‘Not shall you murder’

Through gematria we see that Exodus 20:13 is an absolute law.

This commandment was received by Moses from God himself, and it is just two words:
לא תרצח

“Not shall you murder”

By the conventions of biblical gematria, the word לא (not) means to not count the next word, but it can also mean to not count the first letter of the word when it is iterated, so לא תרצח becomes תר תרצ תרצח with a value of 800, which signifies it is absolute and applies to everyone at any time and any place, and in any situation. It is a law that cannot be reasoned with. There are no excuses or justifications or loopholes around it.

I was naturally appalled by the horrific attack on Israel on October 7th, and I have been equally horrified by the subsequent killing of massive amounts of people in Gaza. I have great trust in God that all the victims will be gently received by the malakhim and conveyed to better lives, but I have seen and heard little public concern for the spiritual consequences that the soldiers will inevitably suffer for raising their hand against God’s law, and this makes me sad.

These incarnations in human bodies are a great gift, and although we may take them for granted, they are not granted to those who violate the most important law of God. Imagine a world without killing and murder. That ultimately is the world for human beings.