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The Seven Laws of Noah (, were given by God to Noah as a binding set of laws for all Mankind .compare According to Judaism any non-Jew who lives according to these laws is regarded as a Righteous Gentile and furthermore only a non-Jew who carefully abides by these laws is assured of a place in the World To Come (Olam Haba), the Jewish concept of heaven.Sheva M Bnei Noach, Mishneh Torah Adherents are often called " B'nei Noah " (Children of Noah) or "Noahides" and may often network in Jewish Synagogue s. The Noahide Laws were predated by six laws given to the Seven Laws of Noah were regiven to humanity and embedded in the 613 Laws given to the Children of Israel along with the Ten Commandments . These laws are mentioned in the Torah . According to Judaism, the 613 Mitzvot or "commandments" given in the written Torah, as well as their reasonings in the Oral Torah , were only issued to the Jews and are therefore only binding upon them, having inherited the obligation from their ancestors. At the same time, at Mount Sinai, the Children of Israel were given the obligation to teach other nations the embedded laws. It is actually forbidden by the Torah for non-Jews on whom the Noahide Laws are still binding, to elevate their observance to the Torah's mitzvot as the Jews do.Yerusha LeYacov, Talmud Bavli Whilst several Jewish organizational bodies such as Chabad form the loose frame of a Noahide Community , Noahides tend to congregate less than followers of other religions, thus their exact numbers are unknown. Noahides exist predominantly in the United States , South America and Europe . The Seven Laws of Noah have officially been recognised in the United States Congress : :"Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded; Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws." Public Law 102-14, H.J. Res 104 , 102nd Congress of the United States of America, March 5 , 1991 . THE SEVEN LAWS The seven laws listed by the Talmud are Sanhedrin 56 # Prohibition of Idolatry : - There is only one God. You shall not make for yourself an idol. # Prohibition of Murder : - You shall not murder. # Prohibition of Theft : - You shall not steal. # Prohibition of Sexual Promiscuity : - You shall not commit adultery. # Prohibition of Blasphemy : - Revere God and do not blaspheme. # Prohibition of Cruelty To Animals : - Do not eat the flesh of an animal while it is still alive. # Requirement to have just Law s: - You shall set up an effective government to police the preceding six laws. BACKGROUND According to Rabbinic Judaism , as expressed in the Talmud , the Noahide Laws apply to all humanity through mankind's descent from one paternal ancestor who in Hebrew tradition is called Noah (the head of the only family to survive during The Flood ). In Judaism, בני נח '' B'nei Noah '' ( Hebrew , "Descendants of Noah", "Children of Noah") refers to all of mankind. The Talmud also states: "Righteous people of all nations have a share in the world to come" (Sanhedrin 105a). Any non-Jew who lives according to these laws is regarded as one of "the righteous among the gentiles". Maimonides writes that this refers to those who have acquired knowledge of God and act in accordance with the Noahide laws out of obedience to Him. According to what scholars consider to be the most accurate texts of the Mishneh Torah , Maimonides continues on to say that anyone who upholds the Noahide laws only because they appear logical is not one of the "''righteous'' among the nations," but rather he is one of the ''wise'' among them. The more prolific versions of the Mishneh Torah say of such a person: "..nor is he one of the wise among them." According to the Biblical narrative, the Deluge covered the whole world killing every surface-dwelling creature except Noah, his family and the creatures of Noah's Ark . After the flood, God sealed a Covenant with Noah with the following admonitions ():
The Talmud (tractate had already received six other commandments. Adam and Eve were not enjoined from eating from a living animal since they were forbidden to eat any animal. Rashi on Gensis 9:3 The remaining six are exegetically derived from a seemingly superfluous sentence in Genesis 2:16 Judaism holds that . The Noahide Laws are regarded as the way through which non-Jews can have a direct and meaningful relationship with God or at least comply with the minimal requisites of civilization and of divine law. A non-Jew who keeps the Noahide Law in all its details is said to attain the same spiritual and moral level as Israel's own who is precise in the observance of these Seven Noahide commandments is considered to be a ''Righteous Gentile'' and has earned a place in the world to come. This follows a similar statement in the Talmud (tractate Sanhedrin 105b). However, according to Maimonides, a gentile is considered righteous only if a person follows the Noahide laws specifically because he or she considers them to be of divine origin (through the Torah) and not if they are merely considered to be intellectually compelling or good rules for living. Mishneh Torah ''Shofitm'', ''Wars and Kings'' 8:14 Noahide law differs radically from the ("Jewish law") (cf. Bleich). In recent years, the term "Noahide" has come to refer to non-Jews who strive to live in accord with the seven Noahide Laws; the terms "observant Noahide" or "Torah-centered Noahides" would be more precise but are infrequently used. The Rainbow , referring to the Noahide or First Covenant ( Genesis 9), is the symbol of many organized Noahide groups, following . A non-Jewish person of any ethnicity or religion is referred to as a ''bat'' ("daughter") or ''ben'' ("son") of Noah, but most organizations that call themselves בני נח (''b'nei noach'') are composed of gentiles who are keeping the Noahide Laws. SUBDIVIDING THE SEVEN LAWS Various (''Radbaz''), a contemporary commentator on Maimonides, expressed surprise that he left out castration and sorcery which were listed in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 56b). The tenth century Rabbi Saadia Gaon added Tithe s and Levirate Marriage . The eleventh century Rav Nissim Gaon included "listening to God's Voice", "knowing God" and "serving God" besides going on to say that all religious acts which can be understood through human reasoning are obligatory upon Jew and Gentile alike. The fourteenth century Rabbi Nissim Ben Reuben Gerondi added the commandment of Charity . The sixteenth century work ''Asarah Maamarot'' by Rabbi Menahem Azariah Of Fano (''Rema mi-Fano'') enumerates thirty commandments, listing the latter twenty-three as extensions of the original seven. Another commentator, Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Chajes (''Kol Hidushei Maharitz Chayess'' I, end Ch. 10) suggests these are not related to the first seven, nor based on Scripture, but were passed down by oral tradition. The number thirty derives from the statement of the Talmudic sage Ulla in tractate Hullin 92a, though he lists only three other rules in addition to the original seven, consisting of the prohibitions against homosexuality and cannibalism, as well as the imperative to honor the Torah. Talmud commentator Rashi remarks on this that he does not know the other Commandments referred to. Though the authorities seem to take it for granted that Ulla's thirty commandments included the original seven, an additional thirty laws is also possible from the reading. The tenth century Shmuel Ben Hophni Gaon lists thirty Noahide Commandments based on Ulla's Talmudic statement, though the text is problematicEach surviving manuscript is defective between the seventeenth and nineteenth positions, cf. The Seven Laws of Noah by Rabbi Aaron Lictenstein, pp. 119. He includes the prohibitions against suicide and false oaths, as well as the imperatives related to prayer, sacrifices and honoring one's parents. The commandments, according to Shmuel ben Hophni Gaon, cover: Prohibition against idolatry Prohibition against blasphemy
Prohibition against murder
Prohibition against theft
Prohibition against sexual immorality
Prohibition against eating the limb of a living animal
Establish courts of justice
The contemporary Rabbi Aaron Lichtenstein counts 66 instructions but Rabbi Harvey Falk has suggested that much work remains to be done in order to properly identify all of the Noahide Commandments, their divisions and subdivisions. Theft, robbery and stealing covers the appropriate understanding of other persons, their property and their rights. The establishment of courts of justice promotes the value of the responsibility of a corporate society of people to enforce these laws and define these terms. The refusal to engage in unnecessary lust or cruelty demonstrates respect for the Creation itself as renewed after the Flood. To not do Murder would include Human Sacrifice . GER TOSHAV From the Orthodox Jewish perspective, if a non-Jew keeps all of the laws entailed in the categories covered by the Seven Noahide commandments, then he or she is considered a '' Ger Toshav '' "Sojourning Alien" amid the people of Israel. Jewish Law only allows the official acceptance of a "Ger Toshav" as a sojourner in the Land of Israel during a time when the Year Of Jubilee (''yovel'') is in effect. A "Ger Toshav" is the only kind of non-Jew who Jewish law permits to live among the Jewish people in the Land Of Israel . A '' Ger Tzedek '' is a person who prefers to proceed to total Conversion To Judaism , a procedure that is traditionally discouraged by Judaism and allowed only after much thought and deliberation over the conversion has taken place. DRUZE In January 2004, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel , Sheikh Mowafak Tarif , signed a declaration calling on all non-Jews in Israel to observe the Noahide Laws as laid down in the Hebrew Bible and expounded upon in Jewish tradition. The mayor of the Galilean city of Shefa-'Amr (Shfaram) - where Muslim, Christian and Druze communities live side by side - also signed the document. The declaration includes the commitment to make a better, more humane world based on the Seven Noachide Commandments and the values they represent commanded by the Creator to all mankind through Moses on Mount Sinai . Support for the spread of the Seven Noahide Commandments by the Druze leaders reflects the Biblical narrative itself. The Druze community reveres the non-Jewish father-in-law of Moses, Jethro , whom Arabs call Shoaib . According to the Biblical narrative, Jethro joined and assisted the Jewish people in the desert during the Exodus , accepted monotheism, but ultimately rejoined his own people. In fact, the tomb of Jethro in Tiberias is the most important religious site for the Druze community. {Link without Title} CHRISTIANITY AND IDOLATRY Rabbinic views make a distinction between ''avodah zarah'' (idolatry) and ''shittuf'' (lit. "association"), defined as any doctrine that recognizes one Supreme God, but ascribes power, albeit secondary, to a created being (the term refers to one who does not deny the monotheistic and exclusionary aspect of God, but "associates" something else with Him). Judaism prohibits ''shittuf'' for Jews as idolatry, but not for non-Jews. The . CHRISTIAN CRITICISM The major Christian bodies (e.g. the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Protestant Churches) believe the Ten Commandments to be binding on them (for details see Old Testament#Christian View Of The Law ) and would regard the Noahide laws as essentially a subset of these (though the requirement to set up courts, and the dietary regulation, are not explicit in the Ten Commandments). By contrast, most Jewish thinkers consider the Seven Noahide Laws a parallel system of general categories of commandments, each containing many components and details. Some Jewish thinkers regard the determination of the details of the Noahide Law as something to be left to Jewish Rabbi s. This, in addition to the teaching of the Jewish law that punishment for violating one of the seven Noahide Laws includes a theoretical death penalty (Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin 57a), is a factor in modern opposition to the notion of a Noahide legal system. Jewish scholars respond by noting that Jews today no longer carry out the death penalty, even within the Jewish community. Jewish law, in contemporary practice, sees the Death Penalty as an indicator of the seriousness of an offense; violators are not actually put to death. Some Jewish thinkers believe that penalties are a detail of the Noahide Laws and that Noahides themselves must determine the details of their own laws for themselves. According to this school of thought - see N. Rakover, ''Law and the Noahides'' (1998); M. Dallen, ''The Rainbow Covenant'' (2003)- the Noahide Laws offer mankind a set of absolute values and a framework for righteousness and justice, while the detailed laws that are currently on the books of the world's states and nations are presumptively valid. CHRISTIAN ADHERENCE See Also: Christian Torah-submission Some Christian writers {Link without Title} , particularly those affiliated with of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day". The evidence of these Noachian inclusions to primitive Christian observance were in addition to the moral Ten Commandments given to Moses at Sinai , which covers the most essential requirements of the Noachian Covenant . The additions of the four cited above were to complete the requirements of the new Gentile converts to Primitive Christianity . Several Christian congregations have abandoned traditional Christianity (rejecting the Nicene Creed ) and adopted the First Covenant or Noahism in recent years. In the United States a few organized movements of non-Jews (primarily of Christian origin) have either chosen to reject mainstream religious affiliation and live by the Apostolic Decree , which they view as the original Christian observance of Noahide Laws, or, under the influence of Orthodox Judaism , adhere to the Talmud's listing of the Laws (without converting to Judaism). Jubilees , part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, generally considered to be a 2nd century BCE Jewish Apocrypha , Chapter 7, verses 20-33 states: :"And in the twenty-eighth Jubilee [1324-1372 A.M. ] 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 owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth ... For whoso sheddeth man's blood, and whoso eateth the blood of any flesh, shall all be destroyed from the earth." Augustine Of Hippo in the 4th century, in Contra Faustum 32 .13 stated: :"The observance of pouring out the blood which was enjoined in ancient times Upon Noah Himself after the deluge, the meaning of which we have already explained, is thought by many to be what is meant in the Acts Of The Apostles , where we read that the Gentiles were required to abstain from fornication, and from things sacrificed, and from blood, that is, from flesh of which the blood has not been poured out. Others give a different meaning to the words, and think that to abstain from blood means not to be polluted with the crime of murder. It would take too long to settle this question, and it is not necessary. For, allowing that the Apostles did on that occasion require Christians to abstain from the blood of animals, and not to eat of things strangled, they seem to me to have consulted the time in choosing an easy observance that could not be burdensome to any one, and which the Gentiles might have in common with the Israelities, for the sake of the Corner-stone, who makes both one in Himself; while at the same time they would be reminded how the Church of all nations was prefigured by the ark of Noah, when God gave this command,— a Type which began to be fulfilled in the time of the apostles by the accession of the Gentiles to the faith." Bruce Metzger 's ''Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament'', commentary on , , states: :"The occasion for issuing the Apostolic Decree, it should be observed, was to settle the question whether Gentile converts to Christianity should be required to submit to the Rite Of Circumcision and fulfill other Mosaic statutes. The Council decided that such observance was not required for Salvation ; at the same time, however, in order to avoid giving unnecessary offense to Jewish Christians (and to Jews contemplating becoming Christians), the Council asked Gentile converts to make certain concessions for prudential reasons, abstaining from those acts that would offend Jewish scruples and hinder social intercourse, including joint participation in the Lord's Supper ." SEE ALSO REFERENCES FURTHER READING
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