Reliving the 10 Commandments Every Day... Or Not

The appointed [priest] said to them: “Say one blessing” [one right before the Shema], and they blessed. They then recited the Ten Commandments, 'Shema', 'Vehaya im Shamoa' and 'Vayomer' [the three paragraphs of the Shema]. They also blessed the people with these three blessings: Emet Veyatsiv [the blessing that follows the Shema in the morning prayer], Avodah [the blessing in Shemoneh Esreh calling for G-D to accept the Temple service], and the Birkat Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing]. On Shabbat, they added a blessing for the watch that was leaving.

The Gemara related above that the priests in the Temple read the Ten Commandments, along with the sections of Shema, VeHaya im Shamoa, VaYomer, True and Firm, Avoda, and the priestly benediction.

the Holy One of Blessing said: if you give Me your heart and your eyes I will know that you are Mine.

Judah ben Tema says: "Be as strong as a panther, as light as an eagle, running like a gazelle and mighty as a lion to perform the will of your Father in heaven." He specified four things concerning the service of the Creator, may He be blessed. And he began with ‘strong as a panther’ since it is a great general principle of service to the Creator, may He be blessed, since sometimes a person desires to perform a mitzvah but is prevented from performing it because of people who mock him; therefore he warned that he should have fortitude against the mockers and not refrain from performing the mitzvah. So said Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai to his students: “May it be your will that the fear of heaven be upon you like the fear of flesh and blood.” And so he says concerning the subject of shame, that sometimes a person is ashamed before a person more than he is ashamed before the Creator, may He be blessed. Therefore he warned that you should have fortitude against the mockers and not be ashamed. So too did David, peace be upon him, say “I will speak of your decrees in the presence of kings and not be ashamed,” though he was pursued and he fled among the nations, he had taken strength in his Torah and learned, though they had mocked him. And he said ‘as light as an eagle’ corresponding to the eye’s vision, and compared it to an eagle because just as the eagle soars through the air, so too does the eyes’ vision, meaning that you should shut your eyes from seeing evil, for it is the beginning of transgression, for the eye sees, the heart covets and the person's limbs complete the act. And he said ‘as strong as a lion’ corresponding to the heart, for the might of service of the Creator, may he be blessed, is in the heart, and he stated that you should strengthen your heart for His service. He stated ‘run like a gazelle’ corresponding to the legs, for your legs shall run toward the good. So too would David the king, peace be upon him, pray for the three of them, but he changed the sequence, “Lead me in the path of your commandments” about legs. Following that he said “Turn my heart to your decrees.” And after that he said “Avert my eyes from seeing falsehood.” Concerning the heart he mentioned ‘turn,’ whereas concerning the eye, ‘avert,’ for the heart is in his power to turn toward the good path or the evil one, even after he has seen an evil action. Thus he prayed that he should help him to turn to the good path. But (avoiding) seeing an evil action is not in his power, for it is possible that it will come upon him suddenly, and he will see it. Thus he prayed that he avert his eyes from seeing falsehood, so he would not invite it before him at all. Thus a person needs strengthen himself as a lion to stand in the morning for the service of his Creator, even if his evil impulse taunts him in winter, saying ‘How can you get up in the morning when the cold is so great?’ or taunts him in summer, saying ‘How can you get up from your bed when you have not had enough sleep?’ he should strengthen himself to rise, for you should awaken the dawn, but it should not awaken you, as David, peace be on him, stated “Awake, my soul, awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn,” ‘I awaken the dawn, but the dawn does not awaken me.’ So much the more so had he awakened prior to the morning light to rise and offer supplications before his Creator, how great His beauty, and how good. And it is good that one who begins early should aim for the hours when the guard shifts change, which are at a third of the night, and at the end of two thirds of the night and at the end of the night, for at these times does the Holy One, blessed be He, recall the destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of Israel among the nations, and the prayer which a person offers at that hour for the destruction and the dispersion is propitious and close to acceptance. His supplication shall fall before God whether drawn out or cut short, it is only that he should orient his heart toward heaven in his supplications, for better a little with intention than increasing them out without intention. It is well to say the section of the Akedah and the section of the manna, and the Ten Commandments and the section of the sacrifices, namely the section of the burnt offering and the meal offering and the offering of well being and the sin offering and the guilt offering. Of course it is preferable to say the section of the sacrifices during the day, for they are in place of the offering of the sacrifice, whose time is during the day. When he concludes the section of the burnt offering, he shall say ‘Master of the universe, may it be your will that this be considered and accepted before you as if I had offered a burnt sacrifice in its time. So too shall he say after the section of the meal offering and the offering of well being and the guilt offering. But after the section of the sin offering, he shall not so say, since it does not come freely. And if he is not able to rise early, prior to morning light, in any case he designates the time of the prayer which he is designates for all of life, and should not tarry. And he should well consider in his heart, if he had been in the service of a flesh and blood king who commanded him to rise early at the morning light to his service, he would have taken care and rushed to arise for the service which he commanded him, so much the more so, all the more and all the more so much the more so before the King of kings of kings, the Holy One blessed be He.

It is good to recite the passage of the Binding (Genesis 22:1-19), the passage of the Manna (Exodus 16:4-36), the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-13), and the passages of the burnt-offering (Leviticus 1:1-17), tribute-offering (Leviticus 2:1-13), peace-offering (Leviticus 3:1-17), sin-offering (Vayikra 4:27-35), and guilt-offering. Rem"a: But only in private is it permissible to recite the Ten Commandments each day: it is forbidden to recite them in congregation (Rashb"a Responsum 144).