faced with a famine and where food is not in abundance.’
‘Therefore if you are in danger of being killed by an animal, or of being murdered by a Human being, try to simply wound them in order to incapacitate them and to give you the chance to escape. If it is a Human being, let him be judged and dealt with by the law of the Country where you both happen to be.’
‘Few animals are murderous by nature. They kill to survive or for self- protection. Therefore if you wound and escape from an animal that was trying to kill you, it would abandon pursuing you to attend to its wounds.’’
‘But if despite your efforts to only wound them, you kill an animal or a Human being in order to save your own life, you do not sin. But never use excessive force when you are able to escape with less damage to your aggressor. Make use of mercy, pity, love, compassion and understanding when dealing with other living beings. And love and protect them as you would love and protect yourselves, and as you would like to be loved and protected.’
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
‘A vow taken before God, in the Name of God, or over any of the existing sacred scriptures should be scrupulously kept. Thus, marriage vows are very divinely binding and you should never break such vows so as not to become your own killer.’
‘And beware of making any promises that you might not be able to keep in the future. The law of faithfulness in a marriage appeals to your sense of freedom. You are free when you are making a vow. Know and value that freedom, and do not let any carnal feelings control you. Instead, be the master of yourself and of your feelings.’
‘However, no matter how strong you are in keeping vows, feelings of love cannot be forced. So it was divinely decreed and permitted to annul vows and to peacefully divorce a partner with whom a vow had been taken. Therefore it is necessary to vow to be faithful to your partner for as long as love unites you, and as long as that vow keeps you both together. The annulment of the vow and the divorce should be undertaken as happily as the marriage and vow were entered into.’
‘We, ourselves, have found that it is possible to have feelings of love for more than one person. And we have always felt free to show love to all those persons, without making any promises to them, or taking any vows with them. In acting that way, we are also making use of our freedom of decision. So unless you are capable of having true feelings for another person, feelings that can last a lifetime, do not selfishly gamble with another being’s feelings.’
‘Always be sincere with them, explaining that you are only capable for loving for the moment and for as long as the feeling lasts. There is, and there should be no divinely binding laws amongst you, such as the ‘indissoluble bounds of matrimony’ imposed on anyone. No religious or civil authority should enforce such a regulation, because God does not ask that of you.’
‘Any love that has died should be laid to rest. And any marriage that has broken down should be dissolved, so that both partners may love other people and remain friends with each other. Much more so if children were produced within such a marriage.’
‘When children have been produced in a marriage, though the vows may be immediately annulled to allow both partners to be free to love other persons, the couple should never live in separate dwellings until the children have become adults, and have experienced love for themselves. They should always be told of any annulment of vows immediately, but the family unit should never be broken until the children are ready to leave home.’
‘However, a family unit in which there exists violence should be immediately split, for the well-being of the children, and for both spouses peace of mind. No children should be permitted to remain with a brutal or abusive parent. And when the abuse takes place between the spouses only, they could only be better parents for their children when they live apart. That is the concession for this Commandment.’
‘But while you are tied by a vow, keep it holy until it is annulled; and do never commit adultery or perjury of any kind; especially when you have taken the Vow of Nazirite in order to realize your Divinity. That is how we, Elyonin deal with the seventh commandment.’

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
‘You should never take, extort or appropriate anything belonging to another person without their consent. But there are concessions even with this law. As such, if for example you have not eaten for a week, or if you have no means to obtain any sustenance despite all your efforts, it is permissible to take and eat food you find unattended, in order to survive.’
‘But before taking it, you should make all efforts to find its owner and ask for their permission to partake of it. If they cannot be found, you should arrange to leave a message or another way of letting them know that it was you who took their property; promising to replace or pay for it as soon as, and when possible. Even if it be in the middle of a desert, you should provide means for the owner to find you easily and claim their due.’
‘For if that food is cooked or prepared, it definitely belongs to someone; and when taking such food, do not take more that you need for that moment only. Also when you find someone with food after going for a week without any, you must ask them for it. If they refuse to give it, never abuse, attack or hurt them to take it to feed yourself. You shall walk away without anger, as you too expect goodness from God, who sees all and who eventually will provide you with nourishment.’
‘A warning goes here to any