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Questions about "The Divine Code"
#1
B"H

With peace, blessings and the utmost respect,

It has occurred to me that though I live by and hold by Noahide Law as set down by Rav Moshe Weiner and Ask Noah International in the book "The Divine Code" and through this forum, I am without an inarguable reason for doing so.

Certain aspects of Noahide Law is, even after the publication of "The Divine Code", debated. Those who teach differently than Rav Weiner do so according to their objective understanding of each matter: and many Noahides follow their words.

How is this finally determined?

(Approbations have been given for "The Divine Code". I do not know how this is with others who teach differently. Perhaps the answer lies there.)
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#2
You are correct in that the answer is connected with the Approbations.

Rabbi Weiner is a recognized G-d Fearing Torah Scholar in serious Rabbinic circles, and as such he did not undertake this significant work on his own authority. Each step of the way, in his four years of dedicated work and exceptionally thorough research on the two volumes of "Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" ("Seven Divine Commandments") in Torah-Law Hebrew, he consulted and sought the approval of outstanding Halachic authorities, as explained on this web page:

https://asknoah.org/about-us/academy

His work was fully reviewed in detail, and annotated in the printed version, by one of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Rabbinical Court of Israel, Rav Zalman Nechemiah Goldberg. Rav Z.N. Goldberg is universally recognized as one of the outstanding Torah scholars of our generation. (He is also the son-in-law of one of the greatest Torah Authorities of our Generation, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.)

"Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" has the approbation of a former Sefardic Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar. You can read the scanned original and the translated letter in full on this page:

https://asknoah.org/wp-content/uploads/R...essing.pdf

This work also received glowing approbations from Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz, the Head of the Beis Din (Rabbinical Court) of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Rabbinical Council of Chicago.

Rav J. Immanuel Schochet, who is a prominent Torah Scholar and a prolific author of fundamental Torah texts, in Toronto, Canada, also participated in the project, and contributed a great deal to the section in Volume 1 on recommended prayers for righteous Gentiles, and most of the Section Introductions in "The Divine Code", which is the English translation of "Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" that was worked on and approved by Rabbi Weiner, with editorial notes:

https://asknoah.org/books/the-divine-code

In the Introduction to his work, Rabbi Weiner clearly explains the fundamental principles for understanding and codifying the practical applications of the Noahide Mitzvot, including the main (but not sole) authority in this area of Torah that is accorded to the teachings of "Rambam," Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Rabbi Weiner also drew much inspiration from the homiletics on the Noahide Mitzvot in the classic book "Mitzvos Hashem" by Rabbi Yonasan Shteif, who was the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, Austria, before WWll.

In summary, this English volume has been presented to and found praiseworthy by several English-speaking Chassidic Rebbes, and one of the Justices of the Rabbinic Court of the Eidah HaChareidis of Jerusalem. "Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" and "The Divine Code" are published by Ask Noah International, and can also be obtained directly through this web site.

Seldom do you find such unanimous approval from so many various groups and segments within the branches of traditional Torah Judaism. All of this is what sets "Sheva Mitzvot HaShem" and "The Divine Code" apart from any other books that have ever been written about the practical Torah-Law applications of the Noahide Code.

In these books, Rabbi Weiner explains where some contemporary Rabbis have given opinions that are more stringent than necessary on some aspects of observance (and note that righteous Gentiles may *voluntarily* choose to follow extra stringency in some areas if they wish), while in some other aspects, opinions have been given that are overly lenient (including in some matters that involve cross-over into  uniquely Jewish Mitzvot, or that are contrary to the general obligation that Gentiles have for acting in accordance with "yishuv olom" - establishing, and not detracting from, the Torah's ideals for settled, orderly and law-abiding societies for the world's inhabitants).

In any event, everything is footnoted for those who want to look into the Torah-based sources in more depth.
Rabbi Yitz
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#3
I have received my copy of the Second Edition of "The Divine Code" and am studying it. I have been using a highlighter to mark those passages in the general text that are further elaborated on in the lower part of the page with the pertinent text in BOLD. I am using the highlighter because, whereas passages where citation is needed are marked with footnotes by very small type numerals, the passages I speak of in the main body are not marked in any way to show there is any amplification of the passage below.
Now, I do NOT see this as an oversight, nor would I want it changed, because for me, going through the book page by page first to see if there are any such pages that (I think) need highlighting helps give me a quick scan of the material before I actually knuckle down and study it intently.
This is what I did with the first edition, and what I plan to do with Volume 2 when it is released.
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#4
Hello,

First I'd like to thank Director Michael for his quick reply and for directing me to this thread.

I have a question about the different editions of "The Divine Code". I currently have the "Second Edition Vol.1" that I bought a few years ago. Thank you for for any help. Smile
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#5
B"H

(Response updated in 20'19)

Thanks for your question!

"The Divine Code", 3rd Edition (English, 704 pages), was published in June, 20'19, as a soft-cover book and as a Kindle ebook. It has all the chapters from Parts I-VII of the original work by Rabbi Moshe Weiner in Hebrew, Sefer Sheva Mitzvot HaShem, and four chapters from Part VIII. For more information, please see our web page for the book, or write to us through our Contact Us page:

https://asknoah.org/books/the-divine-code
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#6
I have not read The Divine Code but In. my opinion, there is too little study of the Seven Laws available for the Noahide. By this, I mean that, generally speaking, only the thumbnail sketch is given. This gives the non-Jew little to study or contemplate. I think what should be happening is in depth study of those laws and their philosophy. Such a study would take one a long time and be more suited to helping a person change his worldview and personality than the thumbnail sketch gives. One reason that people fall back on to their desire for the secrets of Torah is because the Seven are not explicated in depth. Such a study should help one realize that it is service to God to be scrupulous in one's dealings with others, to maintain the dignity of others, and to treat the world as belonging to God rather than Man. This is something I think is lacking.
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#7
(Updated in 20'24)

Greetings Larry. Once you have your hands on The Divine Code, 4th Edition, by Rabbi Moshe Weiner of Jerusalem, you will see that the in-depth study of the Noahide Code and its philosophy is no longer lacking in the world. The printed book is now available directly from Asknoah.org at reduced cost, and also from Amazon.com and Kehotonline.com.

The e-book edition of The Divine Code, 4th Edition (Parts I-VIII) is available from Amazon Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Code-Obser...0719SDQVM/

To go deeper into the spiritual lessons for Gentiles within the Written and Oral Torah, we recommend another book by Rabbi Weiner, titled Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge. It is available in print and as an e-book, or as a free download from our site, with the links and the Table of Contents shown on the following page:

https://asknoah.org/books/seven-gates-of...s-gentiles

-----------------------

*TABLE OF CONTENTS for Parts I-VIII of "The Divine Code," 4th Edition:

Editor’s Preface by Michael Schulman, Ph.D.

Author’s Introduction

Part I: Fundamentals of the Faith
Introduction by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

1. Awareness of God; The Torah of Moses; Deniers and Deviators from the Foundations of Faith
2. Proselytizers and False Prophets
3. The Prohibition Against Making a New Religion or Adding a Commandment
4. Liability to Divine and Earthly Punishments
5. Torah Study for Gentile
6. Serving God; Prayer and Grace After Meals
7. Sacrificial Offerings
8. Obligatory Moral Conduct
9. Repentance

Part II: The Prohibition of Idolatry
Introduction by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

1. The Prohibition of Idol Worship
2. The Prohibition of Turning to Idol Worship
3. Which Actions Make One Liable for Idol Worship
4. The Service of Molech
5. Forbidden Statues, Images and Pillars
6. The Prohibition of Creating a New Religion
7. The Obligation to Eliminate Idol Worship, and the Prohibition of Benefiting from It
8. Aspects of Idolatry from which Benefit is Allowed, and Nullification of Idols
9. Objects Offered to Idols, and Decorations of Idols
10. The Prohibition Against Aiding Idol Worshipers
11. Practices that are Forbidden as Customs of Idol Worshipers
12. The Prohibition of Swearing or Vowing in the Name of an Idol

Part III: The Prohibition of Blasphemy, Including the Laws of Vows
Introduction by Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

1. The Obligation to Respect God’s Name, and What is Forbidden as Blasphemy
2. Obligations to Revere and Fear God
3. Laws of Vows and Promises
4. Annulment of Vows and Promises, and Vows Made According to the Public’s Understanding

Part IV: The Prohibition of Eating Meat that was Separated from a Living Animal, Including Restrictions on Causing Suffering to Living Creatures, Mating Different Species of Animals, and Grafting Different Species of Fruit Trees
Introduction by Joe M. Regenstein, Ph.D.

1. Permissions and Prohibitions Commanded to Gentiles Regarding Meat; Species for which Meat from a Living Animal is Forbidden
2. Which Parts from a Living Animal are Prohibited to be Eaten
3. The Prohibition of Separating Meat from an Animal that is Living or in the Process of Dying, and Restrictions on Consuming such Meat after the Animal’s Death
4. Maimed or Broken Limbs
5. The Precepts Pertaining to a Fetus, and to Eggs
6. Deriving Benefit from Flesh Separated from a Living Animal; Cases with a Doubt, and Mixtures with Forbidden Meat
7. Restrictions on Causing Suffering to a Living Creature
8. The Prohibition of Mating Different Species of Animals
9. The Prohibition of Grafting Different Species of Fruit Trees

Part V: The Prohibition of Murder and Injury

Introduction by Dr. Michael Schulman

1. Details of the Prohibition of Murder; Abortion; Euthanasia; Causing Mortal Injury, and Partners in Murder
2. Suicide, and Sacrificing One’s Life for One of the Seven Noahide Commandments
3. Laws of a Pursuer and Self Defense
4. An Accidental Killer’s Obligation for Exile, Laws of a Blood-Redeemer, and Cities of Refuge
5. Intentional and Unintentional Killing, and Killing Through Negligence or Under Duress
6. The Prohibition of Causing Personal Injury or Damage
7. The Prohibition of Endangering Oneself or Another, and the Obligation to Save a Person’s Life
8. The Prohibitions of Embarrassing Another Person,Evil Gossip, and Tale-bearing
9. Reproductive Sterilization, Contraception, Emitting Semen “in Vain,” and the Severity of the Sin of Murder

Part VI: The Prohibition of Forbidden Relations. Including Precepts Relating to Marriage, Divorce, Marital Relations, and Being Alone with a Forbidden Partner
Introduction by Arthur A. Goldberg

1. Categories of Sexual Partners and Acts that are Forbidden
2. The Prohibitions of Homosexual and Bestial Relations
3. The Prohibition of Relations with Other Men’s Wives; Marital Status of Minors; Precepts Related to Adultery by a Gentile with a Jewess; Marriage of an Enslaved Woman; Partners with Whom there can be no Status of Marriage
4. Precepts Related to Marriage, Fornication and Divorce
5. Precepts Related to Spilling Semen, and Contraception
6. Guarding Against Forbidden Relations, and Following Ways of Modesty
7. Prohibitions Related to Being Alone with a Forbidden Partner

Part VII: The Prohibition of Theft
Introduction by Rabbi Moshe Weiner

1. The Prohibition of Theft
2. Laws of Returning Stolen Objects, and Restitution for Theft
3. The Prohibitions of Aiding or Having Benefit from Theft or Buying Stolen Property, and the Laws of Unintentional Theft
4. Laws of Saving Oneself or One’s Property at the Expense of Another’s Money; Taking the Law into One’s Own Hand
5. Theft Incurred by False Measurements, and the Prohibition of Cheating or Misinforming Another Person
6. The Prohibition of Extortion, and Forcing a Purchase 
7. Laws of Borrowing, Renting, Responsibility for an Entrusted Item, and Holding Collateral for a Loan
8. Stealing or Encroaching Upon Real Estate Property
9. The Prohibition of Kidnapping; Stealing Enslaved Persons 
10. The Prohibition of Rape, and Laws of Taking Captives 
11. Bodily Injury and Damaging Another’s Property 
12. The Laws of a Delinquent Debtor and One Who Withholds Payment Owed to a Hired Person
13. The Laws of a Worker in Regard to the Employer
14. Government Authority; Laws of Land Conquered in War
15. Laws of Ownerless Items and Finding Lost Objects
16. Maintaining Peace in Society by Forbidding Acts Similar to Theft

Part VIII: Establishment of Laws and Courts
Introduction by Rabbi Dr. Shimon D. Cowen

1. The Obligation for a Gentile Society to Set Up a Judicial System
2. The Prohibition Against Perverting the Course of Justice or Taking a Bribe
3. Monetary Laws, and Laws of Mediation and Arbitration
4. Societal Morality and the Obligation of Doing Kindness
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#8
Michael
Thank you for responding. If you don't mind I would like to continue shareing a conversation I am having with a friend of mine.  He has "The Divine Code," and thinks it is very good.  But, he says and I agree, it is not the same thing as learning with a teacher.  Moreover, as he points out, it is not a study of the sources but a distillation of them.  Nevertheless, He thinks it is a good first step in the right direction.  We believe that the answer is not a book.  It is teachers.  One does learn from reading books but one benefits greatly from a teacher.
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#9
Definitely there are many people who learn better from a teacher than from a book (but the opposite is also true for many other people).
Please be assured that the expert Rabbis whom I work with have already taken many more steps in that direction, to bring their teaching of the Noahide Code to people who have access to on-line video classes - both live and pre-recorded.
The web site where these video classes are available, including some free video and text materials, can be accessed through this updated link:

https://www.noahidemy.com/
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#10
(11-13-2017, 01:34 AM)LarryAB Wrote: Moreover, as he points out, it is not a study of the sources but a distillation of them

Learning from original sources is impractical. The Divine Code is the most authoritative codification of the 7 Noahide commandments ever written. It is the only book you will ever need.
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