What was proclaimed to all of Israel at Mount Sinai?

The Ten Commandments, Aseret HaDibrot, are the ten declarations of the covenant at Sinai, written on the tablets (Deuteronomy 4:13). They appear in Exodus 20:2–14 and Deuteronomy 5:6–18. They address God’s identity, rejection of idolatry, misuse of His name, Shabbat, honouring parents, murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and coveting.

The two versions are not identical in wording. Exodus says “remember” Shabbat; Deuteronomy says “guard” it (Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12). The Talmud explains that “remember” and “guard” were spoken together (Shevuot 20b). This gives a candidate a useful way to understand Shabbat as both positive observance and restraint, rather than merely a day off.

The Sinai passage is read publicly on Shavuot (Shulchan Aruch, OC 494:1). For study, compare the two Torah passages rather than memorising only an abbreviated English list. The prohibition translated as “Do not steal” in the Decalogue concerns kidnapping in its immediate legal context (Sanhedrin 86a); ordinary theft is separately prohibited (Leviticus 19:11).

A Beit Din may ask where the declarations appear, or which examples concern obligations to God and to other people. A common mistake is assuming these ten are the whole of Jewish law. They stand within the complete Torah; the traditional total of commandments is 613, not ten (Makkot 23b).