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I found the original 10 Commandments. And I’ll share with you where I found them shortly.

Passover is my favorite holiday. I love the ritual, the routine, the creativity; I love the history and the story, even though the two really don’t match up very well. As someone who curiously and contradictorily privileges faith (“There is no proof; you just have to believe!”) and proof (“That seems odd; I’m going to need to see some evidence here!”), I both love the questions Passover raises and love exploring possible answers. That I get to do so when so many others are doing so as well means that the week-long holiday is filled with great conversation, energy, and excitement.

Among the questions asked is the historical veracity of the Passover narrative. We ask, “Did the plagues really happen?” even as we acknowledge that the answer to that question has little bearing on the significance we pay to the holiday. We wonder, “Did the sea really part?” even as we affirm that when we ask the question, we are starting from a place of disbelief and hoping that somehow we can find proof… even as we discount anything offered by way of proof as either a stretch, “bad science,” or coincidence. Some of us ask about other details of the story, like, “Where are the 10 Commandments today?” with a healthy and simultaneous dose of adult skepticism and childlike wonder.

According to tradition, the 10 Commandments were given twice atop Mount Sinai. The first set was shattered by Moses when he saw the people worshipping (or worshipping at) the Golden Calf, and the second set, also given by God, still intact. Both the shards of the first set and the two tablets of the second set were placed in an ark (called the Ark of the Covenant) and carried by the Israelites through their desert wanderings. It was stored in a few locations before finally making its way to The Temple. When The Temple was destroyed, questions emerged about the Ark. Was it, too, destroyed? Was it hidden? Was it removed earlier for safekeeping?

Among the answers to the question, “Where are the 10 Commandments today?” are:

• It is in Ethiopia, given by King Solomon to the Queen of Sheba as a gift of personal courtship and national allegiance;
• It was destroyed in the destruction of The Temple;
• It somehow managed to move a few times and was eventually discovered. It now rests in the Vatican Archives;
• It is in a CIA facility in Virginia (thank you Indiana Jones!).

I do love that these questions capture our imagination during Passover. I love that we focus on the Jewish narrative, the Jewish experience, and the role that text and tradition play in our lives. I love that when we are all so very busy, we find time to dive deeper into the parts of our identities that relate to Judaism and that we often do so in a manner that is both individual and communal.

It's not about the answers—honestly, it’s not even about the questions. It’s about the fact that we take the time to ponder and explore that makes this so special.

As we enter the Shabbat that takes place over Passover, may we find meaning in our observance, in our curiosity, and in the narrative that we share, which continues to deepen our lives and our connection to the ever-important story of the Jewish people.

Shabbat Shalom.

PS: Where did I find the 10 Commandments? I just returned from a trip to Los Angeles for the TCM Film Festival and there, sitting in a glass case in the multiplex connected to the famous TCL Chinese Theatre, are the original 10 Commandments… straight from Cecil B. DeMille to each of us.