When most people think of Judaism, they think of it as a religion exclusively for the Jewish people. After all, the Torah (the foundational book of Judaism) is addressed directly to them, and spends most of its time instructing them on how to set up and run the nation of Israel. And, further, they allow people to join their nation, by becoming converts to Judaism.
However, despite this common misconception, Judaism isn’t exclusively concerned with the Jewish people. Their foundational texts also concern themselves with the other nations of the world – and, indeed, all humanity. As it says:
“Praise the Lord, all you nations; laud Him all you peoples. For His mercy is great toward us; and the truth of the Lord endures forever.”
Tehillim (Psalms) 117
According to Jewish tradition, a person isn’t required to convert and become part of the Jewish people in order to follow the God of Israel. Rather, they are free to remain non-Jews (aka “gentiles”), and be part of their original peoples and nations, while still serving God and being fully a part of the religion of Judaism.
Such people are referred to as “God-fearers”, “B’nei Noach” (ie. “Children of Noah”, in Hebrew), or “Noahides”. As we see in Tehillim (Psalms):
“The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless the God-fearers; both small and great.”
Tehillim (Psalms) 115
The path of serving God as a Noahide is similar, in many ways, to the path of serving Him as a Jew. But, while it contains the same ethical and moral principles required of the Jewish people, it omits the uniquely Jewish expressions of faith (ie. ritual observances), such as wearing Tefillin, keeping the Sabbath, and eating only Kosher foods. Thus, it allows Noahides to fully participate in their own cultures, and be a part of their own nations and peoples, while serving God.
These ethical and moral principles required of Noahides are referred to as the “Sheva Mitzvot”, the “Seven Laws of Noach”, or the “Noahide Laws”. So named, because they were first fully codified when commanded to the biblical Noah, after the great flood.
These Seven Laws are:
- Do not worship false gods.
- Do not curse God.
- Do not murder.
- Do not commit sexual immorality.
- Do not steal.
- Do not eat the limb of a living creature.
- Establish courts of justice.
While seemingly simple on their surface, there is much complexity to each of these laws. As is often said of Chess, the rules are simple to understand, but take a lifetime to master.
These Seven Laws span the gamut of human experience, defining the proper relationship between a person and God, between a person and his fellow human beings, between a person and nature, and between a person and himself.
Ultimately, when humanity universally applies the Seven Laws, it will usher in an era of world peace, known in Judaism as the Messianic Age. A time when, as Jewish tradition explains, there will be neither famine nor war, envy nor competition, for good will flow in abundance, and all delights will be freely available as dust, because as Isaiah 11:9 states, “The world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the ocean bed.”
If you’d like to know more about being a Noahide, explore our website, or pick up a copy of “Guide for the Noahide” by Rabbi Michael Bar-Ron, and follow along as we read and discuss it on our Youtube channel.
