What the Commandments Tell Us About God
The Ten Commandments have two subjects - God and Man. Later theology offers a more detailed analysis about 
What the Ten Commandments say is not so much what He is, but how we should relate to Him.
God - that is, if there is anything at all that we can really say about Him whose real nature is unknown to and unknowable by human beings.
What the Ten Commandments say is not so much what He is, but how we should relate to Him.
The first commandment, according to Maimonides, is to know He exists. It also tells us that He is not aloof from His Creation: He cares, He protects, He guides human beings. It implies that when one human group oppresses another, it is against His will, and the victims have a right to be free.
The second commandment insists that in His presence there are, and can be, no other gods. Nothing in Heaven or Earth can be Divine except Him. In the long run, those who make gods out of anything or anyone else will some tumbling down.
The third commandment tells us never to speak of Him without reverence. He must not be downgraded into a mere swear word. Nor may His name be uttered other than in a devotional mood.
The fourth commandment establishes the sacredness of His great gift of time. Our days must be spent according to His will - six days a week of earthly activity and a seventh day of prayer, study, contemplation and thought.
The fifth commandment talks of parents, but impliedly speaks about God. Through the sequence of parents and children, God entrusts Man with the means of continuing the world and its civilisation.
What the Commandments Tell Us About Man<?b>
The second tablet of the Decalogue is our introduction to the nature and duty of Man. Man - everyman, every man and woman - must respect and uphold every other. Life must be sacred, human relationships must be honoured, property must not be harmed, a word must be a bond, everyone's place in the scheme of things must not be disturbed.
Yes, these second five commandments are in the negative, "thou shalt nots". The purpose is to make them short, sharp, clear and unambiguous. The negative phrasing also ensures that we take them seriously. When God says "no", He doesn't mean "maybe". He doesn't mean, "Write Me a memorandum with recommendations."
He is not making suggestions; He is giving rules. If people choose to disobey they will pay a price.
Yitro's Seven Names
People's names in the Bible all have a special meaning. In the case of Jethro - in Hebrew, Yitro - there are seven names and seven meanings, according to rabbinic midrash.
His two main names are connected with a root that means "additional" - he was 
Man - everyman, every man and woman - must respect and uphold every other.
"Yitro" because he performed extra good deeds and "Yeter" because he caused extra texts to enter the Torah.
He was "Chovav" because he was beloved of God, "Re'u'el" because he was God's friend, "Chever" because he was a close associate of the Almighty, "Puti'el" because he abandoned idolatry, and "Keni" because he was zealous for God.
Many people these days acquire their names just because of what is fashionable at the time or because their parents liked the sound of a particular name. Biblical parents were more creative and thought hard about what they wanted their child's name to express.
In modern Israel, this type of creativity has come to the fore again, and sometimes there are names that are specially coined for the occasion. It can be a good idea. We need to encourage parents everywhere to invent names with more than mere sound to recommend them. Of course, in many cases the task has already been done by family tradition and the name of a precious loved one is perpetuated in a new generation.