Hadavar harishon הדּבר הראשׁוֹן

I am יהוה thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (2M 20:2)

Question: What does the first commandment order us?

Answer: The first commandment orders us to believe in the existence of God, the supreme spiritual being, that created everything, that has perfect skills, and that manages the destinies of all creations. Furthermore the first commandment orders us to believe that God is Only One, Eternal, Incorporeal, Omnipresent, Wisest, Righteous, Holy and Noble.

We know all of the above mentioned qualities of God from the following passages of Holy Scripture:

About God The Creator:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (1M 1:1)

About the ruling God:

See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god beside Me; I kill, and I give life; I have wounded, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver from My hand. (5M 32:39)

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am יהוה, that doeth all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)

About the eternal God:

For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say: As I live for ever! (5M 32:40)

Thus saith יהוה, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer יהוה of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

About the non-corporeal God:

On the day that יהוה spoke unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire, you saw no appearance. (5M 4:15)

To whom will ye liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be alike? (Isaiah 46:5)

About the omniscience of God:

Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; for יהוה is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. (1 Sam 2:3)

He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, that considereth all their doings. (Psalm 33:15)

A man's heart deviseth his way; but יהוה directeth his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) 

About the omnipresence of God:

Am I a God near at hand, saith יהוה, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith יהוה. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith יהוה. (Jer 23:23-24)

Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in the nether-world, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there would Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand would hold me. And if I say: 'Surely the darkness shall envelop me, and the light about me shall be night'; even the darkness is not too dark for Thee; but the night shineth as the day; the darkness is even as the light. (Psalm 139:7-12)

About the omnipotence of God:

I am God Almighty. (1M 17:1)

The heavens were made by the command of יהוה, all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it stood. (Psalm 33:6,9)

About the wisdom of God:

How manifold are Thy works, O יהוה! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy creatures. (Psalm 104:24)

He that hath made the earth by His power, that hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His understanding. (Jer 10:12)

About the justice of God:

The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He. (5M 32:4)

And He will judge the world in righteousness, He will minister judgment to the peoples with equity. (Psalm 9:9)

For the work of a man will He requite unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert justice. (Job 34:11-12)

About the holiness of God:

Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I יהוה your God am holy. (3M 19:2)

And one called unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is יהוה of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:3)

About God's goodness and mercy of God:

And יהוה passed by before him, and proclaimed: יהוה, the Eternal, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation. (2M 34:6-7)

יהוה is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:9)

With the help of the above mentioned passages we have pointed out the qualities that Holy Scripture ascribes to God. So, if we want to please God, we must imitate His properties, namely: to respect and love God for all His goodness, and for all His blessings. We should love one another as creatures and as children of one Father, as said the prophet Malachi:

Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? (Mal 2:10)

Therefore, we have to be fair and merciful, strive to do good and avoid evil, and to be like our Creator:

Merciful חנוּן khanun, compassionate רחוּם rakhum, patient ארך אפּים erekh apaim and sincere with our grace and truth רב חסד ואמת rav khesed veemet.