B'rith Adam-Noach

According to the great Jewish scholar Maimonides (also known as the Rambam), six laws were commanded to Adam in the Garden of Eden. These were prohibitions against the worship of false gods; cursing God; murder; incest and adultery; and theft; and the commandment to establish laws and courts of justice. To Noah, God reiterated the law against murder and added the prohibition against eating flesh from a living animal, sometimes interpreted as behaving compassionately towards animals.

Collectively known as the Seven Laws of Noah (or Sheva Mitzvot B’nai Noach), the principles re-given to humanity at Mount Sinai and form part of the 613 commandments given to the people of Israel. (The seven laws actually break down into 66 commandments.)

Gentiles who actively follow the Seven Laws of Noah are called B'nai Noach or Noachides, literally "Children of Noah." Sometimes they are referred to as righteous gentiles or the pious among the nations. B’nai B’rith Noach means Children of the Covenant of Noah. B'rith Noach is the religion of Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Job, Melchizedek, Abram and Yitro.

When a Gentile resolves to fulfill the Seven Universal Laws, his or her soul is elevated. This person becomes one of the "Chasidei Umot Haolam" (Pious Ones of the Nations) and receives a share of the World to Come. The Torah calls one who accepts the yoke of fulfilling the Seven Universal Laws a "Ger Toshav" (a Proselyte of the Gate). This person is permitted to live in the land of Israel and to enter to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel.

Why was the people at the time of the flood punished when they never received the commandments? Perhaps there are certain commandments that people should be able to observe by force of reason. Indeed, some of the Noachide laws can be derived from reason. However, the Jewish scholar Maimonides stressed that the righteous among the gentiles are those who have acquired knowledge of God and act in accordance with the laws out of obedience to God. Anyone who upholds the seven laws merely because they appear logical is not one of the "righteous among the nations.”

Seven Noachide Laws

(Sheva Mitzvot B’nai Noach)

“And God spoke unto Noah, and to Noah's children with him, saying, 'And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you’.” (Genesis 9 : 8-9)

Below are the seven laws of Noah, sometimes referred to as the Covenant of Noah or B'rith Noach. The followers of these laws are B’nai B’rith Noach, literally, Children of the Covenant of Noah.

1. Prohibition against idolatry (Avodah Zarah עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה)

2. Prohibition against blasphemy

3. Prohibition against murder (Shefichat Damim  שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים)

4. Prohibition against sexual immorality (Gilui Arayot גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת)

5. Prohibition against theft  (Gezel גָּזֵל)

6. Prohibition against consumption of animal blood (Ever Min HaChai  אֵבָר מִן הֶחָי)

7. Commandment to establish courts of law (Dinim  דִּינִים)

Adam

Adam’s part in the first-ever covenant  was obedience to God's commandments.  God's part in the covenant was life itself. Because Adam broke the covenant, the penalty was death. Nonetheless, God shows His care in clothing Adam and Eve in garments of skin, the first instance of animal sacrifice. 

Prohibition against promiscuity

Gen. 2:24: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife and they shall become one flesh." This verse forbids relations with one's mother, one's father's wife, a wife of another man, another male, and an animal.

Prohibition against theft

Gen. 2:16a: “And the HaShem God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it.” This verse forbids theft.

Commandment to pursue justice

Gen. 2:16b: “…for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.” This verse is an implicit recognition of crime and punishment i.e. the pursuit of justice.

Prohibition against animal cruelty 

Gen. 2:19 “Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” This verse reveals that Adam perceived the spiritual aspects of each animal as represented in the letters of the Aleph Bet, which then became the name of the animal. To name an animal according to its divine essence is the highest form of respect a human can give to a creature.  

In fact, all seven laws can be extrapolated from just one verse - Genesis 2:16...

"The Lord God commanded man saying, ‘from all the trees of the garden you may surely eat'." (Genesis 2:16)

This verse is a reminder of the seven laws of B'nai Noach...

Commanded refers to establishing courts.

The Lord refers to cursing God.

God refers to idolatry.

Man refers to murder.

Saying refers to illicit sex. Cf "Saying, if a man divorces his wife..." (Jeremiah 3:1)

From all the trees of the garden refers to robbery.

You may surely eat refers to eating flesh taken from a living animal.

Every sin is summarized by the single prohibition of eating, which is the most basic and urgent of all needs.

One commandment?

One voice in the Talmud says that Adam received only one command: to accept God as Creator or the prohibition against idolatry (Sanhedrin, 56b).

Rabbi Yehudah says, Adam HaRishon was only commanded about idolatry - "Va'Ytzav Hash-m Elokim Al ha'Adam" (“Adam must accept that HaShem is God”)

Through this single command, Adam was to use his mind to derive two other commandments: not to  curse God and to set up courts.

These three laws actually form the three categories of all human action: thought (idolatry), speech (cursing) and action (courts). 

Noah

Noah means "peaceful". It comes from the verb  (nuah) meaning rest, settle down.

According to Genesis 6:9, Noah “walked with God.” He was righteous and blameless, finding favour with the Lord. In fact, Genesis 7:1 states that Noah was the only person in his generation who God considered righteous. 

Angered at the wickedness of mankind, God tell Noah that He will soon send a great deluge to destroy all life.  Noah is commanded by God to build an ark and provide sanctuary for his family and a remnant of the animal kingdom.

Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives, the animals taken aboard Noah's ark (and, of course, sea creatures) are the only ones who survive the disaster. After the flood, God cuts a deal with Noah. God blesses Noah and his sons, and makes a covenant with mankind and the animal kingdom, in which God promises to never again to “cut off” all flesh with the waters of a flood. In return, God commands Noah and his sons to be fruitful, to multiply and to replenish the earth. God also forbids the eating of animal blood (which can be interpreted as an injunction against animal cruelty), as well as the shedding of human blood. There is also an implicit commandment to set up courts of law to punish murder (“He who spills the blood of man, by man his blood shall be spilt”). God gives the rainbow as a sign of the covenant.

Because all people are the descendants of Noah’s sons and their wives, Noah is (in effect) a second Adam.

Below is God's post-Flood covenant speech...

"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you -- the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you -- every living creature on earth.  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."  And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."  So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." (Gen. 9:9-17)

Book of Noah

The Book of Noah is thought to be a non-extant Old Testament pseudepigraphal work, attributed to Noah.

Some scholars attribute Jubilees 7:20–39 to a Book of Noah. In Jubilees 10:1–15, reference is made to a medical and anti-demonic work transmitted by Noah to his descendants after the Flood. Something similar appears in the opening paragraphs of the medieval medical treatise Sefer Asaf ha-Rofe, which begins with the words: “This is the book of remedies that ancient sages copied from the books of Shem ben Noah, which was transmitted to Noah on Mount Lubar, one of the mountains of Ararat, after the Flood.”

The phrase “the words of Noah” is referred to in Jubilees 21:10.

The Aramaic Levi Document, one of the oldest Jewish non-biblical works (3^rd century BCE?) and a source for the “Testament of Levi” in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, states that the Book of Noah deals with laws pertaining to the slaughter of animals and the handling of blood. In the Aramaic Levi Doc, Levi is a wise visionary who receives and passes on priestly lore that came from Noah and transmitted through the generations.

A second body of Noah material is in I Enoch, specifically chapters 6–11, 60, 65–69 and 106–7. Material closely associated with I Enoch 6–11 and 106–7 appears in 1Q19 from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Also in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Genesis Apocryphon, which contains material about Noah’s birth and a reference to a “book of the words of Noah.” Noachic traditions are also found in 2 Enoch 71–72.

Philo deals with aspects of Noah's life and actions in Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus. Noah also figures in Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities and Josephus's Jewish Antiquities. However, none of these works can be viewed as belonging to a Book of Noah.

The fourth-century Jewish magical book Sefer ha-Razim is also ascribed to Noah. The book opens with the words: “This is a book, from the Books of Mysteries, which was given to Noah, son of Lamech … son of Adam by Raziel the angel.”

God’s covenant with Noah (two versions)

Genesis 9:1-17

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you  and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Jubilees 6:1-18

And on the new moon of the third month he went forth from the ark, and built an altar on that mountain.

And he made atonement for the earth, and took a kid and made atonement by its blood for all the guilt of the earth; for everything that had been on it had been destroyed, save those that were in the ark with Noah.

And he placed the fat thereof on the altar, and he took an ox, and a goat, and a sheep and kids, and salt, and a turtle-dove, and the young of a dove, and placed a burnt sacrifice on the altar, and poured thereon an offering mingled with oil, and sprinkled wine and strewed frankincense over everything, and caused a goodly savour to arise, acceptable before the Lord.

And the Lord smelt the goodly savour, and He made a covenant with him that there should not be any more a flood to destroy the earth; that all the days of the earth seed-time and harvest should never cease; cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night should not change their order, nor cease for ever.

'And you, increase ye and multiply upon the earth, and become many upon it, and be a blessing upon it. The fear of you and the dread of you I will inspire in everything that is on earth and in the sea.

And behold I have given unto you all beasts, and all winged things, and everything that moves on the earth, and the fish in the waters, and all things for food; as the green herbs, I have given you all things to eat.

But flesh, with the life thereof, with the blood, ye shall not eat; for the life of all flesh is in the blood, lest your blood of your lives be required. At the hand of every man, at the hand of every (beast) will I require the blood of man.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made He man.

And you, increase ye, and multiply on the earth.'

And Noah and his sons swore that they would not eat any blood that was in any flesh, and he made a covenant before the Lord God for ever throughout all the generations of the earth in this month.

On this account He spake to thee that thou shouldst make a covenant with the children of Israel in this month upon the mountain with an oath, and that thou shouldst sprinkle blood upon them because of all the words of the covenant, which the Lord made with them for ever.

And this testimony is written concerning you that you should observe it continually, so that you should not eat on any day any blood of beasts or birds or cattle during all the days of the earth, and the man who eats the blood of beast or of cattle or of birds during all the days of the earth, he and his seed shall be rooted out of the land.

And do thou command the children of Israel to eat no blood, so that their names and their seed may be before the Lord our God continually.

And for this law there is no limit of days, for it is for ever. They shall observe it throughout their generations, so that they may continue supplicating on your behalf with blood before the altar; every day and at the time of morning and evening they shall seek forgiveness on your behalf perpetually before the Lord that they may keep it and not be rooted out.

And He gave to Noah and his sons a sign that there should not again be a flood on the earth.

He set His bow in the cloud for a sign of the eternal covenant that there should not again be a flood on the earth to destroy it all the days of the earth.

For this reason it is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets, that they should celebrate the feast of weeks in this month once a year, to renew the covenant every year.

And this whole festival was celebrated in heaven from the day of creation till the days of Noah -twenty-six jubilees and five weeks of years and Noah and his sons observed it for seven jubilees and one week of years, till the day of Noah's death, and from the day of Noah's death his sons did away with (it) until the days of Abraham, and they eat blood.

The rainbow

Some rabbis say the rainbow was one of the ten things created on the eve of the first Sabbath. Moreover, it is forbidden to stare at the rainbow because the Shekinah appears in it, adorned in garments white, red and yellow.  In the Zohar, these colors are associated with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, respectively.

As well as being a sign of the covenant, the rainbow is also a sign of the divine presence. This can be seen in Ezekiel’s vision:

“Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” (Ezekiel 1:26-28)

The high priest Simeon was wrapped in a rainbow when he emerged from the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement:

“He shone in his days as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full. And as the sun when it shineth, so did he shine in the temple of God. And as the rainbow giving light in bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of the spring, and as the lilies that are on the brink of the water, and as the sweet smelling frankincense in the time of summer.”  (Ben Sirach 50.7)

The rainbow makes a couple of appearance in the Book of Revelation:

“And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.” (Rev 4:3)

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.” (Rev 10:1)

The Cosmic Covenant

And it came to me all in a feeling how everything fitted together, this place and ourselves and the animals and the tools, and how the sky held us (Wendell Berry, A World Lost)

The cosmic covenant is, in the words of scholar Robert Murray, “the belief in a divinely willed order harmoniously linking heaven and earth.”

Murray likens the covenant to a marriage – a marriage of heaven and earth, of God and his people Israel. This covenant (explains Murray) was established at creation, “when the cosmic elements were fixed and bound.”  This covenant is referred to in Isaiah 54:10 as God's “covenant of peace.”

In other words, there was an ancient notion that God held the universe in place and kept chaos and order apart. Even today, Kabbalists believe that God is constantly maintaining creation. Should He look away for just a split second, the universe would vanish into utter nothingness.

The Hebrew bible plays incessantly on the Hebrew stem ‘rr, which means to restrain or bind. Evidence of God’s binding of creation at the beginning of time can be found throughout Tanakh:

“I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, the eternal rule which it may not transgress,” says God in Jeremiah (5.22).  The binding of chaos is even more explicit in Job:

“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?” (Job 38:8-11).

The Flood was God’s act of purgation, a way of cleansing the earth of evil before reestablishing the cosmic covenant with Noah. The loosening of the binds at the time of the Flood can be explained by God’s disgust at the state of the world. In Genesis 6:11, the Torah clearly states that “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” There are also a number of references to the world being filled with robbery, which is perhaps a way of saying that social harmony had completely eroded. In short, man had forsaken the universal moral laws given to him by God.

Although God could have chosen to completely destroy the world, He instead instructs Noah to save himself, his family and a remnant of animals by creating a huge ark or sanctuary, before sending an almighty flood:

“The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left and those with him in the ark.” (Genesis 7:20-23).

Not only do the majority of living creatures lose God’s protection during the Flood, the entire earth is deluged by Chaos in which land and water are thoroughly intermingled, thereby undoing the separation of matter which takes place at Creation.

[It is no accident that many Jewish traditions involve keeping things separate: meat/milk; Israel/the nations; Sabbath/weekday. In David Rosenberg’s translation of Genesis, the theme of separation and boundaries is especially foregrounded:

To the serpent: “Since you did this you are bound apart from the flocks, from any creature of the field, bound to the ground, crawling by your smooth belly.”

On the tower of Babel: “’They conceive this between them until no boundary exists to what they will touch.’ […] From there Yahweh scattered them over the whole face of the earth; the city there became unbound.”

Speaking to Moses, God says: “’The people will be a boundary, warn them to watch themselves, approach but not climb up, not touch the mountain. For those who overstep boundaries, death touches them…’.”]

By removing the boundaries and flooding the earth, God was in a sense remaking the world. The receding of the waters after the rain had stopped echoes the separating of land and water in Genesis 1.

The post-deluge covenant between God and Noah can therefore be interpreted as a reaffirmation of the universal created order. In Psalm 104:9, the psalmist observes how God “set a boundary” so that the waters “might not again cover the earth” (Psalm 104.9).

So God blesses Noah and his sons, and makes a pledge with mankind and the animal kingdom, in which He promises to never again to “cut off” all flesh with the waters of a flood. In return, God commands Noah and his sons to be fruitful, to multiply and to replenish the earth. God also forbids the eating of animal blood (which can be interpreted as an injunction against animal cruelty), as well as the shedding of human blood. There is also an implicit commandment to set up courts of law to punish murder.

"I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature on earth.  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."  And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."  So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth." (Genesis. 9:9-17).

II

The prophets were painfully aware of the relationship between sin and chaos. Injustice, say the prophets, threatens the harmonious workings of the universe. Individual behavior, national prosperity and the health of the cosmos are all interdependent. In Hosea, the Lord accuses the Israelites of “break[ing] all bounds.” God also accuses the people of murder, stealing and adultery. Like Adam, they have broken the covenant.” (Hosea 6:7).

This breaking of the Noahide covenant has dire implications for humanity and the planet:

“Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.” (Hosea 4:3).

Again, this is an echo of what happens in the Flood story – the beasts and birds are violently washed away in the Deluge.

There is a similar theme in Isaiah in which God scolds his “children” for their rebellious ways and promises to “purge away [their] dross” and “shake the earth.” Then there is this dire warning:

“See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant […] The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered.” (Isaiah 24:1-3).

Why is the Lord threatening to destroy his people? It is because they have “broken the everlasting covenant” (24:5) and “therefore a curse consumes the earth.” This is a stark reminder of the story of the Flood in Genesis and a warning that injustice and idolatry are a real threat to the created order.

Jeremiah, too, recognizes that mankind’s failure to keep a covenant with God is disastrous:

“If you can break my covenant with for the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant – and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me – can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.” (Jeremiah 33:20-22).

Indeed, the breaking of the covenant returns the earth to the chaos of pre-creation: “I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone” (Jeremiah 4:23).

III

The renewal of the covenant after the Flood is a promise of abundance. Hence the following promise in Leviticus:

“Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. […] I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.” (Leviticus 26:5-6, 9-12).

But there is something about the post-Deluge covenant that somehow falls short. Man is allowed to eat animals, which was forbidden to Adam. And it soon becomes clear that discord is alive and well, hence the uncovering of Noah’s nakedness and the cursing of Canaan. Indeed, there is a litany of bloodshed, disaster and heartache even after the Flood. The prophets, only too aware of this, blame the continuing discord on unrighteous.

But there is hope. The prophets repeatedly look forward to a better time, a day when the Lord delivers creation and completely restores it. Indeed, the prophetic books are packed with visions of a future time when man and nature are no longer estranged from each other:

“I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.” (Ezekiel 34:25).

And:

"[...] I will make a covenant with them, with the animals of the wild, with the birds of the sky and what creeps on the ground. I will break bow, sword and war on earth, and I will let them rest in safety I will make thee mine own forever; I will make thee mine by right and justice, by loyalty and compassion, I will make thee mine by faithfulness, and thou shalt know [that I am] the Lord.” (Hosea 2:18-20).

So it seems that the Olam HaTechiyah, or the World of Resurrection, is time when creation is restored to its proper place and the cosmic covenant kept forever. This is not to be confused with Olam Ha-Ba, which is the spiritual afterlife guaranteed to all Noahides. According to several Jewish authorities, any non-Jew who lives according to the Seven Laws of Noah is assured of a place in the World of Resurrection.

So it seems the Noahide Laws and the restoration of creation really are connected in some way, However, it would appear that only the arrival of the Messiah will start the process of healing the world. It is the Messiah who will implement a new moral order that will culminate in the transformation of the laws of nature. This can be seen in Psalm 72, which is an excellent outline of what a restored creation under the leadership of a Messiah would look like.

“Endow the king with your justice, O God,

the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.

[…]

May grain abound throughout the land;

on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him
and they will call him blessed.

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.

Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.”

And finally there is eschatological hope in Isaiah, wherein Messiah will be endowed with the “Spirit of the Lord” and “the wolf will live with the lamb.”

“The leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”  (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Noah and the tzohar

Noah's ark was an enclosed four-sided structure with only one opening to the outside, on the very top. The Torah says "make a window [tzohar] for the ark" (Gen. 6:16). Tzohar means something that shines. Some rabbis suggest that it was a skylight, while others describe it as a type of light-emitting stone. The 13th century rabbi, Hezekiah ben Manoah, said the Tzohar meant “olive.” According to ben Manoah, God commanded Noach not to build a window but to gather olives for oil in order make a lamp for the ark.

Another view is that the olive brought back by the dove was squeezed by Noah into a flask, which was then sealed and given to Shem. Noah told his son that the flask should be given only to the most righteous person of the next generation. Shem – as Melchizedek – passed the flask to Abraham. The flask was passed down through the generations via Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Aaron, and David.

When David laid the foundations of the First Temple, he saw the desecration that would take place in the Second Temple and understood that a pure flask of oil would be needed, so he hid it to be used at that time. This is the flask that provided the oil from which the Menorah was lit during the rededication of the Temple, and that miraculously burned for eight days instead of one. This is the miracle behind the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

The Jewish Zodiac symbol for the month of Kislev is the bow or keshet, which means "rainbow." Hanukkah comes at the end of Kislev. According to Sefer HaToda'ah, the first time Noah saw the rainbow was in Kislev.

Noachide laws in Jubilees, the Brit Chadashah and Didache

An early reference to the laws of B'nai Noach may appear in the Book of Jubilees 7:20–28, which is generally dated to the 2nd century BCE:

"And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah began to enjoin upon his sons' sons the ordinances and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew, and he exhorted his sons to observe righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their Creator, and honour father and mother, and love their neighbour, and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity. […] For whoso sheddeth man's blood, and whoso eateth the blood of any flesh, shall all be destroyed from the earth."

Both Yeshua and Paul the Apostle quote a version of the Noachide laws:

"And Yeshua said, 'You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 19:16-19)

“Owe nothing to one another except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Torah, for this: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this saying: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:8-10)

A reference to the Noachide covenant appears in Acts 15:19-21 and 15:28-29:

"They [gentile converts to Christianity] abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.”

[The Western version of Acts adds the negative form of the Golden Rule: "And whatever things ye would not have done to yourselves, do not do to another.”]

Acts 15:28-29: “It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you [gentile converts to Christianity] any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right.”

These rulings were decided at the Council of Jerusalem (50 CE). The council was headed by Ya’akov Ha Tzaddik, the brother – and successor – of Jesus.

Finally, the Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (1^st or 2^nd century CE) includes rules for Christians, which are similar to the laws of B'nai Noach:

“First, you shall love God who made you; second, love your neighbor as yourself, and do not do to another what you would not want done to you. […] Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts.

[…]

You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born. You shall not covet the things of your neighbor, you shall not swear, you shall not bear false witness…

[…]

Be not a liar, since a lie leads to theft. Be neither money-loving, nor vainglorious, for out of all these thefts are engendered. My child, be not a murmurer, since it leads the way to blasphemy. Be neither self-willed nor evil-minded, for out of all these blasphemies are engendered.

[…]

My child, remember night and day him who speaks the word of God to you, and honor him as you do the Lord. For wherever the lordly rule is uttered, there is the Lord. […] Judge righteously,

[…]

And the way of death is this: First of all it is evil and accursed: murders, adultery, lust, fornication, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, witchcrafts, rape, false witness, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness; persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing a reward for righteousness, not cleaving to good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for that which is good, but for that which is evil; from whom meekness and endurance are far, loving vanities, pursuing revenge, not pitying a poor man, not laboring for the afflicted, not knowing Him Who made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from him who is in want, afflicting him who is distressed, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, utter sinners. Be delivered, children, from all these.

[…]

And concerning food, bear what you are able; but against that which is sacrificed to idols be exceedingly careful; for it is the service of dead gods."

30 Mitzvot

Rabbi Samuel ben Hofni (died 1034) enumerates 30 Noahide laws…

1.     The singularity of God (That is, to believe in God) Genesis 2:16

2.     No idolatry Genesis 2:16

3.     No blasphemy Genesis 2:16

4.     To pray  Genesis 20:7

5.     No false oaths Genesis 21:23

6.     No suicide Genesis  9:5-6

7.     No murder Genesis  9:5-6

8.     No adultery Genesis 20:3

9.     Formal marriages via bride price and marriage gifts Genesis 34:12

10.   No incest (with a sister) Genesis 12:13

11.   No homosexuality Genesis 2:24

12.   No bestiality Genesis 2:24

13.   No castration Genesis 5:17

14.   Not to eat an animal that died naturally or without proper slaughter Genesis  9:3

15.   Not to eat a limb of a living creature Genesis  9:4

16.   Not to eat or drink blood Genesis  9:4

17.   Not to crossbreed animals Genesis 8:20

18.   Commandment to establish a system of justice

19.   Commandment to offer ritual sacrifices to HaShem Genesis 8:20

20.   No theft (including kidnapping) Genesis 2:16;6:11

21.   To respect parents   Genesis  9:22-23

22.   No Molech worship (passing a child through fire) Deuteronomy 18:10

23.   No divination Deuteronomy 18:10

24.   No  divining of auspicious times Deuteronomy 18:10

25.   No interpreting of omens / superstition Deuteronomy 18:10

26.   No  witchcraft / sorcery Deuteronomy 18:10

27.   No charming / using incantations / conjuring Deuteronomy 18:10

28.   No consulting mediums Deuteronomy 18:10

29.   No consulting oracles Deuteronomy 18:10

30.   No consulting the dead (necromancy) Deuteronomy 18:10

Rabbi Menachem Azaria de Fano (1548-1620)enumerates the 30 laws as follows…

1.       Prohibition against idolatry

2.       Prohibition against passing a child through fire in the worship of Molech

3.       Prohibition against stick divination

4.       Prohibition against divining of auspicious times

5.       Prohibition against interpreting of omens / Superstition

6.       Prohibition against witchcraft / Sorcery

7.       Prohibition against using charms / incantations

8.       Prohibition against consulting mediums

9.       Prohibition against consulting oracles

10.   Prohibition against necromancy

11.   Prohibition against sexual immorality

12.   Commandment to be fruitful

13.   Commandment to multiply seed

14.   Prohibition against drawing up marriage contracts for homosexuals.

15.   Prohibitions against cross-breeding of animals

16.   Prohibition against castration

17.   Prohibition against grafting trees

18.   Prohibition against murder

19.   Prohibition against striking a Jew

20.   Prohibition against blasphemy

21.   Commandment to honour the Torah (and Torah scholars)

22.   Commandment to study relevant parts of the Torah

23.   Prohibition against theft

24.   Prohibition against studying non-relevant parts of the Torah.

25.   Commandment to establish a system of justice

26.   Prohibition against observing the Sabbath

27.   Prohibition against eating all or part of a living creature

28.   Prohibition against consuming the blood of a living  creature

29.   Prohibition against eating an animal that died without proper slaughter

30.   Prohibition against easting human flesh

66 Mitzvot

"Sanctify yourself a little below and you will be sanctified a lot from above."

Extra Mitzvot

The following is a list of additional mitzvot that can be adopted by B’nai Noach. See "The Law is Only a Minimum," at https://www.noahide.com/minimum.htm

To pray at least once every day.

To dress modestly.

Not to observe pagan holidays such as Easter and Christmas.

To observe (to some degree) the Jewish festivals, including Rosh Hashanah, Sukkots, Chanukah, Purim and Shavuot.

To have as many children as possible and to give them knowledge of the Torah.

To give to charity.

To support the State of Israel and the settlement movement in Judea and Samaria. As Rav Kook states: "Love for our Holy Land is the foundation of the Torah."

Encouraging secular Jews to observe Torah.

To combat Christian missionaries.

To prepare the way for establishing proper Noahide courts of law.

To observe Kosher dietary laws.

Rabbi Elijah Benamozegh

Elijah Benamozegh (1822-1900) was an eminent Italian rabbi and Kabbalist. He was enthusiastic about gentile observance of the Noachide covenant. Below are some of his words…

“Noachide law never ceased to be in force but even Israel, with its special code, Mosaism, was created for it, to safeguard it, to teach it, to spread it. The Jews thus exercised, I repeat, the function of priests of humanity, and found themselves subject in this way to the priestly rules which concern them exclusively: the law of Moses.” 

"According to the teachings of Judaism the Jews as the 'priests' of humanity are subject to the Law of Moses, while the 'laymen' are linked to the early universal religion alone."

"We Jews have in our keeping the religion destined for the entire human race, the religion to which the Gentiles are subject and by which they are to be saved, as were our Patriarchs before the giving of the Law. Could you suppose that the true religion which God destines for all humanity is only the property of a special people? Not at all. His plan is much greater than that. The religion of humanity is no other than "Noachism," not because it was founded by Noah, but because it was through the person of that righteous man that God's covenant with humanity was made. This is the path that lies before your efforts, and indeed before mine, as it is my duty to spread the knowledge of it also."

“The future of the human race lies in this formula. If you come to be convinced of it, you will be much more precious to Israel than if you submit to the Torah of Israel. You will be the instrument of the Divine Providence to all mankind. If you were a sceptic like so many others, you might as well preach one doctrine as another, but you have earned the right that I should speak to you as a believer.”

“Can it be imagined for a single moment that after having concerned Himself for so long with the descendants of Noah, God would give a special Law to the Jews as His "kingdom of priests" and then not trouble Himself further about the rest of the human race? Would He thus leave them totally abandoned, without revelation and without law, abolishing His ancient Noachide bond with them, so that they must rely for long centuries on their own poor reason? Not even a mortal man would behave in such a way.”

Aime Palliere

Aime Palliere (1868-1949) was a Noachide Catholic and an admirer of Elijah Benamozegh’s teachings. The following is an extract called the “The Invisible Presence,” taken from Palliere’s book, The Unknown Sanctuary.

“I am writing these lines in the midst of my preparations for the observance of Yom Kippur. Thus it is only natural that my thoughts be influenced by the coming of this solemn day. I ask my readers to meditate with me on the word of the prophet Isaiah. In a vision he sees strangers, Egyptians, Ethiopians, Sabeans, come to Israel, pass in front of them and say: "Yea, only among thee is God, and there is no one else beside God." And the prophet exclaims: "Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior."

What does it mean? Why this contradiction? When the strangers discover God in Israel the prophet says: "Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself." But here is no real contradiction. He who is present can hide himself. Whoever is absent does not hide, he just is not there. But God is never absent. While He may cover Himself with a veil of mystery, His presence nevertheless continues in the midst of His people, and He is there for one and for all.

Can we lift the veil? Can we perceive Him? The souls of the faithful are distressed because they cannot perceive their God. But is it not precisely when they grieve most over it, that they really see Him? Vainly I searched for my God amidst the atrocities of war; in vain did I seek Him under horrible persecutions. God was not there. No, God was not there, and this realization meant at the same time the discovery of Him where He really was: outside of those unbounded passions and struggles and hate. Yes, God is well hidden when evil reigns, and to place Him within the loathsome horrors would be blasphemy. We have to seek elsewhere; He is among the small and humble people, He is with the innocent victims, He is with those who suf fer silently and never give up hope. He is the God of unseen solace, of the victorious morrow. He is with our true self, that self which is immortal; for it He provides Divine liberation from the pains and the battles of life. Though invisible, He is more real than all our physical realities, and He expects man to establish His reign on earth.

The soul of the faithful is impatient. It wants to see the Lord in His splendor, in the unfolding of His power. Like Moses it prays: "Show me, I beseech Thee, Thy glory." No, you say, far be it from me to seek a vision of God like Isaiah's when God's majesty appeared to him surrounded by the Seraphim. Nor do I even attempt, as did Moses in the cleft of the rock, to catch a reflection of the Divine brilliance, for I know that the Lord said to him: "No man can see Me and live." But, at least let me see a sign of His august presence, a definite, incontrovertible sign of His favorable attention, be it only as the one Elijah received when the ravens were feeding him on the banks of the Jordan. Birds in the sky, truly a small miracle, but a winged message of a thought on high!

The sign that you, my readers, are looking for is here, brighter yet and more eloquent than that of the Tishbite; listen: When the Temple of the Lord was towering over Jerusalem in its ancient glory, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur to perform the sacred rites. There he would pronounce the Ineffable Name, and the assembled priests and worshippers would prostrate themselves and proclaim: "Blessed be His glorious sovereign name forever and ever." At times the High Priest would linger in the Sanctuary; the assembly would anxiously wait for him to come out and, when he appeared, the people would look in his face for the sign of the Divine Presence, the radiance of the Shechinah.

Alas, the Sanctuary has been destroyed. There is no High Priest to pronounce His holy name, and on the friendless expanse of Judea a Bath Kol, a plaintive voice, resounds: "Woe unto My children, for their Temple is no more, the Shechinah is wandering through the world, and God's children are orphans, deprived of the intimate closeness of their father."

Yet this ancient plaint would be amiss today. The Shechinah wandering? No. On every Yom Kippur, wherever Israel gathers in prayer, the Holy of Holies rises anew, and His Presence waits for His children to come. He calls them together on that day, they respond to His call, and He does not disappoint them. Then comes true the word of the prophet Ezekiel: "I will not hide My face any more from them, for I will have poured out My spirit over the house of Israel, saith the Lord Eternal."

Dear readers, dear far-off friends: More than fifty years ago the writer of these lines set foot in a synagogue for the first time. It was Yom Kippur, at the hour of Neilah, and he was as much a stranger to Israel as were the Ethiopians and Sabeans of Isaiah. Now, I pray, admire with me the designs of Him who is the master of our destinies - twenty years later, on the same day of Yom Kippur, at the same hour of Neilah, this writer addressed a congregation from the pulpit of a synagogue in Paris. His address was a testimony, and I solemnly repeat this testimony as I write to you today. I testify that God is presenting Israel and that Yom Kippur is much more than a mere sign; it is a manifest reality. And Yom Kippur is not the only day of the year on which the presence of the Lord is deeply felt by His people; at the coming of the holy Sabbath every week His benevolent presence is with those who delight in the day of the Lord in true faith. For them it is a radiance, a peacefulness, a spiritual joy that words cannot describe.

Faith alone can lift the veil that hides His Presence; for we are not of the seers, who are few, but of the multitude of believers, to whom the Lord has revealed Himself throughout the ages and to whom it is given to behold Him through their faith. Faith is the light that illumines the way, the way of the righteous and holy ones through the generations. We walk in their path, the same goal is ahead of us and the same brightness guides our steps. Faith alone gives value to the sign; it alone imparts a profound meaning to Yom Kippur and the Sabbath. To see this radiance we need alertness of the soul; we must purify ourselves and lift ourselves above the misery and squalor of this world, above conventional mediocrity and human weakness.

Let me reiterate this to you, my brethren in Israel, and to you, too, my Christian brethren who so persistently mistake for blindness Israel's age-old faith in its union with the Lord: take heed of my own experience. God is present in Israel, He is true to His promise, and those who seek Him will find Him as did the strangers in the vision of Isaiah. Better yet, seek Him with that feeling of closeness and love of a child toward the father that will inspire you to say: Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior; but behind the veil Thou wilt be found by the heart that loves Thee, by the soul that trusts in Thee.”

What is B'nai Noach?

By James D Tabor

Briefly, just what is B'nai Noach?

Most simply put, B'nai Noach, or "children of Noah," is the Talmudic way of referring to all humankind. According to the Bible we are all descendants of one man, namely Noah, after the Flood, and are thus “Children of Noah.'' (Genesis 10)

You say this concept is in the Talmud. Is it also in the Bible?

Yes, but not by that name. Ask yourself, what was the Faith of Enoch, Noah, Shem, Job, Jethro, and all those, who for thousands of years lived before Sinai? Remember, at that point there were no Jews, there was no people of Israel. Obviously they had beliefs, standards, and commandments to follow. They enjoyed a full and rich relationship to the One Creator God. The Talmud discusses the details of this Faith, found at various points in the book of Genesis.

Fine, we are all "children of Noah," but what is the point of this description? Is this a religious Faith one can believe and follow?

Not in itself, there is more. Connected to the idea of being a descendant of Noah are the Noahide Laws which express the basic outlines of a full and dynamic relationship with God. One of the most accurate descriptions is from the Encyclopedia Britannica under the article "Noahide Laws." I quote:

". . . a Jewish Talmudic designation for seven biblical laws given to Adam and to Noah before the revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai and consequently binding on all mankind." (The New Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropodia, 15th ed, vol 8, p. 737).

You can see from this definition that a faithful "child of Noah," or a Noahide, would be one who believes and practices the Way summed up in the Seven Noahide Laws, which are the basis of the Noahide Covenant which God made with all humankind.

So, are Jews also considered Noachides? After all, they too are descendants of Noah.

No, this is properly a category for Gentiles only. The Noachide Laws were revealed long before Abraham. The people of Israel, whom we know today as Jews, are descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. They have their own unique and special covenant and mission to the world as expressed in the Torah revealed to Moses at Sinai. Israel is to be separate from “the nations'' (Numbers 23:9; Exodus 19:5-6).

What are those seven Noachide Laws?

They are prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, sexual sins, robbery, and the eating of flesh cut from a living animal, plus the positive command to establish courts of justice.

This seems almost too simple? It sounds like basic universal ethics. Can you actually derive a religious faith from these?

They are quite basic, but you have to understand that these Seven Laws represent beginning principles, or overall categories and headings, for an entire Faith and Way of life based on the Torah, but as it applies to Gentiles. For example, the prohibition against idolatry would include the whole understanding of the One God of Israel, His nature, and all that constitutes idolatry, including prohibitions against the Occult, and so forth. The prohibition against the “limb of a living animal'' has to do with the principle of the kind treatment of animals. The prohibition against sexual sins would include the whole Torah understanding of human sexuality. The Talmudic rabbis expand these in various ways. Believe it or not, this approach to God can involve one in a lifetime of study and active living, a full "Torah faith," appropriate for Gentiles. The Torah begins with Genesis. It is a revelation for all humankind, not just for Jews. Israel is to function as the priestly people, bringing this Torah faith to all nations.

All but one of these laws is a prohibition. Why does the Noachide code represent such a negative approach to Faith in God?

This is a misunderstanding of Torah faith in general. Remember, eight of the Ten Commandments are negative. For example, to state that one is not to commit adultery is not to be negative, but to stress the central and most damaging threat to human sexual fulfillment. In that sense it is protective, and actually positive. Think about the so-called "negative" Golden Rule of Rabbi Hillel-- "Don't do to others, what you would find harmful to yourself." Is this really negative? Not if you think about it. It includes the positive, in that one of the things you would find hateful to yourself would be for someone to neglect positive treatment toward you! Of the total 613 commandments (mitzvot) of the Torah given to Israel, 365 are negative, while 248 are positive. But, if you study them you will find that the negative balance and fill out the positive.

You say the Noachide concept involves a whole Way of life. Can you explain this more? Following these laws, even if they are expanded into whole categories, does not sound like enough to satisfy the spiritual needs of people? What about prayers, worship, holydays, customs and traditions? Do the Noachides have these?

Definitely yes. Noachides are involved, in co-operation with leading rabbis in Israel and the United States in developing prayers, ceremonies, and rituals which are appropriate to them as Gentiles who have attached themselves to the One God of Israel. They are not seeking to begin a new religion. This is forbidden in the Torah. But neither are they seeking to simply "imitate" the Jewish practices. This would only confuse matters further. Most Noachides have turned away from some of the standard holy days of the West, such as Christmas and Easter, with their pagan associations. There is much in the Sacred Calendar of Judaism that is applicable to all humankind. The Sabbath day is first mentioned in Genesis 2, where it is sanctified as a day of rest, a memorial of the creation for humankind. Israel's Sabbath observance, according to later halacha is another matter. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is certainly a day when all human beings, Jew or Gentile, can assemble in a spirit of repentance and reconciliation. Indeed, all the festivals of Israel can be remembered and honored in ways appropriate for Gentiles, but in solidarity with the Jewish people. The Noachides, with orthodox rabbinic input, are developing marriage ceremonies, prayers, and holy day rituals which are appropriate for all humankind.

Frankly, what is happening in our day in somewhat new. We are in a new situation, one we hope, through the grace of HaShem, will lead to Messianic times. In other words, much of this is right now being worked out in many nations in co-operation between Jewish Torah scholars and committed Gentile Noahides. This is in the spirit of Isaiah 2 and 11, which tells of the nations coming to Jerusalem to learn the "Way of HaShem," leading to Messianic times when the earth is filled with the knowledge of HaShem as the waters cover the sea (see Zech 14:9). Obviously the whole world is not to literally become Jewish. But all nations can be taught of God and learn the Way of God for this planet. The Noahide concept is a beginning of that great goal.

So, does that mean that this Noachide movement is actually rather new? Is it even, perhaps, what we might call a cult or sect?

No, it is quite old! After all, recall, this is the Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Job, and even Abraham (before his circumcision). You could not find a religious Faith on this planet with older roots than the Noachide one! You would hardly call the religion of these Patriarchs a “cult.'' It is the very foundation of Western ethical and moral values.

Also, from an historical point of view, the early Gentile participants in the movement that arose around Jesus the Nazarene were actually participating in a version of the B'nai Noach concept. In other words, early Gentile “Christianity,'' might be more accurately classified as a messianic B'nai Noach movement, despite the later heretical developments within Christianity which made Jesus a second deity. B'nei Noach when properly understood instructs Gentiles to turn directly to the One God as He is revealed in the pages of the Scriptures. This is clearly reflected in Acts 15 and Paul's instructions to his Gentile converts in letters like 1 Corinthians (see chapters 5-10) and 1 Thessalonians. He instructs the Gentile believers in Jesus as Messiah in the seven Noahide Laws. These were made binding on the Gentile converts by none other than Jacob (James), brother of Jesus, and leader of the Nazarene Sect. They were among the "God-fearers" who attended Jewish synagogues to learn Torah as it applied to them. There was nothing for the first 50 years of the movement that resembled what we call "Christianity," as a separate Hellenistic religion distinct from Judaism. The movement was thoroughly Jewish, but with Gentiles invited to participate on the basis of the Noahide concept without conversion to Judaism.

What is the attitude then, of the current B’nai Noach movement toward Christianity?

The B'nai Noach movement is definitely not Christian. It is larger than all world religions. Remember, it is the faith for all "children of Noah," that is, all humankind. We would want to see it spread among Moslems, Buddhists, Hindus, and so forth, as well as among Christians. One basic call is to turn from "idols." Most world religions are given over to idolatry of various forms. Noachides, in the light of the revelation of the Torah, encourage all who will hear to forsake these practices.

For example, no faithful Noachide would worship and equate Jesus with HaShem, the One God of Israel; reject the Torah as God's eternal revelation; or scorn the people of Israel. Within our movement we do have those of various backgrounds and beliefs. We have various levels. What we have in common is our love of God, Torah, and Israel. And as we study together we find that we are being drawn ever closer. Everyone is accepted in light of their desire to learn. True perfection is open to all humanity. As the Scriptures declare, "Abraham listened to my voice and he kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws" (Genesis 26:5). This refers to Abraham's belief in the one God, his willingness to teach others about God, to disseminate knowledge about how to worship Him, to disprove idolatry, also to go in the ways of God, to be kind, compassionate, to do justice and righteousness and to cause others to do so and to keep the seven laws of Noah. Perfection is the aim of all the laws.

This all sounds interesting, but still a little obscure. Why have I never heard of this Noachide concept if it is so important?

You will be surprised to learn that on March 20, 1990 President George Bush signed into law an historic Joint Resolution of both Houses of Congress recognizing the Seven Noachide Laws as the "bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization" and urged our country to "return the world to the moral and ethical values contained in the Seven Noachide Laws" (H.J. Res. 104, Public Law 102-4). So, you see, these things are not being done in a corner.

https://noahidenations.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30

Jesus and the Noahide Laws

The 18th-century Rabbi Jacob Emden proposed that Jesus and Paul the Apostle intended to convert the gentiles to the Noahide laws while allowing the Jews to follow full Mosaic Law.

The following text is an extract from a letter written by Rabbi Jacob Emden…

[…]

“But truly even according to the writers of the Gospels, a Jew is not permitted to leave his Torah, for Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians (Gal. 5), "I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, the Messiah will do you no good at all. You can take it from me that every man who receives circumcision is under obligation to keep the entire Torah." Again because of this he admonished in a letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 7) that the circumcised should not remove the marks of circumcision, nor should the uncircumcised circumcise themselves.

Many have asked that Paul appears to contradict himself here. In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16), it is mentioned that Paul circumcised his disciple Timothy. And they found this very puzzling, for this act seems to contradict the later text which seems to indicate that he considered circumcision a temporary commandment until the Messiahs arrival; but this took place after the time of the Nazarene! Therefore you must realize--and accept the truth from him who speaks it-- that we see clearly here that the Nazarene and his Apostles did not wish to destroy the Torah from Israel, God forbid; for it is written so in Matthew (Mt. 5), the Nazarene having said, "Do not suppose that I have come to abolish the Torah. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. I tell you this: So long as heaven and earth endure, not a letter, not a stroke, will disappear from the Torah until it is achieved. If any man therefore sets aside even the least of the Torah’s demands, and teaches others to do the same, he will have the lowest place in the Kingdom of Heaven, whereas anyone who keeps the Torah, and teaches others so, will stand high in the Kingdom of Heaven." This is also recorded in Luke (Lk. 16). It is therefore exceedingly clear that the Nazarene never dreamed of destroying the Torah.

We similarly find Paul, his disciple, in a letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5), accusing them of fornication, and condemning one who had lived with his father’s wife. You may therefore understand that Paul doesn’t contradict himself because of his circumcision of Timothy, for the latter was the son of a Jewish mother and a Gentile father (Acts 16), and Paul was a scholar, an attendant of Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, well-versed in the laws of the Torah. He knew that the child of a Jewish mother is considered a full Jew, even if the father should be a Gentile, as is written in the Talmud and Codes. He therefore acted entirely in accordance with the Halakha by circumcising Timothy. This would be in line with his position that all should remain within their own faith (1 Cor. 7). Timothy, born of a Jewish mother, had the law of a Jew, and had to be circumcised, just as he was enjoined to observe all commandments of the Torah (Paul’s condemnation of the man who lived with his stepmother is similarly understandable, as such an act is also forbidden to Noahides), for all who are circumcised are bound by all the commandments. This provides a satisfactory reply to the question.

This will also solve the apparent contradictions in the Nazarene’s own statements. Christian scholars have assumed from certain passages in the Gospels that he wished to give a new Torah to take the place of the Torah of Moses. How could he then have said explicitly that he comes only to fulfill it? But it is as I have said earlier--that the writers of the Gospels never meant to say that the Nazarene came to abolish Judaism, but only that he came to establish a religion for the Gentiles from that time onward. Nor was it new, but actually ancient; they being the Seven Commandments of the Sons of Noah, which were forgotten. The Apostles of the Nazarene then established them anew. However, those born as Jews, or circumcised as converts to Judaism (Ex. 12:49; one law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger) are obligated to observe all commandments of the Torah without exception.

But for the Gentiles he reserved the Seven Commandments which they have always been obligated to fulfill. It is for that reason that they were forbidden pollutions of idols, fornication, blood, and things strangled (Acts 15). They also forbade them circumcision and the Sabbath. All of this was in accord with the law and custom of our Torah, as expounded by our Sages, the true transmitters from Moses at Sinai. It was they who sat upon his seat (as the Nazarene himself attested [Mt. 23]). It was they (the Sages or Pharisees) who said that it is forbidden to circumcise a Gentile who does not accept upon himself the yoke of (all) the commandments. The Sages likewise said that the Gentile is enjoined not (fully) to observe the Sabbath. The Apostles of the Nazarene therefore chose for those Gentiles who do not enter the Jewish faith that instead of circumcision they should practice immersion (for truly immersion is also a condition of full conversion), and a commemoration of the Sabbath was made for them on Sunday. -- But the Nazarene and his Apostles observed the Sabbath and circumcision as mentioned earlier, for they were born as Jews. They observed the Torah fully, until after a period of time a few of them decided to give up the Torah among themselves completely. They said that its observance was too difficult for them and agreed to remove its yoke from their necks (Acts 15).

But even here they did correctly as far as the Gentiles were concerned, for they were not commanded to observe it. Nor is it proper to make it difficult for them, since they did not receive (accept?) the Torah and are not enjoined to observe the 613 commandments. However, it is completely different as far as the Jews are concerned, for they became obligated to fulfill the Torah because God delivered them from the iron furnace (Egypt) to be the people of his possession. Therefore they and their children became subject to it forever. This, their covenant, will not be forgotten from their mouths, nor be discontinued from their children. For it they have given their lives throughout the generations, as the Psalmist has recorded (Ps. 44:18): All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we been false to Thy covenant.

Certainly, therefore, there is no doubt that one who seeks truth will agree with our thesis, that the Nazarene and his Apostles never meant to abolish the Torah of Moses from one who was born a Jew. Likewise did Paul write in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 7) that each should adhere to the faith in which each was called. They therefore acted in accordance with the Torah by forbidding circumcision to Gentiles, according to the Halakha, as it is forbidden to one who does not accept the yoke of the commandments. They knew that it would be too difficult for the Gentiles to observe the Torah of Moses. They therefore forbade them to circumcise, and it would suffice that they observe the Seven Noahide Commandments, as commanded upon them through the Halakha from Moses at Sinai.

[…]

Ur-religion

The Oeconomische Encyclopädie of J. G. Krünitz (1773–1858) defines Ur-religion as: "The oldest natural religion of mankind, in particular the religion of Adam and Eve, which according to the dogmatists is supposed to have been revealed."

In Islamic tradition, Adam was the first man created by Allah and so he was also the first Prophet. He is given the title Safiullah, meaning the chosen of Allah.

According to Maimonides, the legal system which Noahides are commanded to set up is to enforce the other six Noahide laws (Laws of Kings 9:14). Nahmanides understood the obligation to also mean the enforcement of labor laws and damages etc (Commentary to Genesis 34:13).

God is One

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, on the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. (Genesis 2:4)

God is a Creator God

In the beginning of God's creation of heaven and earth, the earth was without form and empty...(Genesis 1:1ff)

Creation is good

And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good (Genesis 1:10)

Man is made in the image of God

And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27; 9:6)

God wants a relationship with man

God converses with Adam, Noah and Abraham, and is concerned for their welfare and their posterity.

Sin has consequences: it means exile and suffering but also a chance for self-improvement

And He drove the man out, and He stationed from the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the blade of the revolving sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. (Genesis 3:24)

And to man He said, "Because you listened to your wife, and you ate from the tree from which I commanded you saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed be the ground for your sake; with toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17)

And the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen? Is it not so that if you improve, it will be forgiven you? If you do not improve, however, at the entrance, sin is lying, and to you is its longing, but you can rule over it." (Genesis 4:6-7)

Since the Flood, there has been a cosmic covenant

“And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said , This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it , that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Genesis  9:9-17)

When the phrase cut or make a covenant is used it refers to the first covenant of its kind. When the phrase establish covenant is used it refers to a confirmation or amendment of a previous covenant.

When God ratifies His covenant with Noah, He repeatedly declares, “I establish My covenant with you,” which implies that God’s covenant with Noah is an amendment or reconfirmation of a pre-fall covenant with Adam.

Noahic covenant as stated in written Torah

The Noahic covenant applies to all of humanity and to all living creatures. In this covenant, God:

1. Blesses and commands Noah and his sons, that they should be fruitful and multiply, and populate the Earth

2. Places all plants and animals under human command

3. Forbids eating meat with the blood still in it

4. Forbids murder

5. Says that violent men will be repaid by violence

6. Promises that He will never again destroy all life on earth by flood. (Before the covenant God says to Himself that he will “not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”)

7. Creates the rainbow as the sign of this "everlasting covenant"

Of the 613 commandments in the Torah, there are six which the Sefer Hachinuch calls "constant mitzvot,” which are perpetual and constant, applicable on all days at all times. These are:

To believe in God, and that he created all things.

Not to believe in anything else other than God.

To believe in God's Oneness.

To fear God.

To love God.

Not to pursue the passions of your heart and stray after your eyes.

7 Laws of B'nai Noach in Torah

“Moses was commanded by the Almighty [at Mount Sinai] to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to Noah's descendants.” (Maimonides)

The 7 Noachide Laws were reaffirmed at Mount Sinai. The laws were embedded in the written Torah and included in the oral Torah, which was handed down through generations of rabbis. The sages of the Talmud preserved the Seven Noachide commandments.

1. Do Not Commit Idolatry.

The first of the Ten Commandments clearly prohibits idolatry. “You shall have no other gods before me.” See Exodus 20:2-3. The Oneness of God is stated in Deuteronomy 6:4.

2. Do Not Commit Blasphemy.

The prohibition against blasphemy is stated in Exodus 22:27 and Leviticus 24:16.

3. Do Not Murder.

The edict against murder is embedded in the Ten Commandments. See Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17. The Torah differentiates between murder, manslaughter and justifiable homicide.

4. Do Not Have Forbidden Sexual Relations.

There are numerous edicts against immoral sex. For example, Leviticus 18:7 (“Not to have sexual relations with your mother”), and Leviticus 18:10 (“Not to have sexual relations with your daughter”).

5. Do Not Commit Theft.

The prohibition of theft is stated in Exodus 20:15 ("You shall not steal”) and Leviticus 19:11 (“Do not steal”).

6. Establish Laws and Courts of Justice.

“Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to death. Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, life for life. (Leviticus 24:17) There is also the injunction not to kill a suspected murderer before he stands trial (Numbers 35:12). The court must not kill anybody on circumstantial evidence (Exodus 23:7).In essence, the world is unfair. Our commandment is to make it fair. 

7. Don't Eat Flesh Taken From a Live Animal.

This commandment was given to Noah in Genesis 9:4 and reiterated in Leviticus 3:17 (“Not to eat blood”).

7 Laws of B'nai Noach in Kabbalah

God taught Kabbalah to a select group of angels. After Adam’s disobedience, the angel Raziel taught Kabbalah to Adam to help mankind return to God. These teachings were passed down through the generations to Noah, Abraham and Moses. Moses, who added the Torah to the oral tradition of Kabbalah, taught the mystical knowledge to 70 elders. Thanks to the written Torah, Kabbalists can access this secret knowledge in detail. The elders continued this oral tradition of teaching. Eventually the teachings of Kabbalah were written down. According to Kabbalah, God created the world with seven divine attributes or sephirot. Kabbalah teaches that the seven Noahide laws correspond to the seven sephirot...

Chesed: (loving kindness) prohibition against adultery. Adultery is a perversion of love.

Gevurah: (severity, might) prohibition against murder. Murder is a perversion of might.

Tiferet: (harmony) prohibition against theft. Theft disturbs the harmony of a society that is built upon trust between people.

Netzach: (victory, eternity) prohibition against idol worship. Idol worship is a perversion of faith in the Eternal One.

Hod: (splendor, humility) prohibition against blasphemy. Blasphemy is rebellion against God (i.e. the opposite of humility) and insults the splendor of God.

Yesod: (foundation, attachment) prohibition against eating flesh torn from a live animal or drinking its blood. Animal cruelty is a perversion of our connection with those closest to the earth.

Malchut: (kingship) establishing a legal system. Injustice is a perversion of responsibility held by those who are in a privileged position.

After the Flood

1. The Noah narrative reiterates that man is made in the image of God (i.e. he is intelligent, spiritual, creative)

2. God recognizes (or accepts) that man has an evil inclination

3. God promises to never again destroy every living thing

4. God renews cosmic covenant but there is enmity between mankind and animal kingdom 

5. Permission to eat meat as long as it (a) is not taken from a live animal and (b) does not include blood

6. Man commanded to be fruitful and multiply

7. Prohibition against murder and the commandment to take the life of a murderer.

"Subdue" and "dominion"

Adam was also commanded to subdue (kabash) the earth and have dominion (radah). Kabash usually means “subdue” but Micah 7.18-19 suggests it could also mean repair or make safe (cf tikkun olam):

Who is a God like you,

    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression

    of the remnant of his inheritance?

You do not stay angry forever

    but delight to show mercy.

You will again have compassion on us;

    you will tread our sins underfoot [subdue]

    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Radah means to act for rather than over creation. It also means to heal it and to lower oneself so one is on a par with nature. This is benevolence rather than dominion in the crudest sense, and reminds us of Psalm 72:8: “May he have dominion [radah] from sea to sea . . .” 

Isaiah and the Flood

Interestingly, the prophet Isaiah draws a parallel between the Babylonian exile and the “waters of Noah” (Isaiah 54:9). During the Flood, Noah – and his remnant of family members and animals – were literally exiled or cut off from the face of the earth. The Jews, deported from the land of Israel and sent to Babylon, must have felt as isolated and frightened as Noah.

Noah and Adam’s Altar

“Noah rebuilt the altar before the Lord. It was the altar which Adam had built in Eden at the time when he was cast out from the Garden of Eden; and on it he had offered up a sacrifice, and on it he had offered up a sacrifice; and on it Cain and Abel had offered up their sacrifice. And when the waters of the flood came down, it had been destroyed. Noah rebuilt it.” (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Genesis 8:20)

A round ark?

In 2009, a visitor to the British Museum presented curator Irving Finkel with a 4,000-year-old Babylonian cuneiform tablet that describes animals entering an ark "two by two". Moreover, an ark should be circular in shape (like a coracle, perhaps), with an area of 3,600 metres and made out of plant fibre.

Above: A coracle boat in Iraq 

Spinoza's seven laws

Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza prepared the way for a new kind of Scripture, a “universal religion” that would be, strictly speaking, neither Jewish nor Christian but an amalgam of both. This new dispensation is presented in the TTP as a democratic civil creed composed of seven tenets or dogmas to which all citizens must adhere. These seven dogmas are as follows:

1. God, the Supreme being, exists;
2. God is one;
3. God is omnipresent;
4. God has supreme right and dominion over all things;
5. Worship of God consists entirely of acts of justice and charity or love of one’s neighbor;
6. All who obey God are saved;
7. God forgives repentant sinners.