There are 70 families with 70 paths within the great Family of Man. And each individual has his or her path within a path. Yet, there is one universal basis for us all...
36 Comments Posted
I would like to know how society came to accept the name Earth as the planet we live on. Is this strictly through the bible or does some individual or species claim credit for the naming.
I did enjoy the article somewhat like poetry
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A well written and timely article. It is too easy to slip back behind the veil and see poorly. Thank you.
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I don't agree with your discriptions of Mitzva four and six.
Dishonesty in Marriage hardly describes the prohibition of fobidden sexual acts. It seems to imply that if a person is not married then is it all right for him to have relations with his Mother. Or even to marry her. In both cases there is no dishonesty. Or he can do what he wants with whom he wants if his wife knows and agrees. It also implies that one cannot take a second wife and lie to his first wife about it. Which is not so. Honoring the sanctity of marriage means that a man can have sexual relations only with the woman he marries permissibly, not his mother, a man, etc.
Similarly, causing suffering is not the reason for the transgression of eating from a living animal. If one sedates the animal so it feels no pain it is still forbidden to cut off it's limb before it dies. Conversly if it's limb is severed in an accident, it is forbidden for a BN to eat it although it was not he that caused it
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#3 your description does not allow for the need that a life is taken in order to save one or more lives.
#4 your description allows a man to say " I will respect marriage but as I am not married I will take lovers without number, both men and women"
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The criticisms are well taken. Since delivering this speech six years ago, I've had to put a lot of thought into the sticky issues of the seven laws. But the real problem is none of these details. The real problem is that it turns out these laws are not comprehensive. There is plenty more a Ben Noah is obligated to do--such as charity and honoring parents.
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Your comment that the 7 laws are not comprehensive is very correct, but to make them comprehensive would require them to become the 613 mitvot.
I am a would be Jew, a Noachide who studies the 613 mitvot and the Torah, who tries to live his life within the 613 mitvot.
Yet as a non Jew I realise that I MUST break in some way the mitvot, as they are for Jews alone to follow correctly. I am not a righteous man because I am required to break the mitvot,
I wish it were different, but that is my path as laid down for me by G-d, until such time as it is the will of G-d that I convert and become a Jew.
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I'm a noahide, Bat Noah . I live in Moldova. And I find this article to be very informative for many Jews and Non-Jews.
I hope in our Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue there will be some gatherings for Noahides and there will be more Bnei Noah every day to come.
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The word earth i.e. EA-R-TH may be related to the Biblical word for this planet, Aretz i.e. A-RE-TZ (there's no 'th' in Hebrew and no 'tz' in English). 'Aretz' comes from 'ratzon' (will) and 'ratz' (running) as explained by our Sages, and it is connected to the sefira of Malchus. See your local Chabad Rabbi for more info.
Any article on this topic is great just because it sparks much needed debate and public awareness of this critical issue - how much more so an article written by Tzvi! Come on Tzvi, if anyone could publish a best-selling book on the 7 laws, you can - mankind is waiting for you. That goes for Rabbi Bolton too!
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great article, very easy read, beautifully written
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the Lubavitcher Rebbe once edited a flyer for children of NOah in Australia, and he edited the description of the six commandment to be cruelty to animals- i think Rabbi Label Wolf published this flyer, if I am not mistaken.
But that is really besides the point, just if one detail is not included in that description, that shouldn't relegate the entire commandment to have a different meaning other than kindness to animals.
It says in Chassidus that even the laws of "mishpatim", which make sense, have details that are super-rational.
Similarly, just because every detail of the mitzvah cannot be explained by the same rational, doesn't prevent me from formulating a general reason that applies to most of its laws, which is both logical and palatable to the billions of non-Jewish tongues .
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We are a group of Noahides in Tx and we were just discussing that we should recite the seven laws on Shabbot when we light the candles. We want our grandchildren raised to be familiar with these laws. I love the creed you have written and I am anxious to show the group tomorrow night. Thank you.
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Great article! Upon reading the goodness of G-d in the creation of Planet Earth, I am baffled by the current state of our Planet Earth. Today, the planet earth is almost planning to vomit us out of its surface due to the negligence, greed, control, the economics, etc created by man. I have come to realize that G-d out of His great Love, created the Planet Earth so His children would enjoy and be partakers of the great infrastructure. Along with it, came the manual "How to care for the earth/ ourself and our accountability."
I took Environmental Psychology just for the fun of it to understand better how people maintain their environment and how environment can influence behavior and vice versa. Today’s global warming and green house gases are the direct result of man’s sinful acts just as in the days of Noah. Not the least, our water and air is polluted by radio active materials, pesticides, and the list goes on.
I am looking forward to G-d in His mercy to create a totally new world so His righteous ones may dwell there forever without the daily hazards of environment and sinful acts.
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Chris - there is no need for 7 mitzvos to become 613 mitzvos
R' Bolton writes: "Honoring the sanctity of marriage means that a man can have sexual relations only with the woman he marries permissibly, not his mother, a man, etc."
Is a non-Jew required to marry? What does it mean for a BN to marry - a religious ceremony? a justice of the peace? just moving in with a partner?
Can a married BN have an extra-marital affair with a single woman? I think so. It's the married woman who cannot have an extra-marital affair.
The Noahide law about gilu arayos includes certain incestual relationships, homosexuality, adultery (with a married woman) ... Often, the details are not specified in the enumeration of the 7 Laws.
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Dear Rabbi Freeman, Thank-you so much for posting this article. I have been witness to so much greed and indifference against G-d's creation. Why is it so hard for people to at least care about the beauty and vitality of what G-d has given to all of us? Why do people choose death, greed, and destruction over life and our spiritual, social and ecological health? Wishing you all the very best,
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What a tremendous article,we do live in and on a special G-d created place. I have forwarded this article to all my Bible Study companions... Thank you to Rabbi Menachem Posner for sending me the web page.
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I think these 7 Laws ask nobody to do something extraordinary or especial. These 7 Laws just as here exposed, are for me the way one should behave in order to become a Human Being. Respecting the world and the others means respect for ourselves; helping the world means helping us. But...(I don ´t want to be pessimistic) the world is too wicked, too violent, it´s a world without G-d !!!! Every day, along the times, people lose the hope to survive , the faith in G-d and ask "where is G-d?" because this world is a chaos.I think..these Laws could help to bring order in this nightmare called world.
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I know you are good people and wish well for the whole human race, however you appear not to have done any research on other people's beliefs and disciplines.
For example you do not appear to be aware of Indian Vedantic disciplines (Commandments), or beliefs (eg in one Absolute Divine Being) as explained by the sages since time immemorial. One could also metion the beliefs and practises of the Taoists from China, the Muslims all over the world, and the Christians who also follow the Jewish Ten Commandments according to their understanding. And the Buddhists practise strict discipline without believing in either a theistic or non-theistic God.
The world is still a mess because of people not obeying the Words of G-d as revealed to the nations. The Jewish people are no exception.
And now you have just revealed the 7 Noachic laws while we (the rest of us) have known our own Godly laws since the beginning of time. Do you think G-d only revealed Himself to the Jews?
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I don´t know if G-d revealed Himself to the Jews only or not. I can´t speak about what I don´t know. But I can speak about my own experiences and feelings, about my beliefs and faith, about my own convictions.
And my personal faith is: that the Author of the whole Existence is ONE, "Something","someone","Somehow"...and as I can´t define it.....,how to call Him,It, Her.... I´ll call Him!It!Her say, Hashem.
That we ALL are sons and daughters of Hashem. That when Hashem sees the disorder in this world......gets sad and tell us "I am coming !!" -
That I wait and wait without losing the hope because one day this disorder will turn into order.
That there is a better life after the present.
Ther will be no horror,no wars, no cruelty. Only Hashem will rule the Universe and I will be with Hashem for ever.
More can I not say. If other nations received a message from Hashem or not..I don´t know. Hashem will decide about them and about me. I am not the Judge but I´ll be judged.
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Mine goes back centuries, Joels became anglicised as Jewells, fled to the Americas or settled in West Country! I began my research in the 1980s, I am not born a Jew or practising but love the scriptures and customs, my next step will probably be to attend a synagogue to explore further. I have many Christian friends appalled by the treatment of all things Jewish by the historical 'established churches', shalom.
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what an excelent article! I think if each of us could leave behind religious differences and begin fulfiling these rules, this would be surely a better world. In that time may come Moshiach.
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Interesting to see that tradition says Noah invented the plow. Fits well with, as you mentioned, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares" along with the ark as a metaphor of the era of Moshiach - 'the wolf lived with the lamb' on the ark of herbivores.
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How can "But, flesh with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat" (Genesis 9:4) be interpreted as "causing unnecessary suffering" or as the prohibition of cutting off an animal's limb before it dies? This command is restated in Leviticus 17:10. "And any man of the House of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My attention upon the soul who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. 11. For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul". From the first transgression, blood atoned: Genesis 3:21. "And the L-rd G-d made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He dressed them". Blood was shed for shirts to cover their transgression and atone. Abel brought offering of flock (blood) and "the L-rd turned to Abel and to his offering". Yom Kippur, "blood was brought to effect atonement in the Holy"
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G-d does not reveal himself only to the Jews. G-d reveals himself to all who search for Him. We only have to open our eyes and accept the obvious to see Him.
He is not a Jewish secret. He is the Creator of all creatures. Now that we got that question out of the way, we should just do His will.
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Thank you very much for publishing this article. I have book marked it so I can review these laws every day as part of my daily prayers.
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Just a huge thank you for your insight and all of your wisdon.
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it was really enlightening.
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As a Bat Noah I do my best - with the help of G-d - to keep the Seven Mitzvot given to the Children of Noah.
Thank you so much for this wording. This made it more personal for me, although I keep them because G-d gave these mitswot and not because they seem logical to me.
I very much appreciate what CHaBaD is doing not only for Jews but also for non Jews.
Also for this many thanks.
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I really needed this information.It helped alot
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I read the 7 laws and I see the key to conversion, but the door remains locked to me. I am being told that conversion is not necessary to live a G-dly life, that converting is not a simple process ... ok, but that's not good enough for me ... what if I appreciate how difficult it can be ... and what does that mean "not a simple process"? I study the Torah 3 to 4 hours a day, and the more I do the more I can feel this urge for converting growing inside me, so to me converting IS necessary to live a G-dly life. These 7 laws are telling me that I am up for becoming Jewish. Perhaps indeed it's not a simple process but I am up for the challenge. I need to "unlock" the door, but I cannot do this alone.
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I as a Christian have a deep love for the Jewish People. I have worked for several Jewish people and have found them to be only fair and loving to their employees. Blessed is Israel awaiting the return of the Messiah, and soon establishment of the Kingdom. Christians have been Blessed by G-d through the Israel nation, the Jewish. Through them came all science, and hope, and true teachings of G-d's Love. I have a fond affection for this earth, but rather look foward to the Kingdom under the Messiah.
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You inspire me each and every time I read your articles. May G-d continue to bless you with wisdom so that we can all be inspired.
Thank you.
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I would concur with Valerie of France. Are the Noah-ides enough? does it get any better as far as being at one with our creator?
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May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our God continue to bless you, your Family and your nation, For the words he has made available to me through you.
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What prayers and meditations can a benei noah do?
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Lots of stuff. Try Psalm 23 for starters. And you can recite the text of this article as a kind of creed.
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As well as being spiritual and uplifting. You have a remarkable way with words. If I were your mother, I'd be so proud to say you were my son. (This would be a compliment.) Congratulations. Keep up the kindness and empathy you show in your articles. You are helping so many people, including me. Also, if it weren't for the fact you ALLOW Torah discussion and debate, I might have given up a long time ago because of my questions. How awesome is that, that a very religious person would be also poetic, empathetic, encouraging of our individual thought processes, and gives equal opportunity to both men and women on the Chabad.Org site! Thank you again.
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