xiphias: (Default)
xiphias ([personal profile] xiphias) wrote2006-09-08 10:47 am
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You know what would be an interesting experiment to do in the United States?

I think it would be very interesting to have a polling firm do the following poll, throughout the United States. Two questions, but the second one would be a bit long:

1. With the caveat that you might be able to see exceptions in some cases, do you, on the whole, come closer to supporting or opposing the display of the Ten Commandments in public, not-overtly-religious buildings such as courthouses, town halls, or schools, and the like?

2. Please name as many of the Ten Commandments as you can.

Question 2 would be scored from 0 to, oh, about 14 or so, with half-points given for partial credit. The reason for going over 10 would be for people who could name multiple versions of commandments, including the "keep" and "remember" distinction in the commandment of the Sabbath, and between the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish versions. Actually, perhaps one would want to score from -1 to 14, to cover people who list things that aren't in the Ten Commandments, such as "Love thy neighbor".

I hypothesize that there would be no correlation between the "support" or "oppose" answer, and how many they could name. And that the average number would be somewhere around 2.

[identity profile] xiphias.livejournal.com 2006-09-08 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
To "keep" it (שמר, "shamar", literally, "to guard") means to follow the laws of Shabbat. Someone who follows the laws of Shabbat is called "shomer Shabbat". The basic meaning of שמר is guarding something -- the same root is used for a bodyguard, a security guard, a military guard, a prison guard. So, it really means, "to guard the Sabbath", and it refers to actions that you do and do not do.

To "remember" it (זחר, I think, although I could have spelled that wrong, "zachar", "to remember") is to bring forth in one's mind the reasons for Shabbat, and to understand it. It is mental and spiritual.

So, by having the two commandments, we are commanded both to obey the laws with our body, by taking and refraining from actions, and to understand and feel the laws with our mind and soul, by thinking and feeling.
cellio: (shira)

spelling

[personal profile] cellio 2006-09-10 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Since you semi-asked... zachar is with a chaf, not a chet. I keep track of this by uzing "yizkor" as a memory aid.