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Question 12.19: What does Judaism say about non-Jews and their role?
What does G-d demands of gentiles to get to Olam Ha'aba ["The World-
to-come"]? What are the Noachide laws?
Answer:
Traditionally, the Noachide Laws (see below) have defined
righteousness for non-Jews.
Background Information
The Rabbis in Tractate Sanhedrin [57a] [derive from the Torah] the six
broad categories of laws that G-d forbids all of humanity:
1. Killing
2. Stealing
3. Committing Sexual Immorality
4. Eating the flesh of a living animal
5. Serving idols
6. Blaspheming against G-d
They also derived one positive category of laws:
1. Establishing a system of legal justice
This gives rise to the common expression of "seven" laws. According to
the standard computation, these break down into 66 laws that non-Jews
are obligated to observe. According to the Rambam, in order to merit
the World to Come, non-Jews must observe these obligations
specifically because they were commanded by G-d through the Torah (see
Genesis 9). [References: R' Shlomo Riskin, R' Nathan Cardozo Torah,
Masorah, and Man, and Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Melakhim 8:11]
Must one comply with these laws? In Judaism, there is the notion of
someone who is ketinok shenishba -- like a child who was taken captive
and raised by highway robbers. Such a child couldn't be held
accountable for growing up to be a criminal. As a general principle, a
child raised in a home where some sin was considered normal and
accepted behavior isn't held accountable by G-d, the One Who put him
in that home for following along. Basically, G-d judges people by
taking into account what He gave that person to work with. If it was
harder for that person to realize that some behavior is wrong, then
G-d will take that into account and judge accordingly.
There is a relatively well-known story about R' Zushya, an early
Chassidic master. He was on his deathbed, and a number of students
were there to share with R' Zushye his final moments. R' Zushya let
them know that he was scared, afraid of G-d's final justice. "I am not
afraid that G-d will ask me, 'Zushya, why weren't you like Abraham?'
'Zushya, why weren't you a Moses?' I can answer Him, 'But you didn't
make me with the abilities of an Abraham or Moses.' But what if G-d
asks, 'Zushya, why weren't you a Zushya?' What can I answer?"
However, there are movements that encourage the following of the
Noachide Laws. A common question on s.c.j is "What are these laws?".
The following is a condensed version of a summary of the laws and
categories put together by Shlomoh Sherman and posted by Moshe
Shulman:
The Seven Noachide Categories
1. Murder is forbidden: The life of a human being, formed in G-d's
image, is sacred.
2. Theft is forbidden. The world is not ours to do with as we please.
3. Incestuous and adulterous relations are forbidden. Human beings
are not sexual objects, nor is pleasure the ultimate goal of life.
4. Eating the flesh of a living animal is forbidden. This teaches us
to be sensitive to cruelty to animals. (This was commanded to Noah
for the first time along with the permission of eating meat. The
negative laws were enforced at the Garden of Eden.)
5. Idolatry is forbidden: Man is commanded to believe in the One G-d
alone and worship only G-d.
6. Cursing the name of G-d is forbidden. Besides honoring and
respecting G-d, we learn from this precept that our speech must be
sanctified, as that is the distinctive sign that separated man
from the animals.
7. Mankind is commanded to establish courts of justice and a just
social order. This is in order to enforce the first six laws and
enact any other useful laws or customs.
Specific References
These categories are felt to be implicit in G-d's commandment to Adam
and Eve in Genesis (Bereshis) 2:16-17:
1. The following verse is a reference to the prohibition against
murder. G-d explicitly commands Noah (Genesis 9:6), "If one sheds
the blood of the man (HaAdam), by man shall his own blood be
shed."
2. The following is an implicit reference to the prohibition against
theft. It shows that permission is needed to take something that
is not explicitly yours. "You shall not steal; you shall not deal
deceitfully or falsely with one another" (Leviticus 19:11).
3. The below verse refers to sexual misconduct or adultery, as the
prophet Jeremiah (3:1) says, "Saying (laymor), if a man divorces
his wife..."
4. The following verse implies that there are things which may not be
eaten (the limbs of a live animal): "You must not, however, eat
flesh with its life- blood in it." (Genesis 9:4)
5. The following verse is a reference to the prohibition against
idolatry; for it says in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other
gods before me."
6. The following verse implies the prohibition against blasphemy. As
it says in Leviticus 24:16, "He who blasphemes the name of the
Lord (Hashem) shall die."
7. What follows is a reference to laws of justice for it says in
Genesis 18:19, "For I have known him so he will command (Yitzaveh)
his children after him to keep the way of the Lord and
righteousness and justice."
Seven Turns Into Sixty-Six
From this are derived the following 66 laws:
1. MURDER: (1) against anyone murdering anyone.
2. THEFT: (1) against stealing; (2) against committing robbery (3)
against shifting a landmark; (4) against cheating; (5) against
repudiating a claim of money owed; (6) against overcharging; (7)
against coveting; (8) against desiring; (9) a laborer shall be
allowed to eat of the fruits among which he works (under certain
conditions); (10) against a laborer eating of such fruit (when
certain conditions are not met); (11) against a laborer taking of
such fruit home; (12) against kidnapping; (13) against the use of
false weights and measures; (14) against the possession of false
weights and measures; (15) that one shall be exact in the use of
weights and measures; and (16) that the robber shall return (or
pay for) the stolen object.
3. ILLICIT INTERCOURSE: (1) against (a man) having union with his
mother; (2) against (a man) having union with his sister; (3)
against (a man) having union with the wife of his father; (4)
against (a man) having union with another man's wife; (5) against
(a man) copulating with a beast; (6) against a woman copulating
with a beast; (7) against (a man) lying carnally with a male; (8)
against (a man) lying carnally with his father; (9) against (a
man) lying carnally with his father's brother; and (10) against
engaging in erotic conduct that may lead to a prohibited union.
[Note: There is some dispute as to what the correct wording it for
(8) and (9), as it seems to be covered by (7). If the text is
based on Lev. 18:8, the standard prohibition derived therefrom is
covered in (3). Note that this is in the context of noachide
prohibitions.]
4. LIMB OF A LIVING CREATURE: (1) against eating a limb severed from
a living animal, beast, or fowl; and (2) against eating the flesh
of any animal which was torn by a wild beast ... which, in part,
prohibits the eating of such flesh as was torn off an animal while
it was still alive.
5. IDOLATRY: (1) against entertaining the thought that there exists a
deity except the Lord; (2) against making any graven image (and
against having anyone else make one for us); (3) against making
idols for use by others; (4) against making any forbidden statues
(even when they are for ornamental purposes); (5) against bowing
to any idol (and not to sacrifice nor to pour libation nor to burn
incense before any idol, even where it is not the customary manner
of worship to the particular idol); (6) against worshipping idols
in any of their customary manners of worship; (7) against causing
our children to pass (through the fire) in the worship of Molech
[Molech was the fire god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians to whom
parents sacrificed their children]; (8) against practicing Ov; (9)
against the practice of Yiddoni [Sorceror, Soothsayer, Magician];
and (10) against turning to idolatry (in word, in thought, in
deed, or by any observance that may draw us to its worship).
[Editors Note: We need a translation/meaning for Ov.]
6. BLASPHEMY: (1) to acknowledge the presence of G-d; (2) to fear
G-d; (3) to pray to G-d; (4) to sanctify G-d's name (in face of
death, where appropriate); (5) against desecrating G-d's name
(even in face of death, when appropriate); (6) to study the Torah;
(7) to honor the scholars, and to revere one's teacher; and (8)
against blaspheming.
7. JUSTICE: (1) to appoint judges and officers in each and every
community; (2) to treat the litigants equally before the law; (3)
to inquire diligently into the testimony of a witness; (4) against
the wanton miscarriage of justice by the court; (5) against the
judge accepting a bribe or gift from a litigant; (6) against the
judge showing marks of honor to but one litigant; (7) against the
judge acting in fear of a litigant's threats; (8) against the
judge, out of compassion, favoring a poor litigant; (9) against
the judge discriminating against the litigant because he is a
sinner; (10) against the judge, out of softness, putting aside the
penalty of a mauler or killer; (11) against the judge
discriminating against a stranger or an orphan; (12) against the
judge hearing one litigant in the absence of the other; (13)
against appointing a judge who lacks knowledge of the Law; (14)
against the court killing an innocent man; (15) against
incrimination by circumstantial evidence; (16) against punishing
for a crime committed under duress; (17) that the court is to
administer the death penalty by the sword; (18) against anyone
taking the law into his own hands to kill the perpetrator of a
capital crime (this point is disagreed upon by different writers:
"The Noahites are not restricted in this way but may judge singly
and at once."); (19) to testify in court; and (20) against
testifying falsely. |
