~ The Noahide Faith ~

QUESTION (a1) : Could you continue in your own religion and also follow the 7 Commandments for the Children of Noah? QUESTION (a2) : Can a Christian be a Rightious Gentile? > L.G. ANSWER : There are several higher spiritual levels which one can achieve as a Gentile. The most basic level of righteousness, which G-d expects from every Gentile, is to refrain from any actions which would transgress any of the 7 Noahide Commandments, regardless of what your beliefs are about the source or basis of those commandments. So you would have to determine according to the Torah's standards whether YOUR WAY of following "your own religion" contradicts any of the Seven Commandments (including the prohibition of idol worship), and what adjustments might be necessary. Beyond the obligation to observe just the letter of the 7 Commandments, a Gentile can progress further to take on the Torah-based religion of Noahism. Noahism as a religion extends beyond the Seven Commandments, to include a set of basic Divine principles. By accepting and following the 7 Noahide Commandments because they are given by G-d in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah through Moses, a Gentile can merit the eternal life of the future World to Come. Certainly, a Noahide on this higher level is anxiously waiting for the Messiah son of David (the "Moshiach," in Hebrew) who is promised by the Torah, and he/she recognizes that every Gentile has a personal responsibility to repent to G-d for any transgressions of the 7 Commandments that are done, G-d forbid, and thus receive forgiveness and cleansing of the soul. One of the commandments which G-d gave through Moses is that all Gentiles should observe the Seven Commandments of Noah. In fact, the only written proof we have that there are Noahide Commandments and a Noahide Covenant is that G-d instructed Moses to write about the generations from Adam to Noah in the Torah in the Book of Genesis, and to preserve the details of their commandments within the Oral Torah. So ultimately, that is their only basis from that time on, and the pious ones of the nations who will have a place in the World to Come do not follow the Seven Commandments only because G-d commanded them to Noah, but also because G-d commanded to Moses that Gentiles must follow them. Therefore, a faithful Noahide accepts that G-d revealed Himself at Mt. Sinai to the Jewish nation, and that Moses was a true prophet and the receiver and transmitter of the Torah. Included in G-d's commandments in the Torah is that no part of the Torah can ever be permanently nullified or altered, and that it stands as a unified whole. So any new religion which arises and declares that a part of the Torah has been permanently nullified or altered, G-d forbid, is actually claiming to nullify the validity of the entire Torah, and this includes the validity of Noahism.

QUESTION (b) : Would Christianity contradict the first Noahide Law because the trinity contradicts the concept of a unified singular Deity? ANSWER : Christianity in the modern world has a great many recognized branches and sub-branches. In addition, one must admit that each individual has his/her own personal interpretations of the religion, which influence exactly what he/she believes and practices. The compatibility of this with the strict letter of the Noahide Commandment which forbids idolatry must be considered objectively on a case-by-case basis. To go more into depth on this issue, you should read the book, "The Path of the Righteous Gentile: An Introduction to the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah." By way of introduction, consider the first of the Principles of Faith enumerated by Maimonides, which includes the following: "... there is in existence a Being Perfect in respect of all modes of existence, Who is the Cause of all things in existence, through Whom their existence is possible, and from Whom their existence ensues." This can be expressed as the principle of the Truth of His Being, which supercedes and transcends any other possible Truth, and by virtue of His True Being all the spiritual and physical creations exist. The Noahide doctrine (as incorporated in the first Noahide Commandment) recognizes the truth of the absolute unity and non-physicality of G-d.

QUESTION (c) : How does the Noahide religion differ from Messianic Judaism? > M. ANSWER : The Noahide religion is the G-d given, Torah-based religion for Gentiles. By G-d's command, Gentiles are obligated to follow the Seven Laws which were given to Adam and later to Noah (a total of 7 commandments). G-d's covenant that was subsequently made through Moses at Mt. Sinai was two-fold: that Torah Judaism is the proper path for Jews, and Torah Noahism is the proper path for Gentiles. Noahism continued to have a following throughout history up until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish People, who up until then had provided a main source of religious instruction and inspiration for the Noahides. Now that the time for the end of the exile of the Divine Presence from Jerusalem has arrived, large numbers of Gentiles are again becoming motivated to return to the Noahide faith. Noahism recognizes the sanctity of the 24 Books of the Hebrew Bible and the Jewish Oral Torah. It has the same belief and anticipation as authentic Judaism that the King Messiah, G-d's chosen heir to the throne of King David, will soon be sent by G-d to bring in the Messianic Era. On the other hand, "Messianic Judaism" is usually used as a catch phrase for a particular branch of Christianity, which tries to appeal to Jews by claiming that one can consider himself to be a follower of the Torah while at the same time giving credance to the New Testament and their claim that the actual Messiah has already come.

QUESTION (d) : I've always thought that Noahic Covenant theology was the Judaic equivalent of natural law theory. It's why we should be united in affirming the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance, because ethical monotheism is shared ground. > Jerry Bowyer, http://www.jerrybowyer.com, WPTT, AM 1360 ANSWER : We cannot say that the Noahide Commandments were derived in an intellectual way from human observations of the functioning of the natural order, even with the understanding that the natural order was created by G-d according to His wisdom, and that G-dliness is invested within it. The first six of the Noahide Commandments were given directly by G-d to Adam in the Garden of Eden. This happened on the very day Adam was created, before he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil ! In such a state of perfection, what was the need for a set of commandments? In the original Hebrew, the word commandment ("mitzvah") also means "connection." There seems to be an infinite separation between a finite human and the Unlimited G-d, but this gap is bridged when a person accepts G-d as his or her King. This is done by submitting one's own thought, speech and actions to G-d's infinite will and wisdom, as they have been contracted into the form of Divine commandments, which inform a person of how to behave in a holy way in the midst of the natural order. Thus the doctrine of the Seven Noahide Commandments brings the true concept of unity to the world. This means both the unity of G-d (monotheism) and the unity of mankind (a world in which all people come to G-d in peace and harmony). These commandments, and their application, are not dependent on anyone's subjective interpretation of the observed natural order.

QUESTION (e) : Does the Noahide religion teach that if a Gentile breaks the Noahide law and does not repent, he/she does not have Eternal Life? ANSWER : It would be very helpful to you to read the book "The Path of the Righteous Gentile." Here are a few comments on this point from the book: a) "When one of the Children of Noah resolves to fulfill the Seven Universal Commandments, his or her soul is elevated. This person becomes one of the Pious Ones of the Nations, and receives a share of the Eternal World [i.e., the World to Come, the blessed spiritual world of the righteous]." b) "The responsibility of the Seven Noahide Laws is a yoke of faith in G-d. This means that the laws must be observed solely because G-d commanded them." c) "When we speak of a man paying for his wicked deeds, this presumes that he does not repent and abandon them. But if he repents, it is considered a shield between him and the punishment." d) "Repentance and return to G-d can be achieved only while the soul is in the body in this material world." e) "The Noahite [may] experience reincarnation to be able to atone for transgressions he had done." [Note: There is not an explicit reference to reincarnation in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible). But the holy writings of Talmud, Midrash and Chassidus all have many, many discussions about the fact of reincarnation, including discussions of the reincarnations of individuals and groups throughout history.] Again, this is just a selection of a few points from the book. The whole book should be read in order to understand this in context and in detail.

QUESTION (f) : In regards to the 7 Laws of Noah, how should one ask for forgiveness if a person breaks one of the laws? If you break them once in a while or continually, is there forgiveness and how many times are you forgiven? And where in the Hebrew Bible would I find that? Also how does this relate to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for the Jewish People? ANSWER : As a first resource, carefully read the chapter on "Returning to G-d" in the book "The Path of the Righteous Gentile." A few Biblical references are included there, and the practical rules that are listed on how to repent are taken from the "Mishneh Torah" by Maimonides, in the section "Laws of Repentance." With regard to repeated sins: at any time, a person can sincerely repent for a past sin, which may have been committed multiple times, and resolve not to repeat it again in the future. (See the cited chapter for important details!) When the person repents, if he feels true remorse, shame and bitterness in his heart because of the sin that was committed, and he is repulsed by the thought of ever committing that sin again, then surely that is a sincere repentance that will be accepted by G-d. However, if at some later time the person encounters that temptation again, he may face the same struggle with his evil inclination all over again. Hopefully, with the strength gained from his previous repentance and his increased understanding of the importance of not sinning, he will be able to overcome the challenge. But if he weakens and succumbs to his evil inclination (which is extremely crafty and knows the best way to trick or entice the person), he must as soon as possible come back to his senses and sincerely repent for the sin that was done again. One should not think that he will not then be forgiven again, because unlike a human being, G-d's attributes are infinite, including His attribute of forgiveness for the sincere penitent. A cornerstone of one's trust in G-d is the trust that He always accepts sincere repentance. But the goal of course is that one should not sin. Another important point is that during the normal course of his daily routine, one must not fall into the mistake of dwelling on his bitterness and remorse over sins, because that is a trick of the evil inclination to bring a person to fall spiritually and begin to sin. One must always remember the obligation to "serve G-d with happiness" (Ps. 100), and this applies during all your daily activities, since you must "know G-d in all your ways." Therefore, special and limited times should be set aside, in quiet privacy, for one to turn his thoughts to his past sin and allow himself to concentrate on his remorse and bitterness, and confess the sin to G-d and plead for forgiveness. The best time for this is at night, before going to bed. Once this has been achieved, one should experience relief and thankfulness to G-d, and go on to serve G-d happily. One should especially thoroughly understand and take to heart Psalm 51, and it is strongly suggested to recite this Psalm after one's prayers of repentance. With regard to Yom Kippur, which relates to the relationship between the Jews and G-d, Gentiles should not be concerned that they are lacking in any way in their opportunity at any time for successful repentance. The fact that Jews were given Yom Kippur, the day that Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the second Tablet of the Ten Commandments, should only be a positive influence, in that perhaps it may inspire a Gentile to do his or her own needed repentance on any day. For deeper spiritual insights into the concept of repentance, please read our web page at about the COVENANT OF THE RAINBOW.

QUESTION (g) : If a Gentile is unrepentant and is punished by not having a share of the World to Come, then what happens when he dies? Where does his soul go? ANSWER : From a careful reading of several chapters of the book "The Path of the Righteous Gentile", you will find that the authors are saying the following: that once a Gentile commits him/herself to belief in the Noahide faith and observance of the Seven Commandments, he/she secures the reward that he/she will be included in the everlasting World to Come that will be in the future. From your question, it seems that you are not familiar with the actual meaning of "the World to Come." You may be confusing it with the spiritual afterlife that is presently accessible to souls after physical death. In this context, the "World to Come" means the everlasting future era of the Resurrection, when the Essence of G-d will be revealed in the physical creation. The World to Come will begin at some time after the start of the Messianic Era, which will be brought by Moshiach (the Messiah, who will be descended from David and Solomon). In the World to Come, all death and spiritual impurity will be removed. Whereas now the physicality of this world hides G-d from the creations, in the World to Come, G-d's unknowable Essence will be revealed through the physical creation. Then the physical world will be the highest state of spiritual existence, higher than all the spiritual realms which presently exist. If a practicing and believing Noahide commits an isolated transgression, for example due to weakness in the face of a severe temptation, it does not mean that all is lost. If the Noahide remains committed to this faith, he/she can remove the sin by repentance. (This is the inner meaning of the Covenant of the Rainbow - see above.) It may be necessary for a punishment of some sort to be Divinely decreed in order to complete the needed atonement for the soul, but the soul can still keep its share in the future World to Come. But a soul that does not secure a place in the World to Come will at some point before then cease to exist. Until the future "World to Come" will be established by G-d in the physical world and the Resurrection will occur, a soul enters the spiritual realms after the death of the body.

NEW QUESTION (h) : I consider myself Noachide, although I'm not a literalist of biblical scripture. The Babylonian flood story of Gilgamesh predates that of Noah's [sic.]. However, I believe the Noah flood story is more compelling in its overall moral and ethical themes. This is my reason for identifying as a Noachide. I completely support the Noachide laws in general, and I seek to find more specific clarifications for their application. Is it OK to identify as a Noachide this way, without Rabbi consultation? >D.Q. ANSWER : In some respects it is "OK" because at this level you would at least be keeping the 7 Noahide Commandments which are incumbent on you as one of the Children of Noah, based on your own reasoning. If you are observing them properly (which requires learning the correct explanations based on Torah Law), you would then not be sinning, and surely you've already repented for any past sins in this lifetime. So with regard to those issues there would not be a need for you to receive any punishment from Above (apart from issues that might have carried over from a past incarnation). But to earn the ultimate reward which is to be given to "Pious Gentiles" (Hasidei Umos Ha'Olom), it is necessary to also accept the Divine Truth of the Torah of Moses, and to also accept that G-d commanded in the Torah that Gentiles should keep their 7 Commandments, which of course include faith in both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. That's because the Torah is the "Tree of Life." A Gentile who wishes to have eternal life needs to connect with G-d's Tree of Life in the proper way.

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