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One of the highlights of Parashat Yitro is the Aseret HaDibrot.
The Aseret HaDibrot appear twice in the Torah: once in Yitro when Bnei Yisrael are at Har Sinai, and once in Va'Etchanan when Bnei Yisrael are about to go into Eretz Yisrael. The two sets of Dibrot contain many differences.
One well-known difference regards Shabbat; in Yitro it says “Zachor,” “remember” (Shemot 20:8), and in Va'Etchanan the Torah states “Shamor,” “observe” (Devarim 5:12). Another famous difference is that the reason given to keep Shabbat is different. In Yitro, the reason is that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Shemot 20:11). In Va'Etchanan, the reason is that we were slaves in Egypt and Hashem took us out (Devarim 5:15).
Besides these well-known differences, there are many other more subtle differences. First, additional phrases – such as “Lema’an Yanu’ach Avdecha” (ibid. 5:14) and “Lema’an Yitav Lach” (ibid. 5:16) – are found in Va'Etchanan. Second, there are word substitutions - such as “Eid Shakeir” (Shemot 20:13) in Yitro and “Eid Shav” (Devarim 5:17) in Va'Etchanan. Third, the order of the objects to not covet varies between the two versions. Fourth, there are single letter variations, like the letter Vav is added or removed.
All in all, there are more than twenty-five differences between the two versions. Although some are minor and may not seem very important, others affect both the content and the meaning, and leave us with some major questions. How are we to understand all these differences? Why are there two versions of the Dibrot at all? Did Hashem make the changes or was it Moshe Rabbeinu changing the wording?
There are several different approaches taken by the Mefarshim to account for these differences. On one extreme, including Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and others, say the differences are insignificant. When Moshe repeated the Aseret HaDibrot in Devarim, he preserved the original meaning. According to Ibn Ezra and Ramban, the set of Dibrot in Yitro was given by Hashem at Har Sinai and it was this wording that was written on both sets of the Luchot. The version in Va’Etchanan was modified by Moshe Rabbeinu forty years later before they entered the land of Israel. Why did Moshe make changes? Rabbi Shmuel David Luzatto explains that Moshe wanted to give specific messages to the new generation that was about to enter the land of Israel. According to the commentary Ho’il Moshe, the new version demanded more and was appropriate for the higher level that Bnei Yisrael was now on. On the other hand, others say that the second set was a downgrade, appropriate for the lower level of Bnei Yisrael after the Cheit Ha’Eigel.
At the other extreme the Talmud Bavli, Rashi, and others, maintain that both versions of the Aseret HaDibrot were transmitted simultaneously. As we say in Lechah Dodi: “Shamor V'Zachor BeDibur Echad,” “Observance and Remembrance were uttered simultaneously.” According to this approach, both versions are equally original and important, and both were said by Hashem at Har Sinai. According to this
approach, which is cited by Rav Saadia Gaon, each set of Luchot had both versions: the Yitro version on one side and the Va'Etchanan version on the other side.
A third approach is more moderate and falls somewhere in the middle of previously discussed ideas. Reish Lakish and Malbim say that Hashem made the changes to the Dibrot following the Cheit Ha’Eigel but prior to giving the second set of Luchot. According to this view, the Aseret HaDibrot in Yitro were written on the first set of Luchot and the Va'Etchanan version was written on the second set. Netziv maintained this as well and brought a proof from Bava Kama meaning – ט.ב. where the Gemara explains that the root ,נה. good – appears in the Dibrot of Va'Etchanan and not in the Dibrot of Yitro because the first set of Luchot was destined to break. The Gemara clearly connects the Va'Etchanan version with the second set of Luchot.
Regardless of the approach one takes, all are in agreement that it was at this time in our history that the Jewish people as a whole accepted upon themselves the Aseret HaDibrot, as well as all of the six-hundred thirteen Mitzvot, that will forever guide us as a nation.