6.° mandamiento: No matarás

We have arrived at the sixth commandment. You shall not kill. In Hebrew, there are only two words. Lo is the Hebrew word that means no. And then we only have the verb Ratzah. The word Ratzah is used in 1 Kings chapter 21 to describe when Aqab killed Anabot to keep his land. Therefore, Ratzah can describe a premeditated murder. But almost half of the times this word appears, it refers to the cities of refuge. In ancient Israel, there were six cities that were designated as a refuge so that a Ratzah, a person who had killed another unintentionally, could flee there. We would not call that murder. We would call it involuntary homicide. Exactly. That is why it translates as killing, because it can be intentional or not. You shall not kill. Yes, because that is what Ratzah means, to put an end to a life, regardless of the intention or the premeditation. Of course. Apparently, human life is so valuable that it deserves this general prohibition. Do not put an end to a life. Do not do it. Human life is so fundamental, so important and so valuable that the premise is, do not kill.

Do not do it. Exactly. However, after the Ten Commandments, we also have another collection of mandates for ancient Israel. This is in Exodus chapters 21 to 23. And these complement and expand the Ten Words or Sayings. They are additional laws that specify the Sixth Commandment. ¿Qué pasa si matas a alguien por accidente? ¿Qué pasa si es en defensa propia? ¿O para defender tu casa? Estos mandatos abordan todas esas complejidades. Very well. But the first time the topic of killing is mentioned, it is a simple prohibition of two words. Yes. Do not kill. Do not do it. Exactly. The value of human life is such that it should always make us stop, stop. Y asegurarnos de que nuestra prioridad sea proteger la vida. Es la premisa básica. Y tal vez sea relevante señalar que tanto tú como yo, en este momento, no estamos tratando de hacer declaraciones oficiales sobre la legitimidad de la pena de muerte. Sí, o en qué situación puedes defender a tu familia. Sí. O qué pasa si soy un soldado y todo ese tipo de cosas. Eso viene después. Y es necesario que reflexionemos sobre eso.

Todos debemos reflexionar sobre esas cuestiones en nuestras comunidades, en nuestro contexto. En otras palabras, el sexto mandamiento es un tipo de literatura sapiencia alta. Bueno, si damos vuelta, este mandamiento se convierte en un llamado a proteger la vida. Sí. El propósito de los mandamientos de Dios es preservar la vida. Y de los diez, este sexto mandamiento lo deja perfectamente claro. Lo que quiere decir es que lo mejor de nuestro pensamiento, lo mejor de nuestras energías, nuestra mayor sabiduría y nuestra convicción moral se alinean más con Dios cuando enfocamos todo eso a la preservación y el florecimiento de la vida. Subtítulos realizados por la comunidad de Amara.org