It's a pretty radical concept, really.
Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the Book of Exodus, dives right into this. It starts with the verse "These are the ordinances" (Exodus 21:1), linking it to the idea that God "declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel" (Psalms 147:19). The text points out a key difference between us and the Divine. Human leaders often tell others what to do without necessarily following those rules themselves. But, according to Shemot Rabbah, that's not how God works. What He commands, He also embodies.
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) then brings in a fascinating story about Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, and the famous Rabbi Akiva. These towering figures of Jewish law visited Rome and, apparently, got into a debate about this very issue. They argued that God's ways are different because He practices what He preaches. But, wouldn’t you know it, a heretic challenged them: If God commands us to keep Shabbat (the Sabbath), why doesn't He keep Shabbat? Doesn't God bring rain, make the wind blow, and move the stars, all of which could be considered work?
Now, that's a tough question! The rabbis responded with a brilliant analogy. They asked the heretic if a person is allowed to carry things within their own courtyard on Shabbat. When he agreed, they pointed out that, as (Isaiah 6:3) says, "The entire world is filled with His glory." So, the whole universe is, in a sense, God's courtyard! And just as someone can carry a short distance even in a public space, the rabbis invoked (Jeremiah 23:24), "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" to suggest that God's actions are within his own domain, and permissible. It’s a powerful reminder of God’s omnipresence and control.
The narrative then shifts, offering another perspective. Rabbi Abahu, quoting Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Ḥanina, uses the analogy of a king with a beautiful orchard. The king initially guards it alone, but when his sons are old enough, he entrusts it to them, saying, "You shall guard it in the manner that I have guarded it.” Similarly, God established the Torah before creating the world, as (Proverbs 8:30) hints: "I was with Him as a nursling [amon]." Amon, Rabbi Abahu explains, is like a nurse [omen], drawing a parallel to (Numbers 11:12). God gave the Torah specifically to Israel, after they declared, "Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed" (Exodus 24:7). Thus, (Psalms 147:19-20) rings true: "He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel. He did not do so with any other nation."
The Midrash emphasizes that while God gave some commandments to all of humanity – to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Jacob – He gave the full Torah only to Israel. Rabbi Simon, quoting Rabbi Ḥanina, compares this to a king who gives his servants individual scraps from a feast, but gives the entire table to his son.
Rabbi Elazar offers yet another angle. He likens it to a king going to war, giving each soldier a portion of meat to prepare themselves. But to his son, he gives something already prepared for him. The point? God gave other nations basic, "crude" commandments, requiring them to figure out the details themselves. But to Israel, He fully explained each mitzvah (commandment), its punishment, and its reward.
This idea, found in Shemot Rabbah, reminds us that the Torah isn't just a set of rules, but a deep, intimate connection between God and the Jewish people. It's a gift, a responsibility, and a constant invitation to strive for a higher standard, knowing that the One who gave us the Torah also embodies its principles. It encourages us to see the commandments not as burdens, but as opportunities to align ourselves with the Divine. And that, perhaps, is the most compelling reason of all to embrace them.
Another matter, “these are the ordinances” (Exodus 21:1), that is what is written: “He declares His words to Jacob” (Psalms 147:19); these are the commandments, “His statutes and ordinances to Israel” (Psalms 147:19); these are the ordinances. Because the attributes of the Holy One blessed be He are unlike the attributes of flesh and blood. The attribute of flesh and blood is that he instructs others to perform, but he does not perform anything. The Holy One blessed be He is not so. What He performs, He says to Israel to perform and to observe. There was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, and Rabbi Akiva, who went to Rome and expounded: ‘The ways of the Holy One blessed be He are unlike flesh and blood, as they issue an edict and say to others to perform, but the Holy One blessed be He is not so.’ There was a particular heretic there. After [the audience] departed, he said to [the rabbis]: ‘Your words are nothing but falsehood. Did you not say that God says and performs? Why does He not observe Shabbat?’32God brings rain, makes the wind blow, the heavenly bodies pass through the sky, and all of these violate the prohibition of carrying from one domain to another or within a public domain on Shabbat (Etz Yosef). They said to him: ‘Wicked one of the world, is a person not permitted to carry within his courtyard on Shabbat?’ He said to them: ‘Yes.’ They said to him: ‘The upper and lower realms are the courtyard of the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “The entire world is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). And is it not so that even if a person is in a [location where it is] forbidden [to carry]33The public domain. he may carry a distance equivalent to his height?’34One may carry an object in the public domain a distance less than four cubits. He said to them: ‘Yes.’ They said to him: ‘It is written: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”’ (Jeremiah 23:24). Another matter, “He declares His words to Jacob” (Psalms 147:19); Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Rabbi Ḥanina: This is analogous to a king who had an orchard and he would plant in it all kinds of trees. Only he would enter it, as he guarded it. When his sons came of age, he said to them: ‘My sons, I have been guarding this orchard and I have not allowed any person to enter into it. You shall guard it in the manner that I have guarded it.’ So too, God said to Israel: ‘Before I created this world, I established the Torah,’ as it is stated: “I was with Him as a nursling [amon]” (Proverbs 8:30). What is amon? It is a nurse [omen], as it is stated: “As a nurse [omen] carries a nursing child” (Numbers 11:12). ‘I did not give it to any of the idolaters, but only to Israel,’ as once Israel stood and said: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), He immediately gave them [the Torah]. That is, “He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel. He did not do so with any other nation” (Psalms 147:19–20), but to whom? To Jacob, whom He chose over all the idolaters. He gave [the other nations] only a few [commandments]. He gave Adam six mitzvot.35The six were: The prohibition of idol worship; the prohibition of murder; the prohibition of incest and adultery; the prohibition of robbery and kidnapping; the prohibition of blasphemy; the obligation to establish courts of law. He added one for Noah;36He added the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal. for Abraham, eight,37He added the mitzva of circumcision. for Jacob, nine.38He added the prohibition against eating the sciatic nerve of an animal. But to Israel, He gave them everything. Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: This is analogous to a king who had a table set before him with types of cooked dishes. His servant entered and he gave him a piece. The second, he gave him an egg. The third, he gave him a vegetable, and likewise to each and every one. When his son entered, he gave him the entire table that was before him. He said to him: ‘To each of them I gave one portion, but I have placed everything in your possession.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He gave to the idolaters only a few mitzvot. But when Israel arose, He said to them: ‘The whole Torah in its entirety is for you,’ as it is stated: “He did not do so with any other nation.” Rabbi Elazar said: This is analogous to a king who went out to war and his legions were with him. He would slaughter an animal and would distribute to each and every one of them a portion, for him to toil in its preparation. His son looked and said to him: ‘What are you giving me?’ He said to him: ‘From what I prepared for myself.’ Therefore, the Holy One blessed be He gave the idolaters crude mitzvot,39These mitzvot were given to the nations but their details were not defined; that was left for the nations to figure out. Alternatively, He gave them rudimentary mitzvot only. in which they would toil.40They would need to toil to define them. He did not distinguish for them between ritual impurity and purity. Israel came and He explained each and every one of the mitzvot to them, its punishment and its reward, as it is stated: “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth” (Song of Songs 1:2). That is why it says: “His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.”
