But who actually determines what is right? And what is moral? Israel's government? Emmanuel Macron? Or perhaps the UN?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe once said that "there are two types of laws – laws that create life and laws created by life. Human laws were created from life, therefore they differ in every country according to the country's conditions. God's Torah is a divine constitution that creates life. The Torah is equal in all places and at all times, an eternal Torah. There is no value to justice and righteousness when these are built only on laws established by people."

The most basic codex of humanity's laws was received at Mount Sinai. Commandments such as "I am the Lord your God," "Honor your father and mother," and "You shall not murder." From those Ten Commandments emerged and continue to reach us today thousands of laws and regulations that create life. They are not pragmatic, they do not rise to a second, third, or fourth reading, and they do not change back and forth according to political weather or poll results. They primarily ensure, like a compass needle, that we will always find the true north – and also the compass in our hearts.

Often, one of the things that demonstrates to us more than anything else the dimensions of hatred and evil directed toward us from Gaza is found in footage of local children. Whether in dreams about "killing Jews," in educational materials, or in terror camps. And this is far more distressing and disheartening than seeing such adults. Why? Because children are a preview of what is still buried in the ground – of the seeds that contain the blossoming of the future.

Like a perfect mirror image, the Midrash tells that when God wanted to give the Torah to Israel, He requested guarantors, as before signing a loan. The children of Israel offered various distinguished guarantors, but only when it was suggested that "our children will be guarantors for us" did the Holy One agree and give the holy Torah to the people of Israel.

And why specifically the children? Because when God wanted to give the Torah, He essentially made a trade – He gave the Jewish people His most precious possession ("Your Torah is better to me than thousands of gold and silver"), and expected to receive something in return. A win-win situation. Precisely millions of children of the people of Israel, the future of the Jewish people at any given moment, are the reason that convinces God that the investment in us will always be quite worthwhile.

May we merit a joyful holiday, and may we receive the Torah this year with joy and inwardly together with all IDF soldiers, the hostages and their dear families, and feel as we did then, beside Mount Sinai – one united people.

Rabbi Moni Ender is the head of Chabad's public relations

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Sotheby's dates the tablet to approximately 1,500 years ago, during the late Roman-Byzantine era. The stone artifact, weighing approximately 115 pounds and extending 24 inches in length, features the Ten Commandments carved in ancient Hebrew script.

Jacob Kaplan, who discovered the tablet in 1943, reported that it was initially found in 1913 during railroad construction along Israel's southern coastline. According to Kaplan, the stone had been repurposed as flooring in a residence, with its inscribed surface facing upward. Kaplan, who passed away in 1989, documented his findings in a scientific journal in 1947.

The artifact's ownership history includes several transfers: it passed to an Israeli antiquities dealer in 1995, then to Brooklyn's Living Torah Museum, before being acquired by collector Mitchell S. Kapel in 2016 for $850,000. Kapel sold the tablet Wednesday at Sotheby's New York.

The tablet presents a distinctive version of the Ten Commandments, notably omitting the commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain and including a directive to worship at Mount Gerizim, a location revered by Samaritans in Judea and Samaria.

The auction proceeded despite significant expert skepticism regarding the tablet's authenticity. "This region's antiquities market is notorious for forgeries," noted Brian E. Daniels, director of research and programs at Philadelphia's Penn Cultural Heritage Center. However, he added, "There remains the possibility that it is entirely authentic and represents a genuine historic discovery."

Christopher A. Rolston, who heads the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at George Washington University, challenged the dating assertion. "Sotheby's claim of the Samaritan Ten Commandments inscription being roughly 1,500 years old cannot be verified," he told The New York Times. "Without archaeological context or documented discovery, we can't even confirm who originally found it."

Rolston further questioned the discovery narrative, "The absence of any 1913 documentation is problematic, particularly since forgers and antiquities dealers commonly fabricate such origin stories to lend credibility to inscriptions. This could well be an invented narrative."

Selby Kiffer, Sotheby's senior specialist in books and manuscripts, emphasized the stone's physical deterioration patterns as crucial dating evidence. He particularly noted the significance of the script style, explaining, "The ancient Hebrew script provides crucial dating evidence, as we have clear historical records of when it ceased to be commonly used."

"This exceptional price reflects the artifact's unprecedented historical significance," remarked Richard Austin, Sotheby's worldwide head of books and manuscripts. "To stand in the presence of this tablet is remarkable – it represents a tangible link to the shared foundations of faith and culture that continue to influence our world today."

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Former President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind displaying the Ten Commandments in all United States schools, following a controversial new law in Louisiana mandating such postings in classrooms.

Speaking to over 1,000 predominantly evangelical Christians at a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC, Trump expressed his enthusiasm for the biblical text. "Has anyone read the 'Thou shalt not steal'?" the presumptive GOP presidential nominee asked the audience, according to the New York Post. "I mean, has anybody read this incredible stuff? It's just incredible. They don't want it to go up. It's a crazy world."

The former president's comments come on the heels of a new law in Louisiana, which took effect Thursday, requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom, including colleges. This mandate has already faced opposition, with the American Civil Liberties Union threatening legal action, arguing that it violates the separation of church and state.

Trump later took to social media to further express his support. The New York Post reports he wrote in all capital letters, "I love the Ten Commandments in public schools, private schools, and many other places, for that matter. Read it — how can we, as a nation, go wrong?" He added, "This may be, in fact, the first major step in the revival of religion, which is desperately needed, in our country."

During the event, Trump also voiced concerns about what he perceives as threats to Christianity in the United States. He suggested that these threats were partly due to immigration policies implemented by Democrats. "The reason the radical left will always come after religious believers is simple," Trump stated. "Because they know that our allegiance is not to them, our allegiance is not to them, our allegiance is to our country and our allegiance is to our creator."

Trump's endorsement of religious symbols in schools appears to be part of a broader strategy to mobilize religious conservative voters for the upcoming November elections. As the debate over the role of religion in public education continues, this issue is likely to remain a focal point in the political discourse leading up to the presidential race.

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