We have shown that Jews are using the Black Lives Matter movement to promote Noahide Law by saying the protests are legit and are the prelude to setting up Noahide courts (here) but on the other hand, stating that Christians need the Noahide Laws to protect them from Black Lives Matters protesters (here). In this article, Rabbi Blum uses both sides of the coin to promote Noahide Laws. He uses the death of George Floyd to promote the Noahide Law against murder but also says that looting should not be conducted under the Noahide Law against theft. While these sentiments may be meritorious, using the incident to promote Noahide Law is not.
From the Pulpit: George Floyd and The Noahide Laws
By Rabbi Menachem M. Blum, Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad
I write these lines as violent protests rage across the United States as a reaction to George Floyd’s death. What should our reaction be? How should we look at this particular situation? As Jews, we were always taught to turn to the Torah, God’s instruction, for guidance and enlightenment.
Let’s travel back in time to our ancestor Noah, who rebuilt humanity after the flood. When Noah comes out of the Ark after the flood, he is commanded by God to observe what is known as The Seven Noahide Laws. These are commandments that the descendants of Noah, all of humanity, have to abide by, to ensure that the world is a civilized place where we can all live in harmony.
The first two deal with respect for God, belief in one God and the prohibition to curse God. Next comes the prohibition of murder. Driven by the recognition that every human life is invaluable and that every human being is created in the image of God, this commandment enjoins us to respect every human being regardless of race and colour. Following, is the importance of respecting other people's property. Not to steal, not to destroy or damage what belongs to someone else. The next few include bringing sanctity into our sexual relationships, respecting all of God’s creatures including animals, and finally, the obligation to establish a justice system to ensure that law and order is maintained.
Looking at The Seven Noahide Laws we can find the guidance for our current situation. Firstly, every human has infinite value and consequently the murder of George Floyd is a tremendous tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Having been created in the image of God, every human life is the reflection of God’s presence in this world. Accordingly, every human life that is taken from us means that there is less Godly presence in the world. Since all of humanity are descendants of Noah, we need to adopt this outlook and treat every single human being with dignity and respect. Human life has to be cherished for it is created in the image of God and has inherent sanctity.
Together with that, we also come to the realization that as tragic as the loss of life is, our response has to be expressed in a respectful manner. The prohibition to destroy or steal somebody else’s property reminds us that destructive behaviour and looting is not the way we ought to express our outrage. The commandment to establish a justice system reminds us that the police force plays an important role in maintaining law and order. It goes without saying that they, too, have to recognize the sanctity of human life and respect it as such.
Finally, the first two Noahide laws have to do with believing in God. That is because when our morals and values are left to be determined by our finite minds and our subjective judgement, we can justify any behaviour and reaction. The foundation of The Seven Noahide Laws is that these instructions were given to us by God who created the world and they are therefore absolute and apply to all times and places for all people. Just like any machine, a computer comes with a manual written by its creator as to how to use it to the fullest, the Creator of the world also issued His universal manual for the world in the form of The Seven Noahide Laws. Publicizing these teachings is more important now than ever to calm the raging storm and infuse the world with peace and harmony.
A Jewish writer said that the Noahide Laws should have been factored into the 2016 US Election (here), Trump has been asked to uphold the Noahide Laws by the unofficial Sanhedrin (here), Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law are Chabad Noahide cultists (here), and Jews have claimed that Trump's anti-animal cruelty bill was based in Noahide Law (here). Now in this article in Arutz Sheva Jewish writer Natahn Sav says that Trump is the "champion of Noahide Law" on the day of the 2020 elections.
'During his almost four years in office, Donald Trump has been the greatest supporter of Noahide law in US history.'
Nathan Sav , 03/11/20
This article is dedicated to observant and traditional Jews, to the growing Noahide movement in the US, and to all Americans of faith. My call to all of you is to personally go to the polls on Tuesday and to support President Donald Trump for reelection, and I will explain the reasons for this in the coming paragraphs.
This Tuesday’s election presents two clear choices of how to shape the American moral landscape: one which is based on God’s eternal law (while allowing for individual freedom) and another one based on the globalist dogma imposed by the social media and the mainstream media. When Orthodox Jews are asked why they support President Trump, they often list his support for Israel and his defense of religious freedom (including the call to keep houses of worship open during the pandemic). An often-ignored aspect of his administration has been its promotion of Noahide law and values.
Every Torah-observant Jew has heard of the Seven Noahide Laws. These are seven very broad universal laws (with many ramifications) that God imposed on all the nations when Noah came out of the Ark. They include the prohibition of idolatry, forbidden relations, murder, eating the limb of an animal while alive, theft and blasphemy, and the obligation to establish courts of law to punish violators. This is a very basic covenant that God signed with every nation, as opposed to the more complex 613 commandments that the Jewish people must observe.
During his almost four years in office, Donald Trump has been the greatest supporter of Noahide law in US history and he must be reelected if only for that reason. By saying that the President supports Noahide law, I do not mean to say that he has imposed these laws on the US public, but rather that he has contributed to dismantle the liberal agenda to impose their secularist dogma on the entire population and has defended the rights of Americans who want to live by God’s law.
Abortion: Mass murder prohibited by the Noahide Covenant
Regarding the prohibition of murder, non-Jews are forbidden by Noahide law to carry out an abortion and the doctor performing this procedure must face the death penalty (Rambam's Mishne Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 9:6). Even in cases where the life of the mother is at stake, the Tosafot commentary on the Talmud hesitates whether an abortion would be allowed and offers two alternative views (Sanhedrin 59A). In 1973, Roe vs. Wade abruptly removed the right to decide whether to ban abortion from the democratic process, and converted into a "constitutional right" thus forcing all states to allow abortions (while they can still regulate late-term abortions). Since this ruling, 62 million abortions have been performed legally in the US, which averaged over 1.3 million per year.
Interestingly enough, the U.S. Constitution is mute on abortion, which by default would give the authority to the states and their criminal system to deal with abortions. However, the need to impose the liberal agenda on the public has prompted the courts to deny the states the right to criminalize abortions.
In the years following this ruling, the only way that a president can influence abortion law is 1) by appointing Supreme Court Justices that are likely to uphold/reverse Roe v. Wade or 2) through certain government policy (though this option tends to be less effective).
In addition to appointing two Supreme Court Justices with strong abortionist stances, the Obama-Biden administration struck down a federal rule issued by Reagan and reinstated by the Bush administration known as the "Mexico City Policy" that prohibited the funding of international family-planning clinics that promote abortion. This policy bolstered the federal funding of Planned Parenthood, which saw its budget grow by hundreds of millions of dollars during the Obama administration. Obama also threatened to veto a Republican proposal in the House to ban abortions at 20 week and prohibited states from withholding federal funding to organizations on grounds that they may be used to perform abortions.
Joe Biden stated in a recent interview that, if elected President, he will make Roe vs. Wade the “law of the land.” In addition, his ambiguous answers to questions on whether he plans to pack the court indicate that he will push for this option. His last answer to this question was that he “plans to set up a committee that will advise on several issues, including court packing” is a clear indication that he will go for it. After Biden packs the court and sets the precedent, Democrats will have the option to override a conservative majority in the court by simply adding more Justices after winning an election cycle. This will be not only the end of Noahide law in the U.S. but also of democracy.
Trump's abortion policy represents a 180-degree shift from what the Obama-Biden era. He stopped abortion funding to Planned Parenthood and appointed 220 federal judges who favor returning to the states the power to decide on abortion and many other social and criminal matters. Textualist and Originalist Judges appointed by Trump believe that judicial interpretation should be limited to a reasonable reading of text of the constitution, and therefore they don’t see an inherent constitutional “right” to abort a fetus, as there is no indication of such right in the text. This jurisprudence allows for a fair playing field where both Americans of faith and their opponents in each state can compete for votes in order to decide on this. As soon as Roe vs. Wade is overturned, we will see the issue of abortion on the state ballots.
Same-Sex Marriage and Sodomy: Two separate but related issues
The act of homosexual relations is clearly forbidden by Noahide law (see Rambam, Hilkhot Melakhim 9:7). While the Rambam does not elaborate on whether Noahides are allowed to celebrate same-sex weddings, the Gemara in Hulin 92B brings Ula’s interpretation of the verse in Zacharia 11:13 (“I took the thirty silver coins and threw them into the furnace”) as referring to 30 commandments that Noahides accepted upon themselves and did not fulfill except for three (which they did): They don’t write marriage contracts for two men, they don’t hang dead bodies for sale in the market, and they honor the Torah. Even if one could argue that this particular section of the Gemara is not halakhically binding, it is hard to say that the drafting of marriage contracts for two men, which is an act that facilitates and gives legitimacy to homosexual relations, is within the framework of Noahide law.
By appointing three Originalist Justices to the Supreme Court and creating a solid conservative majority, President Trump has paved the way to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the ruling that imposed same-sex marriage on all 50 states. Since the text of the constitution does not make any mention on the matter, the power will go back to the states on this as well. By packing the court and adding as many liberal Justices as needed, Joe Biden will do the exact opposite.
It is interesting to note that even homosexual relations were forbidden in several states until the Supreme Court decided to struck down state sodomy laws as unconstitutional in Lawrence vs. Texas. The reasoning for this ruling was the same as in Roe vs. Wade: the dubious idea that there is a hidden right to privacy behind the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. In a prior ruling (Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986) the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of Georgia sodomy laws. In his opinion supporting this ruling, Chief Justice Warren Burger cited the “ancient roots” of prohibitions against homosexual sex, quoting William Blackstone’s description of homosexual sex as an “infamous crime against nature”, worse than rape, and “a crime not fit to be named”. Burger concluded: “To hold that the act of homosexual sodomy is somehow protected as a fundamental right would be to cast aside millennia of moral teaching” (extracted from Wikipedia’s article on Bowers v. Harwick). This statement was made only 34 years ago, but it is unimaginable that any public official would make such statement today.
Theft: Law and Order vs. Chaos and Looting
After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, mobs from Black Lives Matter and other radical left-wing groups have stormed American cities with violent protests, including massive looting of local stores. President Trump reacted by sending federal troops to stop the looting and damage of private and federal property. This effort was welcome by several Democratic mayors and governors, but not by the left-wing media.
Theft is one of the seven Noahide laws and non-Jews are punished for this violation even if they steal less than a pruta (an ancient copper coin whose current value is close 20 Israeli agorot today). At the beginning of Parashat Noach, the Torah says that the main factor leading God to bring the flood was the fact that massive theft took place in those days (see Rashi and Targum Onkelos at the beginning of the parasha which translates the word Hamas as Hatufin).
While Joe Biden has condemned the violence during protests, the Democratic convention used this group as a slogan and sold the narrative of structural racism to the American public in a way to justify the looting. Just like Democratic mayors who were not able to stand up to the violent rioters, Joe Biden will not be allowed by his coalition partners to repress the violent protests and chaos is likely to reign in several large cities during his administration.
Dinim (the Obligation to Establish Courts of Law that will enforce Noahide law) and other commandments: Ever min haHay, Blasphemy and Idolatry
With the exception perhaps of ever min haHay, the US legal system does not allow the imposition of these laws, as the federal government is prevented by the first amendment to regulate religious practices. However, one thing we can say for a fact is that, while religious groups are being targeted and coerced by many local and state governments to accept their liberal agenda, the Trump administration has stood firmly on their side by issuing hundreds of amicus briefings and executive orders to advance religious freedoms (including the rights of small religious communities). One famous example is his call to open houses of worship during the pandemic while the globalist democrat governors made every effort to criminalize religious gatherings. Another emblematic example is his administration’s support of Jake Philips, a religious bakery owner who was harassed by the state of Colorado for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple.
Concluding Words
Unfortunately, Americans who hold biblical beliefs have been in retreat from the public square in the last few decades, as globalist liberals and their allies in the media continue to impose their secularist dogma on the entire population. If Trump loses, his political death will carry the propagation of Noahide and Biblical ethics to his coffin. In this period of darkness, we trust that God’s eternal light will illuminate the minds of every American approaching the polls this Tuesday. I wish to conclude this article by quoting the Rambam’s final lines in Igeret Teman (a letter of encouragement he sent to the Yemenite Jewish community after forced conversion decrees were imposed on them):
ויחשיך באפו ובעברתו על כל הקמים עלינו. ויאיר מחשכינו כאשר הבטיחנו כי הנה החשך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאומים ועליך יזרח ה' וכבודו עליך יראה.
And He will darken with his wrath and his power all those who rise against us. And He will illuminate our darkness as he promised us “for, behold, darkness has filled the earth and gross darkness the nations, and over you God will shine and his glory will be seen by you” (Isaiah 60:2).
We have shown that there is no need for a Sanhedrin in order for the Noahide Laws to be implemented (here). In this section, from the quotes below, you can see that Jews are indeed obligated to enforce the Noahide Laws. Rabbi Schneerson said non-Jews should be compelled to follow the Noahide Laws by "force" if possible, if not through "pleasantness and peace". He also said non-Jews adhering to the Noahide laws would "constitute a 'complete victory' over these nations" If a non-Jew sees another non-Jew breaking a Noahide Law and does not put him to death (presumably by a Noahide court), s/he is to be put to death. Jewish courts are said to be obligated to try non-Jews. Jews say there are good reason to implement the Noahide death penalty now. Other Jews have made it clear that Judaism is not just a national religion but "universal" in the application of the Noahide Laws. Jews are also obligated to "persuade" non-Jews to keep the Noahide Laws. In the quotes below you will see a lot of the use of words like "coerce", "demand", "obligate" and other synonyms for mandatory. Some Noahide apologists will tell you that these demands do not apply in the modern age when there is no Sanhedrin, though we have already shown this is not true (here) and the current unofficial Sanhedrin is seeking international recognition (here). Another piece of misinformation is that these demands only apply within the land of Israel, but we can see from the quotes below it is repeatedly stated these demands apply to all of humanity.
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Rabbi Schneerson say Jews are obligated to make sure the Noahide Laws are kept even by "force", if not through pleasantness and peace
It is obvious that this obligation [found in Maimonides, Malachim 8:10] is not limited only to a Jewish court, since this commandment is unrelated to the presence of a ger toshav (resident alien), and thus what is the need of a beit din. . . . Thus, this obligation is in place in all eras, even the present, when no gera toshav can be accepted and it is obligatory on all individuals who can work towards this goal. So too, this commandment is not limited to using force -- where, in a situation we cannot use force, we could be excused from our obligation -- since the essence of the obligation is to do all that is in our power to ensure that the seven Noachide commandments are kept; if such can be done through force, or through other means of pleasantness and peace, which means to explain [to Noachides] that they should accept the wishes of God who commanded them in this rules. This is obviously what is intended by Maimonides.
SOURCE: Rabbi Michael J. Broyde. "The Obligation of Jews to Seek Observance of Noachide Laws by Gentiles: A Theoretical Review". Jewish Law. Retreived 10/20/20 from: https://www.jlaw.com/Articles/noach2.html
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Rabbi Schneerson again repeated that the Noahide Laws should be implemented by "force", and if not through "kindness"
We must do everything possible to ensure that the seven Noahide laws are observed. If this can be accomplished through force or through other kinder and more peaceful means through explaining to non-Jews that they should accept God’s wishes [we should do so]…Anyone who is able to influence a non-Jew in any way to keep the seven commandments is obligated to do so, since that is what God commanded Moses our teacher (“Sheva Mitzvot Shel Benai Noach,” Hapardes 59:9 7-11, 5745)
Rabbi Schneerson says Jews have obligation to "compel" non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws
Rabbi Schneerson’s view is unique in that he not only assumes that Maimonides is correct in ruling that there is a general obligation to compel gentiles to observe Noachide law, but he also assumes that the obligation to compel observance includes within it the obligation to persuade. Rabbi Schneerson thus extends to the obligation to cover a much greater area than any other rabbinical authority, both in terms of the responsibility to do so and in the means by which to do so,
A non-Jew who witnesses someone breaking a Noahide Law and does not put him to death is to be killed
[A Noahide] who witnesses a transgression of these [laws] and fails to try the perpetrator and execute him, should be put to the sword. This is why the citizens of Shekhem were condemned to death: [Prince] Shekhem committed robbery [kidnapping]; they witnessed it, knew it, and failed to try him
Jews obligated to "coerce" non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws
Maimonides does definitively rule that Jews are obligated to teach – and even coerce – Gentiles into accepting the Seven Noahide laws of morality: not murdering, not stealing, not committing sexual immorality, not eating the limb of a living animal, not worshipping idols, not blaspheming God, and establishing courts to enforce the first six laws (Laws of Kings 8,10)
Noahide Law is a "demand" and "duty", no one is above the law
So here are seven fundamental demands for all of us, no matter who we are. It is our duty as human beings to observe these laws. No one is above the law, especially when it comes to these seven fundamental laws.
Setting up Noahide Courts in "incumbent" on humanity
She points us, the readers, to the passage in the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 56b, where we are taught that establishing Courts of Justice is one of the seven Noahide laws incumbent upon all humankind.
Chabad says all of humanity "must keep" the Noahide Laws
The 7 Noahide Laws are rules that all of us must keep, regardless of whowe are or from where we come. Without these seven things, it would be impossible for humanity to live together in harmony.
Chabad says non-Jews are "required" to follow Noahide Laws
A few years ago I was taking a train home. A Chabad student comes by, hands me a b’nei noach card that explains the seven Noachide mitzvot required of non-Jews.
Is that good? Hardly. The dropouts from Christianity did not convert to Judaism or become pious followers of the Seven Noachide Laws that G-d legislated for the non-Jewish world.
Moses was commanded to "compel" the whole world to follow the Noahides Laws
The Rambam rules that “Moses was commanded by the Almighty to compel/inspire all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to Noah’s descendants” (Laws of Kings, ch. 8). The essential theme of the Seven Noahide Laws is living a moral and ethical life and building a world based on respect of G-d, life, property, relationships, and justice.
Jews are "responsible even to coerce" the world to follow the Noahide Laws
Probably during the Roman period of Hadrianic persecutions (circa 136-140 CE ), we dropped the ball and ceased to attempt to fulfill this aspect of our mission (despite Maimonides' Laws of Kings, where he rules that just as we bear responsibility to teach our fellow Jews 613 commandments, we are likewise responsible even to coerce, if necessary, the Gentiles of the world to accept the 7 Noahide laws of morality). Thankfully, this function was provided by the Christians, who brought to all the Gentiles of the globe the seven Noahide laws of morality, the Ten Commandments and the belief in a God of love, compassion and peace.
Rabbi Schneerson said non-Jewish observance of the Noahide Laws would "constitute a 'complete victory' over these nations"
[Rabbi Schneerson] believed that non-Jews’ observance of the Noahide Laws would affirm their recognition of God’s kingship, just as it would attest to the divine mission of God’s messenger, the messiah. Such a feat would thus constitute a “complete victory” over these nations, hastening, if not actually bringing about, the redemption
Judaism is not only a national religion but univeral in the Noahide Laws
"The Lubavitcher Rebbe of Chabad Chassidism made this claim that Judaism is not only a national religion but also universal when he instituted the spreading to the world of the seven commandments of the children of Noah. He spread these teaching to the White House and in many nations in the world where there are Chabad representative."
Jews are God's representative to influence non-Jews to follow the Noahide Laws
And you will be for Me a kingdom of kohanim” – meaning (as our Sages explain), a nation of Hashem’s representatives. By observing His mitzvos, we bring Divine holiness into the world, eventually influencing even non-Jews to rise higher through the observance of the seven Noachide commandments (see Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Melachim 8:10).
Jews are "obligated" to promote the Noahide Laws among non-Jews
Chapter One: Classic Teachings on the Obligation for Jews to Promote Belief in G-d and the Noahide Code
Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Mitzvah 3 ... “And you shall love the L-rd your G-d”[1] ... They [our Sages] said that this Commandment also includes calling upon all people to serve G-d (exalted be He) and have faith in Him. For just as when you love someone, you will praise and extol him, and call upon others to love him, so by analogy, when you truly love G-d through grasping His truth, you will undoubtedly call [others] ... to the true knowledge which you have already grasped. As the Sifré says:[2] “‘And you shall love the L-rd’ – you should make Him beloved of mankind as Avraham your father did, as it says,[3] ‘And the souls that they made in Charan.’ ” That is to say, just as Avraham, for the sake of his love of the L-rd – as Scripture testifies, “Avraham who loved Me”[4] – summoned mankind to believe, by the power of his conception of G-d and the greatness of his love for Him, so too, you must love Him to the extent that you will call mankind to Him.
Rambam, Hilchos Melachim 8:10-11[5] Moshe was commanded by the Almighty to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to Noah’s descendants. ... Anyone who accepts upon himself the fulfillment of these seven commandments and is precise in their observance is considered one of “the pious among the Gentiles,” and will merit a share in the World to Come. This applies only when he accepts them and fulfills them because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the Torah and informed us through Moshe, our teacher, that Noah’s descendants had been commanded to fulfill them previously.
Tosefos Yom Tov on Pirkei Avos 3:14 [Rabbi Akiva used to say,] “Beloved is man, for he was created in the image [of G-d]. It is an even greater love [that it was made known to him that he was created in the image], as it is written: For in the image of G-d He made man”: Rabbi Akiva intended to straighten the ways of all Gentiles, as we [the Jewish people] were commanded by Moshe our teacher, according to the words of Rambam [loc. cit.]. And if we are commanded to compel them ... how much more so should this be done through verbal persuasion, to draw their hearts to [follow] the will of their Creator and the desire of their Rock.
Radak on Yeshayahu 42:6 “I [G-d] will set you [the Jews] for a covenant to the people, for a light to the nations”: For on account of the Jewish people, the Gentiles will observe the Seven Commandments and go on the good path.
Sforno on Shmos 19:6 “You will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”: Through this they will be My beloved people [in Hebrew, am segulah] and [recognized as] a kingdom of priests, by under-taking to teach all of mankind to call upon the Name of G-d and to serve Him with one purpose, as it is said,[6] “And you, priests of G-d, shall call out,” and as it is said,[7] “From Zion the Torah will go forth” [to the whole world].
Chasam Sofer on Choshen Mishpat #85 We are commanded to guide Gentiles [in the service of G-d].
Sefer Chassidim No. 360: A Gentile who is enthusiastic in observing the Seven Noahide Commandments ... should be honored more than a Jew who doesn’t occupy himself with learning Torah. No. 1124: If one sees a Gentile committing a sin and can object, then one should, for G-d sent Yonah to Nineveh to influence them to abandon their sins.
Baal HaTurim on Shmos 20:14[8] The 620 [Hebrew] letters of the Ten Commandments correspond to the 613 Commandments for Jews and the Seven Noahide Commandments.
Footnotes: [1] Devarim 6:5. [2] Sifré, ibid. [3] Bereishis 7:5. [4] Yeshayahu 41:8. [5] Translation from Mishneh Torah, Moznaim Publishing. [6] Yeshayahu 61:6. [7] Ibid. 2:3. [8] See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 26, p. 132. See also Hisvaaduyos 5749, Vol. 2, p. 156, fn. 94, that this underlines how the effect of Torah upon the Gentile nations is a fundamental part of the Torah.
Additionally
"Any person who has already worked successfully in this area should try to influence other Jews to do likewise. Resistance should not deter one when attempting to influence a further individual to accept upon himself the task of disseminating the Noahide Laws amongst the nations." (Hisvaduyos 5750 2:18-19)
SOUCE: Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver (2016). "To Perfect the World: The Lubavitcher Rebbe's Call to Teach the Noahide Code to All Mankind". Sichos in English. 2016.
Noahide apologists will often times tell non-Jews that they need not worry about the Noahide Laws because they cannot be enforced now because there is no Sanhedrin, the highest legal court of the Jewish religion. We have already spoken about the unofficial Sanhedrin in Israel which is seeking legal recognition and which also seeks to replace the United Nations (here), they are also involved in converting Noahides (here). But that Sanhedrin is not an official Sanhedrin says the Noahide apologist, so stop worrying about the enforcement of the Noahide laws now in our era.
Do you remember Rabbi Schneerson, the Rabbi who said non-Jewish souls come from "satanic spheres" (here)? He was also elevated to the leader of world Jewry in more than one of the United States public laws and international scrolls recognizing the Noahide Laws (here). According to Rabbi Schneerson there is no need for a Sanhedrin in order to "force" the Noahide Laws on non-Jews and that they are applicable "in all eras".
This statement comes from the idea of the Ger Toshav. A Ger Toshav is simply a legal designation for a Noahide who lives inside the land of Israel. According to Jewish law, a Ger Toshav is not to be accepted if there is no Jubilee which cannot be announced except by a Sanhedrin, so if there is no Sanhedrin there can be no Ger Toshav, again a legal designation for a Noahide who lives within the borders of Israel. But Rabbi Schneerson makes it clear that there is no relationship between the acceptance of a Ger Toshav and the application of Noahide Law by "force" if possible. The Noahide Laws can be enforced now.
However, the Jewish state of Israel seems unconcerned about religious technicalities in accepting a Ger Toshav either. Jews are commanded to adhere to the Shemitta year, this is a yearly Sabbath every 7 years where Jews are forbidden from growing in the soil of their fields, a yearly rest. However, the Jew may sell the land to a non-Jew for a year to till the soil for him or her, however, the person to whom they sell the land to cannot be an "idolator" and so they need to be a Noahide who lives inside the land of Israel or a Ger Toshav. In order to upkeep with the religious scrupulous of some Jews, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel which is an official body gave the status of Ger Toshav to a man living in Israel so that he could till the soil for Jews during the Shemitta year. Influential people in Israel are willing to circumvent their religious laws, so why can't they also implement Noahide Laws if they choose? But we have seen Rabbi Schneerson said we don't even need a Sanhedrin for this anyway... and he again is recognized as the leader of Jewry both in the USA and by international scroll.
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A Ger Toshav is a non-Jew who follows the Noahide Laws and lives in Israel, a Ger Toshav is a special designation for a Noahide living inside Israel as opposed to a Noahide not living inside the state of Israel
Ger Toshav-A Non-Jew who resides in the land of Israel
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The term ger, from the Hebrew root gar, meaning “to sojourn,” refers to an alien, a stranger, or an immigrant. Toshav means “reside.” A ger toshav is, therefore, a resident alien: a non-Jew who resides in the land of Israel among the Jewish people. However, the Torah tells us:
They [idolaters] shall not dwell in your land lest they cause you to sin against Me and worship their gods.6
We see that a ger toshav must give up his idolatrous beliefs and practices in order to live in Israel.
How is this accomplished practically? How far must a non-Jew go in disavowing idolatry so that he may reside in Israel? The Talmud7 explains that the prospective ger toshav must come before a Beis Din (Jewish religious court) and accept upon himself to faithfully observe the seven Noahide laws.
However, the Talmud8 tells us that there is no status of ger toshav in our days.
Common Opinon: Ger Toshav [plural Geirim Toshavim] can only be accepted at a Jubilees and a Jubilee can only take place under a Sanhedrin, without a true Sanhedrin, no Jubilee and thus no Ger Toshav
The procedure has been discontinued since the cessation of the Year of Jubilee, and hence, there are no formal geirim toshvim (plural) extant today. However, it can be argued that a great deal are "informal" ones,[1] especially since it is possible to be a chasid umot ha'olam even when the Jubilee Year is not observed. - Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, ed. (1979). "Ger Toshav, Section 1". Encyclopedia Talmudit (in Hebrew) (Fourth Printing ed.). Jerusalem, Israel: Yad Harav Herzog (Emet).
Although the laws of shemittah are observed in Israel to this very day, the Jubilee year is not designated or observed. There are many reasons for this. Some of them: a) The Jubilee only affected the shemittah cycle when the shemittah was established and declared by the Sanhedrin, as opposed to today when it is automatically programmed into the perpetual Jewish calendar. b) The observance of shemittah today is only a rabbinic decree, and therefore the Jubilee year does not affect its cycle. c) No commemoration is in order when there is no Sanhedrin, whose participation in the declaration of the Jubilee year was integral. In fact, it was the Sanhedrin’s blast of the shofar (ram's horn) on Yom Kippur which signaled the entry of the Jubilee year.
Rabbi Schneerson says that the Noahide Laws can be enacted through force or pleasantry even when there is no Jewish court (beit din) and a Ger Toshav cannot be accepted (no Jubilee or Sanhedrin), the Noahide laws can be enforced "in all eras"
It is obvious that this obligation [found in Maimonides, Malachim 8:10] is not limited only to a Jewish court, since this commandment is unrelated to the presence of a ger toshav (resident alien), and thus what is the need of a beit din. . . . Thus, this obligation is in place in all eras, even the present, when no gera toshav can be accepted and it is obligatory on all individuals who can work towards this goal. So too, this commandment is not limited to using force -- where, in a situation we cannot use force, we could be excused from our obligation -- since the essence of the obligation is to do all that is in our power to ensure that the seven Noachide commandments are kept; if such can be done through force, or through other means of pleasantness and peace, which means to explain [to Noachides] that they should accept the wishes of God who commanded them in this rules. This is obviously what is intended by Maimonides.
SOURCE: Rabbi Michael J. Broyde. "The Obligation of Jews to Seek Observance of Noachide Laws by Gentiles: A Theoretical Review". Jewish Law. Retreived 10/20/20 from: https://www.jlaw.com/Articles/noach2.html
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Chief Rabbis pronounce a Ger Toshav
Rav Oury Cherki comments on the recognition of a “Ger Toshav” by the Chief Rabbinate: For the very first time in 2,500 years, a man was pronounced a “Ger Toshav” – a resident alien – by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. A Ger Toshav is a non-Jew who lives among the people of Israel in its Land, accepts the Torah, loves Israel, and observes the seven mitzvot of Bnei Noach. For reasons connected to the Shemitta year, the Chief Rabbinate has taken an innovative step of accepting a Ben Noach who lives in Israel as a Ger Toshav. This can be seen as a symbolic act showing that the nation of Israel has a truly universal mission, to be officially and openly involved with humanity as a whole and not to be restricted to its own narrow interests.
- The Israeli Ministry for Religious Services and the Israel Lands Administration were involved in the sale of the land
Two hundred and five hundred years after the Israeli court granted theman the status of a "resident ger," the tradition was renewed: a court headed by Chief Rabbi David Lau, Rabbi Zion Boaron, and Rabbi Zion Algrabali this week granted the unique status to a native of Ukraine
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The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Jerusalem Rabbinate, and was attended by Chief Rabbi David Lau, Deputy Minister for Religious Services Eli Ben Dahan, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Avraham Yosef and Israel LandsAdministration Director Bentzi Lieberman. The sale included both the fields of the farmers who chose the "sale permit" and the state land. Over the past few weeks, the parties have signed forms according to which they transfer their rights to the Chief Rabbis, who for their part transferred the rights to the ILA, and Lieberman sold them together with state lands to Streichman.
We have seen how there are attempts by both Jews and Muslims to bring Islamic Sharia Law under the rubric of Noahide Law which could prove to be a dangerous synthesis (here). We have also seen how there is a "shituf deception", Noahide apologists saying that Christians and other non-Jews are not "idolators" and can practice their own religion, which is not true (here). However, there are also attempts to state that Christianity is a Noahide religion on the part of both Jews and Christians, that Christianity teaches and demands the Noahide Laws. The Noahide Laws do not come from the Bible but the Talmud (here). Below are some quotes from both Christians and Jews which seek to paint Christianity as demanding Noahide Law, they want the Christian seal of approval. Like shituf, this is another deception, Christianity can very easily be construed as idolatry (here).
Jewish Groups
Noahidizing Christianity
Jewish group The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding (CJCUC) presumes to speaks for Christians, they are Noahides?
Christians see themselves not merely as members of the Noahide covenant, but as spiritual partners within the Jewish covenant. At the same time, they believe that God does not repent of his covenantal gifts and that the Jewish people continues to enjoy a unique covenantal relationship with God in accordance with its historical 2000 year traditions.
Arthur Goldberg, Co-Director of the American based Jewish Institute for Global Awareness says Christianity and Islam teach Noahide Law is "imperative"
Individuals within the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are taught that all of humanity should follow the Noahide Code, a set of imperatives given by G-d as a binding set of laws for the Children of Noah and which serves as the foundational premise of their individual faiths.
Rabbi says goal of Christian founders was to institute the Noahide Laws
Rabbi Eisen gives a Biblical tour to Christians in Jerusalem ... Because most people don’t realize that when Jews teach the Bible (in its original form) to Christians, it’s actually a form of returning Christianity to its roots. That’s because one of the goals of the original founders of Christianity was to “institute the Noahide covenant for non-Jews”
The Institute of Christian Jewish Studies - Jewish led interfaith group pushes the Noahide Laws for Christians
At an earlier meeting led by Rabbi Lehmann, group members learned Jews believe non-Jews are bound by the seven Noahide laws -- the commandments that God gave to the sons of Noah. Jewish tradition holds that these laws, which include prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, sexual immorality, murder and robbery, provide a way for anyone to earn salvation.
"We Jews believe all humankind has a message to offer the world," Rabbi Loeb told the meal-time membership. "If we are faithful to our respective covenants, we are all the children of God." ... The institute's Christian groups study the history of the early church and Jesus in a Jewish context. They also examine why the church became anti-Jewish and how its early polemics paved the way for persecutions -- including the Nazi genocide.
Jewish professor of Christianity David Flussersays the church asked Christians to follow Noahide Law
V The Law
The first adherents to the new faith among the Gentiles were recruited from among non-Jews who were already close to Judaism. These were the “Godfearers”,16 who accepted certain basic Jewish obligations, at least the so-called Noachide precepts; I hope to show elsewhere that the western text of Acts 15:29, giving the decree of the Apostles, is the original one. According to this, idolatry, shedding of blood, and grave sexual sins were forbidden to Gentile believers. These were originally the Noachide precepts accepted also by the Synagogue on which the Gentiles were obliged.17 It is logical that the Apostolic Church of Jerusalem should accept the view of the Synagogue on the conditions which Gentiles needed to fulfill in order to be saved. It can easily be shown that, according to Jewish opinion, the fulfilment of other commandments of Judaism was not prohibited to Gentiles. On the contrary, the Noachide precepts were only seen as the minimal condition for Gentiles to be recognized as God-fearers. They were so understood by the God-fearers themselves, who were attracted to the Jewish way of life and accepted many Jewish commandments without becoming full proselytes. This was also the attitude of Christian God-fearers, as may be seen from the Epistle to the Galatians;18 many of them wished to observe as many Jewish precepts as they could. It is evident that, while the leadership of the Mother Church decided to lay no burden upon the Gentile believers beyond the Noachide precepts (Acts 10:28-29; see Gal. 2:6), it did not object to their voluntarily observing more. Among the figures of the primitive Church who instructed Gentile Christians to observe more precepts than these essential ones was Peter, as we know from Paul’s criticism of him for demanding that Gentiles live like Jews (Gal. 2:14). Rather than interpreting the apostolic decree as a minimum, Paul evidently saw in the Noachide precepts the maximal obligations of Gentile Christians,19 even if he always strongly recommended a sympathetic understanding of individual Christians who observed personal restrictions. But at the same time, speaking about the incident with Peter at Antioch, he says (Gal. 2:15-21), among other things, that “no man is ever justified by doing what the law demands, but only through faith in Christ Jesus: so we too have put our faith in Jesus Christ, in order that we might be justified through this faith, and not through deeds dictated by law; for by such deeds, Scripture says, no mortal man shall be justified... If righteousness comes by law, than Christ died for nothing.” If this was what Paul thought about the Jewish way of life and of worship, we can easily understand why he did not accept the view that Gentile Christians should or could accept Jewish ritual obligations.
Presbyterian pastor, like Vatican, claims the Noahide Laws are in the New Testament, but they aren't [The Noahide Laws do not come from the bible, see (here)]
Ty Silzer, a former pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, responds: ... Paul expounds on the Jewish teaching of Noahide Laws (whereby the ‘outsiders’ enter heaven) in Romans 2, speaking that even Torah, by which the world is put back together, is written on their hearts, much like eternity (Ecclesiastes 3) and the Golden Rule (Matthew 7, Luke 6)."
Christian Action Institute says Noahide Laws are a revelation from god
If we desire to develop a positive habit, we need to perform an action repeatedly, over time, until it becomes an automatic reflex. The same process occurs when we fall into sin. When we sin, we reject God’s authority. If we repeat our sin, over time, the rejection of God’s authority becomes an automatic reflex.
Even unbelievers, who innately know God’s general revelation, such as his invisible attributes, the creation ordinances, and the Noahide Laws, begin to deny such knowledge because of sin. Paul says that by our unrighteousness we suppress the truth. They think they are wise, but their sin makes them foolish. Eventually, God gives them over to their debased minds. (Rom. 1:24)
In the 2019 Volume 31 of the "Scottish Episcopal Institute Journal" writer Nicholas Taylor makes it clear that according to him non-Jewish Christians are bound to the Noahide Laws through the Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:23-29) and that early Christians followed the Noahide Laws.
At the conclusion of the flood narrative, Noah is given a set of commandments forbidding the taking of life and the consumption of blood (Genesis 9:4-6). These were interpreted and expanded within Judaism during the Second Temple period, particularly to include moral as well as ritual prescriptions.11The assumption was that, as Noah was the mythical ancestor of all humanity who survived the flood, prescriptions given to him by God were incumbent on all humanity. The criterion of righteousness for gentiles was therefore observance of the Noachide laws. This tradition was to play an important role in defining the place of gentiles in early Christianity, as we shall see ... It is clear that their ethnic and cultural identity did not need to be abandoned before Gentiles could be accepted into the Church, and that, while they were not required to proselytise into Israel, they were required to bring their lives into conformity with certain cultic and moral prescriptions, presumably in the tradition of the Noahide laws27 How this was to work out in practice was very much more difficult, and it was at this point that the conflict became more serious.28
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOOTNOTE 28: Whether the text known as the Apostolic Decree, which clearly does reflect the tradition of the Noahide laws, was formulated at the gathering reported in Galatians 2:1-10 and Acts 15:6-21, or represents a later attempt to resolve the problem, conflated into the account of this meeting, is disputed in scholarship. The majority of scholars would argue that the Apostolic Decree reflects further deliberations, after the previous agreement had been found to be inadequate, and Paul had left Antioch (cf. Galatians 2:11-14; Acts 15:36-41). Cf. Dunn, Partings of the Ways; Taylor, Paul, Antioch and Jerusalem ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .... The issue was resolved between the churches of Jerusalem and Antioch by what became known as the Apostolic Decree, an adaptation of the Noahide laws preserved in Acts 15:23-29. This includes provisions concerning idolatry, sexual morality, murder, and diet. The last two are included in the Genesis narrative, in which Noah and his descendants were forbidden to commit murder and to eat meat with the blood of the animal (symbolising its life) still in the flesh (Genesis 9:1-17)... ...The brief account in Acts gives no indication of controversy in Antioch, a city inwhich the Jewish community was well-established and accustomed to interaction with its neighbours. How the common life of a community of Jews and gentiles was ordered is not known, but we can assume that some version of the Noachide laws guided their coexistence, and that patterns of accommodation which had evolved in the Jewish community for centuries formed the basis for Christian fellowship .... The other provisions represent developments in the Noachide traditions which are similarly not specifically Christian, but which formed the basis for fellowship between Jews and their gentile neighbours...
Church of England publishes suggestion that Christian "natural law" is Noahide Law
One of the formative and most enduringly influential works of Anglican theology, Richard Hooker’s Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, begins with a rich exposition of the theology of law, drawing on medieval Catholic thought including that of Thomas Aquinas, which includes a specific place for the divine commandments in Scripture.139 It also articulates an understanding of natural law that is in continuity with medieval tradition. Continuing common ground between Anglicans and Catholics in this area is discussed in Life in Christ, one of the agreed statements of the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission, while it has been argued by David Novak, a Jewish scholar, that Christian conceptions of natural law parallel the Jewish idea of the Noahide laws.140 In both cases, revelation is taken to affirm the existence of moral norms that are available to all, and that people of faith can affirm both to and with those who do not share their faith.
"Richard Douglas Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth, FRSL (born 2 June 1936) is a retired bishop of the Church of England and former British Army officer. He was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006. From 2008 until 2012 he was the Gresham Professor of Divinity." In 2016 in the House of Lords Hansard, he introduced the Noahide Laws as " imperatives given to all humanity".
This was, of course, the starting point for John-Paul Sartre and the post-war existentialists. It is not a view I share. Everyone, whatever they believe or do not believe, has some inkling of the good, some capacity for moral discernment, some ability to take others into account. It is part of what is meant by being made in the image of God, from the Christian point of view. The Jewish tradition has its own equivalent in the concept of the Noachide laws, according to the Talmud, the seven imperatives given to all humanity. So does Islam. As for humanism, the very name indicates the possibility of values and virtues simply by reason of our shared humanity, as does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Claims Apostles Paul and James demanded Christians follow Noahide Law
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Claims Apostle Paul demanded Christians follow the Noahide Laws
Some Jewish Jesus-movement activists said that their pagan acolytes had to convert to Judaism before they could join the movement. Paul disagreed in the strongest possible terms (he did everything in the strongest possible terms). He maintained that these gentiles had to follow only the pre-rabbinic equivalent of the Noahide laws—the seven edicts against idolatry, adultery, etc., that all non-Jews are expected to follow.
Claims apostle James asked Christians to follow Noahide Laws
"The second group comprised Jewish Christians and Gentiles (led by the Apostle James) who did not insist on Mosaic Law but instead deemed the observance of the seven Noahide Laws (Genesis 9) – do not deny God; do not blaspheme God; do not murder; do not engage in illicit sexual relations; do not steal; do not eat of a live animal; and establishing a legal system to keep the law – as sufficient for acceptance as a follower of Jesus. An example of this group is found in Acts 15, during the Council in Jerusalem, which was called to resolve questions relating to whether Gentile followers of Jesus were supposed to adopt Jewish laws. The Apostle James sets down the Noahide Laws in Acts 15:13–21."
SOURCE: Tleane, L.C., 2018, ‘N.T. Wright’s New Perspective on Paul: What implications for Anglican doctrine?’, HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 74(1), a4754. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i1.4754. Affiliation: 1 Change Management Unit, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of South Africa, South Africa
