Saturday, February 29, 2020

Rabbi says the Talmudic god "legislated" Noahide Law for non-Jews

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Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein says the Jewish god "legislated" Noahide Law for non-Jewish world.

https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/should-jews-be-happy-about-the-notre-dame-fire/2019/04/28/

Should Jews Be Happy About The Notre-Dame Fire?

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein

23 Nisan 5779 – April 28, 2019

Many Jews deeply empathized with the millions of people mourning Notre-Dame de Paris’s partial destruction last week. Was this feeling proper, however, considering that the cathedral symbolizes a belief that compromises the true understanding of the oneness of G-d?

Some in our community thought they saw more in the fire. Notre-Dame was the location of the burning of 24 cartloads of manuscripts of the Talmud, an event that all but destroyed Torah study in France and which is immortalized in our Kinot for Tisha B’Av.

The cathedral itself displays one of the more famous depictions of Ecclesia and Synagoga, which shows the triumph of the Church over the disgraced Jewish people. Even if schadenfreude is the wrong reaction, shouldn’t we take a bit of satisfaction in this fire, a kind of divine squaring of the score?

There are several reasons why we should not. It might have been different had the cathedral tumbled shortly after its opening when the Church was at the height of its powers of oppression. But it burned last week. Our Sages tell us that the Babylonians and Romans didn’t really destroy the Beit Hamikdash since its holiness had already been drained from it by the time they set fire to the building. Without implying an equivalence of function, something similar happened to the Notre-Dame de Paris. By the time the flames licked the roof of the iconic symbol of the French Church, Christianity had all but departed it.

In contemporary France, more people attend mosques on Friday than church on Sunday. In European capital after European capital, cathedrals have been converted to concert halls and museums. From the standpoint of the surviving faithful, it’s as if G-d doesn’t live in Europe any longer.

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. They drifted, for the most part, to agnosticism and atheism. Having no G-d is worse for non-Jews – according to the sources that deal with this question directly – than believing in Him but getting Him wrong.

The Ibn Ezra and Akeidas Yitzchok make this point explicitly, but we also know it from recent experience. Much of the opposition to bris mila and shechita in Europe, for example, flows – not just from hatred for its Muslim immigrant population – but from a growing contempt and disdain for religion. (Some of that contempt has already jumped the Atlantic and taken up residence in liberal circles in the U.S.) Do we really prefer to see the millions who used to attend Notre-Dame and other churches flock to the altars of new faiths that are committed – like the generation of the Tower of Babel – to ascend to the heavens to battle G-d?

Four thousand years ago, Yaakov struggled with a nighttime mugger, taken by our Sages to be Esav’s guardian angel. Come daybreak, the assailant raised a white flag. But Yaakov would not let him go until he blessed him. That is what Jewish victory looks like. Not the vanquishing of the other, but the other’s realization that he was wrong and that we were sent on a mission by G-d to bring true awareness of Him to the rest of the world. Jewish victory lies not in defeating the other, but in turning him into an admiring ally.

And that is what happened in recent decades to much of the Church. The only group in the world to consistently lobby for Jews and Israel today are conservative Christians. They stand up to BDS even in Europe. They visit Israel by the millions even when others beg off. Find a country considering moving its embassy to Jerusalem, and there you will find evangelical Christian pressure behind the scenes.

Is the Ecclesia and Synagoga offensive? Perhaps, but today it says more of the triumph of the former than its defeat. We outlasted the medieval Church. Pope John Paul II came to the Kotel and apologized for what the Church did, referring to Jews as the elder brother of Christians. We still await our final redemption, but the Pope at that moment stepped into the shoes of Esav’s angel and delivered the blessing that Yaakov wanted to hear!

When Notre-Dame was built, the Church found it necessary to proclaim the defeat of Judaism. That speaks volumes of the debt Christianity owed to Judaism – a debt so large that it had to invent supersessionism to deal with it. Supersessionism proclaimed the truth of the Hebrew Bible, but argued that Christians were the true heirs to it. Today, many millions acknowledge that debt but no longer believe they have “replaced” us. They look to us with respect – and often for guidance.

For many today, Notre-Dame has become a secular relic of the past. We should have no problem empathizing with the sense of loss to those who see it that way. To the still considerable number of Christians who see it as something more, we should thank G-d that, at least for the moment, many have recognized that the antagonism of the Church to the Synagogue is no longer. And we should thank Him, too, for turning, as only He could, many a descendent of our long-time enemies into our friends.

Israel's Chief Rabbi says non-Jews cannot live in Israel unless they follow the Noahide Laws

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Israeli Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef says non-Jews may not live in Israel unless they follow the Noahide Laws.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-chief-rabbi-gentiles-can-t-live-in-the-land-of-israel-1.5423368

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Says non-Jews Forbidden From Living in the Land of Israel

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef argues that Jewish law prohibits non-Jews from living in Israel unless they have accepted Noachide laws, adding that some non-Jews live in Israel to serve the Jewish population.

Israeli writer says Israelis should only treat non-Jews well so long as they follow the Noahide Laws

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Israeli writer Vic Rosenthal says that Israelis should only treat non-Jews who live in Israel well so long as they follow the Noahide Laws.

https://www.jewishpress.com/blogs/abu-yehuda/strangers-in-israel-and-america/2019/11/15/

“Strangers,” in Israel and America

Vic Rosenthal

November 15, 2019

Originally posted to the Abu Yehuda website}

We had a guest from America in our shul this week who discussed the week’s portion, lech lecha. She focused on the question of the treatment of the ger, the person who is a non-Jew in Eretz Yisrael and (variously) a stranger, immigrant, foreign resident, convert, etc. Our speaker interpreted the word ger to mean “immigrant,” and noted that both Sarai (later, Hashem would change her name to Sarah) and Hagar were powerless immigrants. Sarai was exploited sexually by Pharaoh when she was in Egypt during a famine (well, at least he tried to exploit her), while Hagar and her son were expelled from the family in Canaan by a jealous Sarai.

The speaker correctly noted that in multiple places the Torah calls for Jews to treat gerim well. For example, Leviticus 19.33-34 says

33 And if a [ger] sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him wrong.

34 The [ger] that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were [gerim] in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

She stopped short of explicitly drawing political conclusions, but it is clear that she was thinking of the controversy surrounding the treatment of undocumented immigrants in the contemporary USA, and perhaps also of non-Jews in today’s Israel. Indeed, liberal American Jews have often chosen to chastise Israel for her treatment of non-Jewish residents.

But the political consequences depend a great deal on how you understand the meaning of “ger.” And naturally it isn’t simple.

Linguistically, a ger is simply someone who lives or sojourns (that is, lives temporarily) in a place different from his homeland. Rabbinic authorities have historically discussed the ger toshav, a non-Jewish resident of Eretz Yisrael who obeys the Noachide Laws, and the ger tzedek, the convert to Judaism.

I am far from an expert in the Hebrew language or biblical exegesis, but there are some conclusions that can be drawn by simple logic.

For one thing, the ger that we are commanded to love as ourselves cannot be any non-Jew that happens to live in or travel through Eretz Yisrael. For example, King Shaul lost his kingdom because he took pity on King Agag of the Amalekites (and Agag’s animals and property). Whether you find the command to wipe out an entire people, men, women, children, and animals as repugnant or not, it’s clear that your local neighborhood Amalekites are not included among the gerim that you are commanded to treat well!

The rabbinical idea of ger toshav provides a way to resolve this. The Noachide Laws, which forbid idolatry, murder, theft, etc., constitute a simple bottom line for the degree of civilization required from a foreign people in order for them to live alongside the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael – and to be treated as in Lev. 19.33-34.

From a secular Zionist point of view, a ger toshav might be a non-Jew who lives in the Jewish state, obeys its laws and doesn’t attempt to subvert it. The majority of Arab citizens of Israel fall into this category (although the members of the Knesset that represent them often do not). Clearly the Palestinian Authority, which pays terrorists to murder Jews, violates both the Noachide Laws and the temporal laws of the State of Israel. We are not required by the Torah to love the members of Fatah and Hamas.

Note that the Torah cannot mean that there is no difference between the ger toshav and the Jewish resident, because of the covenant that connects the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael, and because there are obligations that the Jew has that the ger does not. I interpret the commandment as saying that Jews must treat gerim fairly in legal and business matters, and also that one must make an effort to understand them and put oneself in their place (because we were ourselves gerim…).

Again from a secular Zionist point of view, there is a difference between the Jew in Eretz Yisrael and the ger toshav, no matter how loyal the ger may be. This is expressed in the Nation-State Law, which explicates the concept of “Jewish” in “Jewish and Democratic State.” The Jewish people are the only ones that have national rights, including a right of return, to the state. On the other hand, non-Jewish citizens must have all the civil and political rights of Jewish ones.

Non-citizens, especially those who have entered the country illegally, like the almost 40,000 African migrants that crossed the Egyptian border into Israel in the early 2000s, or the several tens of thousands of tourists and foreign workers from all over who have overstayed their visas, are different. Beyond basic human rights guaranteed by international law, including the right to petition for asylum under certain conditions, they have no legal rights in Israel.

I think, however, that we must agree that we are obligated by Torah principles, to treat them well as long as they are here. Insofar as they obey the Noachide Laws (in secular terms, avoid criminal behavior), they can be considered gerim toshavim. This especially applies to foreign workers who were invited to live here for a limited period that they overstayed, and have had children who have grown up in Israel and may not be familiar with their parents’ home culture.

There is, however, a further consideration. It is vital for a Jewish state to maintain a healthy Jewish majority. Because she has an excellent economy and generous social benefits, Israel is very attractive to people living in countless dysfunctional countries throughout the world. Israel is a small country with a relatively small population, and cannot absorb a large number of non-Jewish immigrants without endangering that majority. She is compelled to prevent illegal immigration and to deport those who are not entitled to stay in order to protect herself as a Jewish state. The tension between protecting the majority and at the same time providing for the welfare of the individuals involved is real.

Turning to the US, the situation is different. The US is a state of its citizens, in which no ethnicity is different from any other in any respect, not only in terms of political and civil rights, but also in national rights. There is no need to maintain a national majority of any ethnicity in the US. It also has massive absorptive capacity, and the economic and demographic resiliency to deal with social problems far beyond that of Israel.

But the US still has the right to defined borders and to make and enforce laws about who may come in to the country. These are basic rights of a sovereign state, whether it is an ethnic nation-state like Israel or a state of its citizens like the US. The US has borders that are long and difficult to secure, and half the world would like to live there. There are tens of millions of undocumented residents there already, enough to effect the employment opportunities of legal residents. The problems are real, but they are not the same as Israel’s problems.

People tend to try to understand unfamiliar situations by making analogies to more familiar ones. One of the most egregious examples of bad analogies is the equation of the Palestinian Arabs to African-Americans, an analogy that is popular in progressive circles in America, and has even been made by such public personalities as Condoleezza Rice and Barack Obama. But even the most cursory examination of the history of both groups, their geographical situation, the religion and ideologies that characterize them, and countless other features, shows that there is almost no similarity between them – except perhaps that the Left wants to portray them both as “people of color oppressed by white Europeans.”

The question of immigration, too, is something that is very different in an American or Israeli context. Maybe the best approach is for Americans to work on fixing things there, while allowing Israelis to concentrate on solving their unique problems here.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Rabbi says Noahide Laws are "required" of non-Jews

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Rabbi Shais Rishon says non-Jews are "required" to follow the Noahide Laws.

https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/new-shul-new-city/

New shul, New City

Rabbi’s story of exclusion leads to mission of inclusion

By LARRY YUDELSONDecember 4, 2019, 6:00 pm 0

Rabbi Shais Rishon

Rabbi Shais Rishon has some disturbing Chanukah stories.

Rabbi Rishon is a founder and leader of the New City Minyan, a two-year-old Orthodox congregation that meets in members’ houses in New City, and has between 20 and 30 participating families.

The subtitle of his first book, “Thoughts from a Unicorn,” tells his story: “100 percent black. 100 percent Jewish. 0 percent safe.”

“Thoughts from a Unicorn” is adapted from blog posts he wrote under the moniker of MaNishtana. His most recent book, “Ariel Samson: Freelance Rabbi,” was 2018 finalist for the National Jewish Book Award’s Goldberg Award for Debut Fiction and is a fictionalized version of Rabbi Rishon’s experience as an Orthodox Jew of color.

“How are you Jewish?” he frequently is asked.

To which he responds:

“Fine, thanks. How are you, Jewish?”

“It tickles me,” he said of his retort.

Rabbi Rishon grew up in Brooklyn. His father was an African American who converted to Judaism through Chabad; his mother came from an African American family whose American Jewish roots go back to the 1780s, when family tradition says their ancestors were Nigerian Jews captured and brought to America as slaves. (His first name is the Chabad pronunciation of the Hebrew version of “Seth.”) He is comfortable wading into the thickets of obscure citations from both commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch and 1980s Marvel Comics.

His wife, Gulienne Rollins-Rishon, grew up in Rockland County, which explains why the couple moved there three years ago, when they decided to leave Brooklyn with their daughter, who is 6. His wife’s mother was a white Reform Jew, an immigrant from Germany, and her father was an African-American Catholic. She became more observant as a student at Boston College, where she was president of the Hillel. Going to the Hillel’s Chanukah party, held in the library, Chanukah menorah in her hand, “she’s stopped at the door,” Rabbi Rishon said. “It’s a Jewish event that’s happening now,” she was told.

That’s one of the Chanukah stories he uses to illustrate the difficulties of being a black Jew in America.

Here’s a more painful one from a friend, that also takes places at a college Chanukah celebration.

“She’s lighting the candles and she overhears people saying, ‘How do you think she learned the blessings? Who do you think taught her?’

“She left the party in tears,” Rabbi Rishon said. “I don’t think she ever celebrated it since then.”

His own Chanukah experience:

“I was at a Chanukah party talking to somebody. A random stranger came up to me and said, ‘Are you really Jewish or are you just playing around?’ But the word he used was not ‘playing.’

“Things like that are sort of constant.”

And don’t get him started on Purim.

“For a lot of Jews of color, it’s not our favorite holiday,” he said. “We’re not sure we’re not going to show up and see a caricature of ourselves sitting in the pews.” White Jews have gone in blackface as recently as 2013, when then New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, an Orthodox Jew, did that.

The pain of being told again and again, both explicitly and implicitly, that he doesn’t look Jewish is part of why Rabbi Rishon has moved away from the Chabad community where he was raised, though he has kept many Jewish practices specific to Chabad. He describes the New City Minyan as modern Orthodox.

“I believe in and enjoy the ideology of Chabad, the inclusion and reaching out and accepting people,” he said. “Where it sort of loses me is the practical application. If you’re approaching people and trying to bring them close to observance, are you asking if they’re Jewish? What rubric are you using to decide if they’re Jewish? Chabad often ends up ignoring Jews of color or even pushing them away. I know far too many stories of Jews of color walking past Chabad tables hoping to be asked, never to be asked. They’ll be walking with a white non-Jewish friend and the friend is asked and not them.

“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. I told him: ‘You’re able to tell me I’m not Jewish just by looking at me? Do you realize that if I was somebody who was struggling with my faith right now, this would be the last straw?’”

How many Jews of color are there in America?

“Jews of color have been historically underrepresented,” Rabbi Rishon said. “People who are trying to count Jews look for Jews who look like what they think Jews look like, or have a Jewish-sounding last name. Even with that underrepresentation, Jews of color make up eight to 10 percent of American Jewry. We’re a good hunk of the American Jewish community.”

How will taking this group seriously affect the self-understanding of other American Jews?

“That’s the whole race and religion question,” Rabbi Rishon said. “Jews are neither. We’re closer to what a family is.

“Sure you can have the Johnsons. They are this one specific, genetically related group. You have people who can marry into the Johnsons. Now they’re also Johnsons. This one Johnson family adopted some kids. Now they are Johnsons.

“Judaism works in the same way. Sure, there is this genetic hub: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Twelve Tribes. But people can marry in, people are converting, people are adopting. Once we have that, the question becomes obsolete.”

That’s the big picture perspective from Rabbi Rishon.

The small picture is he’s leading a group of people in New City “who are either observant or becoming more observant” and the local Chabad Lubavitch of Rockland “wasn’t our speed.

“We’re an inclusive kind of space,” he said. “If you drove, we didn’t see it. We need 10 guys for the minyan.”

The groups aims for weekly services on Friday night and Shabbat morning, as well as on holidays. “We pulled off our second Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. It’s a good feeling.”

The congregation generally meets in members’ homes. “We’re a speakeasy minyan,” he said. He would love for it to have a permanent home. “We’re really trying to find a way for it to be sustainable,” he said.

Part of that is an effort to expand its eruv eastward to enclose more of New City, making it an area where observant Jews can carry items and push strollers on Shabbat.

Not all observant Jews: Rabbi Rishon hasn’t let go of the Chabad movement’s general reluctance to use an eruv.

“My friends like to jibe me. ‘How are you ex-Chabad? You read the Tanya,’” — the book written by the first Lubavitcher rebbe — “‘you wear a gartel’” — a ritual prayer belt — “‘and you don’t hold by the eruv.’”

Chabad says we all "must keep" the Noahide Laws

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Chabad-Lubavitch is the organization mentioned in Public Law 102-14 (here) in recognizing there role in spreading the Noahide Laws, they are also mentioned in Public Law 150-2 (here). Chabad has uploaded on their website that in their eyes we all "must keep" the Noahide Laws. The article also mentions Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson's role is spreading the Noahide Laws (Rabbi Schneerson is also mentioned in Public Laws 102-14 and 150-2). Rabbi Schneerson is also known for his comments that non-Jews have satanic souls (here).

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/62221/jewish/The-7-Noahide-Laws-Universal-Morality.htm

The 7 Noahide Laws: Universal Morality

What Are the Seven Noahide Laws?

The 7 Noahide Laws are rules that all of us must keep, regardless of who we are or from where we come. Without these seven things, it would be impossible for humanity to live together in harmony.

Do not profane G‑d’s Oneness in any way.

Acknowledge that there is a single G‑d who cares about what we are doing and desires that we take care of His world.

Do not curse your Creator.

No matter how angry you may be, do not take it out verbally against your Creator.

Do not murder.

The value of human life cannot be measured. To destroy a single human life is to destroy the entire world—because, for that person, the world has ceased to exist. It follows that by sustaining a single human life, you are sustaining an entire universe.

Do not eat a limb of a living animal.

Respect the life of all G‑d’s creatures. As intelligent beings, we have a duty not to cause undue pain to other creatures.

Do not steal.

Whatever benefits you receive in this world, make sure that none of them are at the unfair expense of someone else.

Harness and channel the human libido.

Incest, adultery, rape and homosexual relations are forbidden.

The family unit is the foundation of human society. Sexuality is the fountain of life and so nothing is more holy than the sexual act. So, too, when abused, nothing can be more debasing and destructive to the human being.

Establish courts of law and ensure justice in our world.

With every small act of justice, we are restoring harmony to our world, synchronizing it with a supernal order. That is why we must keep the laws established by our government for the country’s stability and harmony.

These laws were communicated by G‑d to Adam and Noah, ancestors of all human beings. That is what makes these rules universal, for all times, places and people:

Laws made by humans may change according to circumstance. But laws made by the Creator of all souls over all of time remain the same for all people at all times..

If we would fulfill these laws just because they make sense to us, then we would change them, according to our convenience. We would be our own god. But when we understand that they are the laws of a supreme G‑d, we understand that they can not be changed, just as He does not change.

Why Are the Noahide Laws Especially Important Today?

Today, we are on the verge of a new era for humankind, a time when we will finally live together in peace and the world will be filled with divine wisdom. Those who keep these basic rules will have a share in that world, since, after all, they took part in making it possible.

Although these teachings were recorded in the sacred Jewish texts, for many centuries Jews were not able to speak about them to the people they lived amongst. But in recent times, the foremost rabbi of the Jewish people in the 20th century, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, encouraged Jews to publicize these teachings, so that the world can prepare for the times of peace and wisdom that are swiftly approaching.

Why Are They Called the Noahide Laws?

These are called the Noahide Laws because they are the heritage of humanity from our oldest ancestors. Since all humanity are descendants of Noah, who survived the Great Flood, all people today are Noahides.

Jewish tradition tells that six of these laws were given to the first human being, Adam. A seventh law, the prohibition against eating the limb of a living animal, was given to Noah when humankind was permitted to consume meat.

More Noahide Laws

These seven principles are general ones. Many other teachings, all intuitive to the upright human mind, branch out from these.

These include the practice of charity and acts of kindness, honoring and respecting parents, prayer to G‑d and contemplation of His wisdom and greatness.

This also means not acting recklessly towards the magnificent creation that has been entrusted to our stewardship.

Who Keeps the Noahide Laws?

Nobody needs to convert or join a particular church or temple to keep these principles and laws. But it is important to keep them because this is what the supreme G‑d wants of every one of us, and not only because they are wise and good laws.

Anyone who keeps these basic rules for that reason—regardless of race, nationality or culture—is considered a righteous person and granted eternal life upon leaving this world.

Noahide says Noahides are "iconoclasts", Arab mayor publicly accepts the Noahide Laws

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Jim Long is a former Christian who converted to Noahidism. According to Jim Noahides are iconoclastic and are against those who have twisted monotheism. He is likely speaking of Christianity which according to Judaism is idolatry (here). Additionally, the Rabbis who conducted the interview states the Noahide laws are positive obligations. It is also stated that Salim Jaber, the mayor of the Arab village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, made a public declaration accepting to observe the seven Noachide laws. So we are out there in various forms.

https://www.aish.com/jw/s/80405497.html

7 Questions: The Noachide
by Rabbi Shraga Simmons

The amazing journey of Jim Long, an observant Noachide.

The Torah, as explained in the Talmud, presents seven mitzvot for non-Jews to observe. These laws are the pillars of human civilization, and are named the "Seven Laws of Noah," since all humans are descended from Noah. They include the prohibition against murder, theft, idolatry, cursing God, sexual immorality, and eating the limb of a live animal. The seventh law is a positive obligation to set up a system of justice.

Today, there is a growing worldwide movement called B'nai Noach or Noachides – non-Jews who accept the truth of Torah and faithfully observe the Seven Laws of Noah. Maimonides explains that any human being who faithfully observes these laws earns a proper place in heaven.

Aish.com spoke with Jim Long, a prominent member of the Noachide movement, whose Lightcatcher Productions creates books and documentaries on Torah themes.

Q1: How did you get involved with becoming a Noachide?

In the early 1990s I was working in talk radio in Dallas. One day we had a last-minute hole in the schedule and I had to find a guest to fill it. I’ve always been interested in archeology and I’d heard of a Texan named Vendyl Jones who had conducted excavations in Israel searching for biblical artifacts such as the Ark of the Covenant. What I hadn’t know was that Vendyl was an avowed Noachide. He came on our show and I was so impressed with his scholarship and unique perspective on archaeology and the Bible that I began attending his study groups on the weekly Torah portion.

Torah really impressed me as being not just rational, but also true!

I began learning about the basic tenets of Judaism like free will and Divine providence, and the more I studied the more I became convinced that Torah is true. I have spent my whole life in search of the Creator and an understanding of what He wants from us, trying out various Christian denominations. But Torah really impressed me as being not just rational, but also true! Before long I was working with Vendyl on archaeological digs in Israel and filming his documentaries, Digging Up the Future and Return to Gilgal. In 1995, I married my wife Carol, also a Noachide, on a dig near Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Q2: In practical terms, what does it mean to be a practicing Noachide?

The basic seven laws are actually “root concepts” of a total life outlook. These are outlined in the many Noachide “guidebooks” that have been published, for example, Path of the Righteous Gentile by Chaim Clorfene and Yaakov Rogalsky. In fact, we just published a new book called Guide for the Noahide by Rabbi Michael Shelomo Bar-Ron. When someone reaches a stage of commitment, there is a standard Noachide pledge – a public declaration stating belief in One God, recognizing the authority of Torah, and agreeing to uphold the seven laws.

Beyond that, it’s pretty much up to the individual to do what is meaningful to him. For example, I eat cheeseburgers, but not pork or shellfish. I observe a day of rest on Shabbat (certainly not on Sunday, which is a Christian innovation); I don’t work, but I do drive a car. I’ve been learning how to pray in Hebrew, which I feel will get me closer to God. So like I said – aside from the seven laws, it’s pretty much a personal thing.

The one place we draw the line is that we’re careful not to give a false impression of being Jewish. For me that means I wouldn’t wear a kippah or tzitzit in public, although I am aware of Noachides who do. If I want to put a mezuzah on my door, I would put it on the inside of the doorpost, not the outside facing the street. And of course we are careful not to do anything that smacks of starting a new religion; historically that’s been tried many times before with damaging results.

Q3: If you believe in the truth of Torah, why don’t you convert to Judaism?

That’s a question that every Noachide faces at some point in his journey. And many do wind up converting. Personally I’ve wrestled with this issue for many years. But since my wife does not want to convert, I’ve put it on hold. She loves Torah, but is simply not ready for that step. I still feel a bit “left out” sometimes when I visit a synagogue or am in Israel. But her instincts have always been on target, and I trust that being a Noachide is what God wants from me.

Q4: How many practicing Noachides are there today?

That’s a very difficult question to answer, because Noachides are typically very iconoclastic. They’ve seen how the core values of monotheism have become twisted by some religions, and that’s often what spurred their decision to break away from organized religion. So they are very hesitant to get back in. But in answer to your question, there are thousands of practicing Noachides.

Noachides want a fellowship with other Torah-believers, both Jewish and Noachide. Yet because they resist becoming part of an organized movement, most of that Noachide “community” takes place online. For example, the Internet is where you’ll find curriculums for parents who want to teach their children in the Noachide ways. We annually attend national and regional gatherings like the Noachide conference in Florida last year. In Israel, there was a stir when Salim Jaber, the mayor of the Arab village of Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, made a public declaration accepting to observe the seven Noachide laws. So we are out there in various forms.

Q5: Historically, why is it only in recent decades that we’ve seen the start of a Noachide movement?

There have been smatterings over the centuries. For example, some documents of the founding father of the United States mention the Seven laws of Noah. There is also evidence that Sir Isaac Newton was a “closet Noachide.” In his manuscripts he wrote extensively on Torah topics, even writing phrases in Hebrew. He believed (as the Talmud says) that the Tabernacle mirrored the arrangement of the cosmos, and he sketched the Jewish Temple according to precise dimensions. He accepted the Bible as the word of God and rejected Jesus as a deity. But in his day, it was not politically correct to come out publicly against the Anglican Church. Had he done so, it might have influenced the course of history. Then there was John Selden, a brilliant jurist who lived in the 1600's wrote extensively on the Sanhedrin. He impacted international law, basing his concepts on the Seven Laws of Noach.

Q6: So what changed today?

There is a path that God’s plan takes through history, and it’s all a matter of timing. Torah flows directly from the Jews to the non-Jews, so given the founding of the State of Israel, the mass Aliyah to Israel, and the Baal Teshuva movement of Jews returning to Torah – that is why we’re seeing Noachides emerge. If you look in Mishneh Torah where Maimonides discusses the topic of the Jewish Messiah, that is immediately followed by a discussion of the seven Noachide laws. That juxtaposition indicates that as we get closer to the Messianic era, more and more non-Jews will respond to the truth of Torah. But a mass movement of Noachides can’t happen until the Jews are ready. The Jewish people are to be the teachers of Torah to humanity, and until the Jewish community is committed to taking on that role, the real revolution can’t happen. So it’s all a matter of timing.

Q7: As a Noachide, who is your biblical role model?

You might think it’s Noah, but actually it’s not. There was a shortcoming with Noah in that he believed in God but didn’t reach out to bring others to that belief. So this may sound funny – because he was the prototype Jew – but my role model is Abraham. He had a tent open on all four sides to welcome travelers, where he would teach them about the One God. It’s accurate to say that Abraham was a Noachide for the first 75 years of his life, until God came and told him that he’d become the father of the Jewish people. I’ve dedicated my life to producing documentaries and books that are Torah-based, and I’d like to think that is continuing Abraham’s tradition of moving people closer to Torah.

Ironically, I’ve seen how my work can affect Jews as well. I wrote a book and accompanying documentary called, The Riddle of the Exodus, which explores historical and archaeological proof of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. I’ve presented this talk to Jewish groups around the world and it always gets a great reaction. The audience loves hearing a non-Jew present a compelling argument for the veracity of Torah. For me, it’s another facet of an amazing and a very very rewarding journey.