“The first question is: why two tablets of stone? Surely, God could have written it all on one tablet, especially since the tablets were written on both sides (Exod 32:15). Personally I like the following explanation, which offends so many people that it must be politically correct:
“After having written the commandments, God wonders what to do with them. He first turns to the British, who look at the commandments and say: ‘Ah, we are not allowed to lie? This is not for us’. Next, he turns to the Germans, who say ‘Ach, no killing? Sorry, but no’. Then, he tries the French: ‘Oh we can’t sleep with other women?’ Finally, God turns to the people of Israel, who ask: ‘What does it cost?’ ‘Nothing’, says God. ‘Then give us two!’
-Magnus, in reply to Kennedy’s “Sinning in the Basement: What are the Rules? The Ten Commandments of Applied Econometrics”
I had a good laugh when I read this 🙂
Nic Spaull 