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Who Knows Ten: Children's Tales of the Ten Commandments
Presents each of the Ten Commandments with stories illustrating their meanings.
109 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1990
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June 29, 2019
Published by UAHC (Union of American Hebrew Congregations) Press, this attractively-produced book introduces children to the Ten Commandments, as they are understood by Reform Judaism. Each chapter begins with a discussion of a Commandment, its different levels of meaning, and includes a folktale that demonstrates the relevant lesson.
I discovered this book in the sources notes of Peninnah Schram's The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales , and initially approached it from a folkloric perspective. It is impossible however, to divorce these tales from their religious subtext, which is perhaps why they are such effective teaching tools. Despite the fact that it is aimed at Jewish children, I found that I - an adult, non-practicing Christian woman with serious theological questions - gained a new appreciation for this foundational set of "rules," and their deeper meaning. The tales include:
Commandment I: The Reminder, in which a king promises God that he will not forget where he came from...
Commandment II: The Princess Who Wanted to See God, in which a princess learns that she will find God when she learns compassion...
Commandment III: A Place Called Kushta, in which a king seeks to learn the secret of the eternal youth of the people of Kushta...
Commandment IV: The Sweetest Sound, in which a king learns to value the silence of the Sabbath...
Commandment V: A Big Red Tomato, in which a man who hopes to become an adoptive father learns the importance of honoring his parents...
Commandment VI: His Name Was Chaim, in which a wealthy man discovers that no amount of money will be enough to bribe Chaim to take a man's life...
Commandment VII: The Promise, in which a foolish young man learns that his wife is wiser than he, when it comes to interpreting their marriage vows...
Commandment VIII: The Reward, in which an unscrupulous young man who attempts to fool King Solomon is given the reward he deserves...
Commandment IX: The Gossip, in which the town gossip learns that unkind comments can never be taken back... This folktale of a wise rabbi who uses feathers to teach a lesson can be found in many collections.
Commandment X: The Peach, the Pitcher, and the Fur Coat, in which a young boys longs for his elderly neighbor's possessions...
I discovered this book in the sources notes of Peninnah Schram's The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales , and initially approached it from a folkloric perspective. It is impossible however, to divorce these tales from their religious subtext, which is perhaps why they are such effective teaching tools. Despite the fact that it is aimed at Jewish children, I found that I - an adult, non-practicing Christian woman with serious theological questions - gained a new appreciation for this foundational set of "rules," and their deeper meaning. The tales include:
Commandment I: The Reminder, in which a king promises God that he will not forget where he came from...
Commandment II: The Princess Who Wanted to See God, in which a princess learns that she will find God when she learns compassion...
Commandment III: A Place Called Kushta, in which a king seeks to learn the secret of the eternal youth of the people of Kushta...
Commandment IV: The Sweetest Sound, in which a king learns to value the silence of the Sabbath...
Commandment V: A Big Red Tomato, in which a man who hopes to become an adoptive father learns the importance of honoring his parents...
Commandment VI: His Name Was Chaim, in which a wealthy man discovers that no amount of money will be enough to bribe Chaim to take a man's life...
Commandment VII: The Promise, in which a foolish young man learns that his wife is wiser than he, when it comes to interpreting their marriage vows...
Commandment VIII: The Reward, in which an unscrupulous young man who attempts to fool King Solomon is given the reward he deserves...
Commandment IX: The Gossip, in which the town gossip learns that unkind comments can never be taken back... This folktale of a wise rabbi who uses feathers to teach a lesson can be found in many collections.
Commandment X: The Peach, the Pitcher, and the Fur Coat, in which a young boys longs for his elderly neighbor's possessions...
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