About three years ago, after many years of teaching according to the opinion of the majority of Orthodox rabbis in our day – that Noahides are forbidden to keep Shabbat – after having seen too much evidence to the contrary, I have firmly reversed my position on this, finally agreeing with an early mentor’s opinion on this. A Noahide is by no means required to keep Shabbat whatsoever, but he may, if he so wishes. This pieces explores the reasons why.
May a Noahide Keep a Halakhic Shabbat Rest?
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This is a simple and sound deduction of what a Ben-Noach may, rather than must, do beyond the seven obligatory categories. I am happy to read that a Noachide may keep the Shabbath while being cautious on the lexical choice of some prayers. I wonder what the reaction from the wider community has been, such as from Rabbi Weiner of Sefer Shewa Mitzwoth Hashem, if any response at all.
One comment on the wisely articulated footnote #3, specifically:
Is M’ori Bar-Ron implying, based on the quote above, that certain punitive injunctions in the Torah are no longer practical nowadays and, therefore, may be ignored? Or am I misinterpreting this statement, the equivalent of which would be that certain aspects of Torah are no longer to be heeded, despite the principle that the Torah is invariably immutable and stands as given at Mount Sinai?