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Guide for the Perplexed
#1
Director Michael Wrote:In terms of study, a Noahide is permitted to learn about all of 613 Jewish Mitzvahs on a basic level. But a Noahide should give primary importance to learning the details of the 7 Noahide Mitzvahs. For a more detailed explanation, see "The Divine Code," Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 5 ("Torah Study for Gentiles").

I have a copy of "The Guide For The Perplexed" by Maimonides in an English translation. I have read about half of it so far. I think I have heard that the auther assumed the reader was a Jew who would know next to nothing of Judaism, perhaps not even the Aleph-Beth. It DOES seem to be pretty basic to me.
Is that "on a basic level" suitable for Noachides?
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#2
"Guide for the Perplexed" by Rambam (Maimonides) is indeed appropriate for observant Bnei Noah. But in fact, Rambam wrote this work as a resource for both simple Jews and great Torah scholars. In his brilliant style, Rambam wrote it with great depth of scholarship and spiritual understanding, so that each person will perceive the teachings on his own level of understanding.

Rambam wrote this for Torah scholars who were bewildered by the APPARENT conflict (in their own minds) between Torah and the scientific and philosophic mindsets that were becoming popular in his time. Rambam explains in the "Guide for the Perplexed" that Torah is not contradictory to authentic scientific investigation or to truthful rationalistic thinking, and in fact Torah *incorporates* those approaches, provided that one understands the inherent natural limitations of human science and rationalism, and that the spiritual depth and Divine Truth of Torah extends far beyond those limits.

But the biggest challenge to learning the "Guide for the Perplexed" is to find an accurate and honest translation, from a Torah-faithful source (vs. a secularist and/or purely academic translator, or from the bias of some non-Torah religion). To date, there is still very little out there to choose from.

The best available (so far) complete translation in English seems to be the work that was published in 1963, which is the translation by Dr. Shlomo Pines of the University of Chicago.
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#3
The copy of "The Guide" I have is a version published by "Barnes & Noble", translated by M. Friedlander with an introduction by David Taffel, 20'04 C.E.. Is there anything you can tell me about this version I should be aware of?
Thank you?
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#4
This seems to be a reprinting of the translation produced by M. Friedlander in 19'04 (pub. Dover 19'56). I think that most of it is "OK," but not the best from the limited choices that are available. The parts that talk about "Metaphysics," in the translator's terminology, are off-base from the Kabbalistic concepts that Maimonides is actually discussing.
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#5
Since you mentioned Kabbalah and Maimonides, I take it they are okay to read? Or, just portions? I might get the Guide for the Perplexed. Is the Talmud okay to read and study? I haven't read it yet, just Every Man's Talmud --but I purchased the Babylonian Talmud, and the Maimonides. Been afraid that they might be something I shouldn't study, so they are on the shelf until further notice. Can you direct me to what I should be reading and studying. I would like to study the spiritual too.
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#6
(01-03-2014, 09:55 AM)RhondaCoad Wrote: Since you mentioned Kabbalah and Maimonides, I take it they are okay to read? Or, just portions? I might get the Guide for the Perplexed.

Regarding the topics within Kabbalah that are permitted to be studied by a faithful Noahide with the help of an expert teacher, see our forum thread on "Reading Kabbalah":
https://www.asknoah.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=354

Works by Maimonides (Rambam) that are permitted to be studied by a faithful Noahide include "Book of the Commandments", Mishneh Torah (most of which does not apply to Non-Jews), and
"Guide for the Perplexed".

For full explanations of what sources from Oral Torah (the above and more) are permitted for Noahides to study, or not, and why, see "The Divine Code", Part I, Chapter 5.

(01-03-2014, 09:55 AM)RhondaCoad Wrote: Is the Talmud okay to read and study? I haven't read it yet,

Only a few parts of the Talmud are OK for Noahides to read and study, because they relate to the Noahide Code.

(01-03-2014, 09:55 AM)RhondaCoad Wrote: just Every Man's Talmud

Unfortunately that book is written from a "Biblical criticism" (anti-Torah) point of view, which is why we can't recommend it.

(01-03-2014, 09:55 AM)RhondaCoad Wrote: --but I purchased the Babylonian Talmud, and the Maimonides. Been afraid that they might be something I shouldn't study, so they are on the shelf until further notice. Can you direct me to what I should be reading and studying. I would like to study the spiritual too.

Please see the section of our web site on Recommended Books:
https://asknoah.org/books

In the Talmud, you can for now read Chapter "Cheilek" in Tractate Sanhedrin, which deals with topics of the Messiah (Moshiach) and the Messianic Era.
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#7
Should one believe the literal words of the Torah even when it contradicts what can be or has been seen?
Like when is says in Genesis that the stars were created at the same time as the sun and moon or afterwords, when science tells us some stars were formed before?
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#8
First of all, one needs to be aware of the fact that when G-d dictated the Five Books of Moses, He did not do it in the format of a standard "history book". The Hebrew word "Torah" means "instruction". Where it is the aim of G-d to teach a particular lesson through verses of the Torah, in some cases that lesson is best taught in the context of a section where it is out of chronological order. In some places this is obvious, and in some places it can be found by careful study, or simply by referring to the explanations by Rashi.

For the case in point, Genesis 1:14 (And G-d said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.") Rashi explains:
"Let there be luminaries ([located] in the expanse of the heavens), etc.": They were CREATED on the FIRST day, and on the fourth day, He commanded them to be suspended in the sky, and likewise, all the creations of heaven and earth were created on the first day, and each one was fixed in its proper place on the day that was decreed upon it. That is why it is written [for the FIRST day of creation, in the Hebrew of Genesis 1:1, which can be translated as "In the beginning of G-d's creating WITH the heavens and WITH the earth"]: “WITH the heavens ('ES ha'shamayim') to include [the heavens WITH] their products [the sun, moon and stars, etc.], ”and WITH the earth ('ES ha'aretz')," to include [the earth WITH] its products [the water, dry land, plants, fish, birds, animals, etc.]. — [Midrash Gen. Rabbah 1:14]

With regard to this as well as numerous other "scientific" issues related to the history of the universe and our planet, rest assured that no human being witnessed the creation of the sun, moon and stars. Therefore we do not have any truly scientific information about that nor about the chronology of those events. Modern-day "scientists" have departed from the known boundaries and limitations of the true scientific method, and instead they make pronouncements of their extrapolations and prognostications of prehistoric conditions as "facts", when in true fact their ideas are purely theoretical and based only on unprovable assumptions. And many people accept every new "scientific" theory as a fact, based only on their pure faith in the "scientists". As such, modern cosmology is more like a faith-based man-made religion than a science.

For an analysis of these issues from an authentically scientific basis, please read the content of this web page:

https://asknoah.org/essay/creation-and-science
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