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The Noahide Code and the Messianic Era
In recent years, the great world leader, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, King Moshiach, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, has been urging that efforts be made to inform the public at large about the nature and meaning of the Seven Laws of Noah.
These laws, which outline the ethical and moral responsibilities of all mankind, are the true and proper guide for a world striving to achieve the ideal state.
Biblical scholars teach us that this ideal state will be achieved with the coming of Moshiach (the Messiah).
Moshiach (literally “the anointed one”) is a teacher and leader of the Jewish people. He is both saintly and scholarly and is descended from the House of King David. He teaches ethics and morality to all mankind. Most importantly, he will establish peace for the entire world.
In the time of Moshiach, there will be neither famine nor war, neither envy nor strife. People will strive to help one another, and a spirit of love and brotherhood will flourish.
Most important of all, in the Messianic era, all mankind will acknowledge the unity of G-d Almighty and recognize that He is the sole Ruler of the Universe. As the prophet Isaiah said, “The world will then be filled with the knowledge of G-d, as the waters cover the ocean bed” (Isaiah 11:9).
We live in a time of miracles. We hope that an increased interest throughout the world in the Laws of Noah will bring us significantly closer to the long-awaited time of Redemption, where the world will truly become a dwelling place for G-d.
MAKING THE WORLD INTO A BEAUTIFUL GEM
Have you ever thought about how precious gems are made?
The process is as exciting as it is fascinating. In cutting a raw stone to make it a precious jewel, the slightest error can cause damage.
As the great teacher, founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov used to say, “Everything a person sees or hears has a lesson to teach in the service of G-d.”
The lesson to be learned from cutting precious stones is clear. G-d created the world in six days like an uncut gem. In its ‘natural’ state, the world has tremendous potential. Our job in life is to cut and shape the gem which G-d has given us, and reveal how precious and beautiful it really is.
By doing so, we become partners in creation.
In the business of preparing precious stones, there are many rules that must be followed carefully. So too, in life.
In the Bible we find a unique set of laws valid for all mankind, teaching us how to behave in order to realize the true potential of our lives and bring the world to its most perfect state.
Following is a brief explanation of those laws – The Noachide Code.
THE SEVEN LAWS OF NOAH
Imagine a world in which there was no sense of right and wrong. A world with no concept of justice, no system of law, no family life, no moral or ethical values. Does it seem frightening? Perhaps a little too real? Such a society did once exist. Self-centered, grasping, cruel. A society set to self-destruct 4000 years ago, in the Great Flood.
Out of its demise, a new world was born, with Noah and his sons.
G-d entrusted them with a Code of Life, a set of laws on which a new civilization could be built. This Code of Seven Fundamental Laws is so far-reaching that it gives structure and scope to life for all time, guiding mankind to realize his highest potential as a being created in the image of G-d.
Educating Mankind
The Farbrengen (gathering) held on Saturday, April 19, 1986, also celebrated the 84th birthday of the Rebbe King Moshiach Shlita. In his discourses, on that day the King Moshiach Shlita acknowledged the proclamation issued by President Reagan and the U. S. Congress, concerning the duty of mankind to observe the Seven Noachide Laws. Moshiach also expressed his approbation of the proclamation establishing “Education Day” on the 11th of the jewish month of Nissan (Moshiach’s birthday). In this excerpt, Moshiach explains the importance of encouraging gentiles to observe the universal Seven Noachide Laws and the importance of teaching and inculcating the future generations to follow the Seven Noachide Laws. Successful global education depends on love, brotherhood, personal example, sincerity, and dedication. The world can become a place where all people will serve G-d together.
Everything Begins With Torah
Tradition teaches us that everything in creation finds its source in Torah. The Zohar describes it this way:
“The Holy One, Blessed be He, looked into the Torah and created the world, so man looks into the Torah and keeps the world alive.” (Zohar II, p. 161b)
Moreover, we find cases when true Torah sages made halachic rulings based on Torah and as a result, certain changes took place in worldly matters.
There is a well-known story told of the “Ragachover Gaon”, [Of the greatest Torah geniuses and scholars in the 20th century also known as the “Prince of Torah”].
The ‘Ragachover’ once received a letter from the government tax department which described two types of taxes which he was being charged. He studied the bill and the explanations and then said that one form of tax was legitimate on the basis of the Torah, and therefore should be paid in accordance with the dictum, “The law of the government is law” (Gittin lob). However, he pointed out, that the second tax was not acceptable by Torah standards and should not be paid (see Rambam, Laws of Robbery, 5:14).
Several days passed and a second notice arrived. This time the tax department apologized for making a mistake in the previous tax bill and admitted that he was not liable to pay the second tax!
Quite an extraordinary occurrence! In Russia, which opposed all aspects of Judaism and Torah observance, and in the city of Saint Petersburg, where many important government ministries were situated, and where the protocol of government bureaucracy was carefully adhered to, the Ragachover’s halachic ruling, based on the Torah’s truth, caused the government to withdraw its demand for taxes – truly amazing!
The incident was all the more astonishing when we remember that in Russia, once someone was assessed a tax it was virtually impossible to rescind the assessment, yet here they recalled the tax bill and apologized! The power of a Torah ruling can change the way the world functions, against its own nature.
Unlike this story, there are many rulings of the Torah which already exist and need not be judged anew. One example would be the ruling of Maimonides: … to encourage the Gentiles of the world to act in accordance with the Seven Noahide Commandments. [This concerns] the welfare of all peoples, for the world was “formed to be inhabited,” which will only be when society follows the Divine plan.
In this country, there is an additional incentive, since the President has issued a proclamation urging and encouraging the observance of the Seven Noahide Laws. He has indicated that only in this way can the world remain inhabited and civilized.… The President’s proclamation emphasizes the revelation of G-dliness through the essence of the corporeal world. It also lends support to disseminating the Seven Noahide Laws among all humanity.
When We “Receive” We Must Also “Give”
It is, therefore, appropriate to express our appreciation to the Government of the United States and to its head, the President, for this proclamation regarding the Seven Noahide Laws. At the same time we must express our gratitude to the Holy One Blessed be He that our government represents a benevolent republic, which extends assistance and aid … [An important] act in that respect was to help gain the release of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe from Russia [in 1927]. This set the stage for the continuous expansion of Chabad Chassidus through the previous Lubavitch Rebbe and his successor, the King Moshiach, to the rest of the world, until today.
Education Day – U.S.A.
The President has also issued a government proclamation designating a day in the month of Nissan as “Education Day.” Since the laws of Noah are basic and elementary, e.g., not to rob, not to murder, to believe in G-d, etc., it is obvious that these laws must be taught to children so that they should grow up righteous and good. Consequently, we must improve and adapt the educational system in America to properly transmit these principles and values to the next generation. In fact, in the Seven Noahide Laws we find the commandment for education:
“The duty is enjoined upon them to set up judges in each district to deal with these six commandments and to caution (educate) the people.”
(Maimonides, Laws of Kings 9:14)
Teach The Laws Of Noah To All
Clearly, they must teach the people to know and to live by the Laws of Noah. The foundation and basis of the Seven Noahide Laws is love and brotherhood. Even the Hebrew word ‘Noah’ indicates pleasantness and friendliness. And when Gentiles observe the Seven Noahide Laws they are called “pious (righteous) Gentiles,” which indicates kindness and love.
In reaching out to encourage the observance of the Seven Noahide Laws we must also show kindness and emphasize the goodness and pleasantness which their observance will bring to the world and society. In general, education must also be approached with love and cooperation; a child must always be brought close with the right hand:
“A child…thrust (him) away (only) with the left hand and draw (him) near with the (stronger) right hand.”
(Talmud / Tractate Sotah 47a)
This means that even when the child needs chastisement, do it only “with the left hand,” meaning with restraint, while at the same time reach out to assist him “with the right hand.” For a teacher to be successful he/she must speak to his/her students with words that emerge from the heart, for only then will they penetrate the heart and accomplish their goal. Most importantly, teachers must always remember that the first principle of education is that the teacher must be a living example, many times over.
May it be the will of G-d that we soon see the complete perfection of the world, when all people will serve G-d together.
Part 2: Address by Moshiach, on the last day of Passover of 5746 (1986)
[To publicize the Seven Noachide Laws] you will clearly need a tremendous effort to overcome your inertia and follow the ruling of Maimonides:
“By divine ordinance, Moshe our teacher commanded us that all human beings should accept the commandments enjoined on the descendants of Noah.” (Laws of Kings 8:10)
Yet the true quality of “action” emerges specifically in such a scenario when one must mobilize and concentrate his self-control to the point of self-imposed, forced action, to reach out to teach the descendants of Noah the Seven Noahide laws,…to impress upon the Gentile his/her responsibility to observe the Seven Noahide Laws. And if he/she is already aware of the Seven Noahide Laws, then the effort should be made to encourage increased observance of those laws.
Because we are in the generation of Moshiach, it behooves us to be more diligent in this area, for we are approaching the time when “kingship will be the L-rd’s,” for,
“Then I will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the Name of the L-rd to serve Him with one consent” (Tzephaniah 3:9).
We therefore must see this as a commandment whose time has come, now!
Regarding the observance of mitzvos (the commandments for Jews) in the diaspora, we have learned that we do them now so as to be prepared for the ultimate observance which will be when Moshiach comes (cf. Maimonides, Leviticus, 18:25). The same idea also applies in the case of the Gentile world. They, too, must prepare themselves for that future time, and the closer we get to the redemption, the more vital it becomes that we influence the nations to observe the Seven Noahide Laws.
As if to stress the importance of motivating all people to fulfill the Seven Noahide Laws, the Holy One, Blessed be He, has put in the heart of the President of the United States of America (“The king’s heart is in the hand of the L-rd,” cf. Proverbs 21:1) the desire to proclaim and publicize to all the citizens of this country – with the approval of the representatives of the people of the land – the need and importance of keeping the Seven Noahide laws for the good of the existence of this country and its people. The President himself was not satisfied with his earlier proclamations, made in previous years, and once again this year issued a proclamation which calls for the observance of the Seven Noahide Laws among all peoples of the world.
We must express our gratitude to the President for this magnanimous action on behalf of the Gentile world. Our hope is great that these efforts will continue among the nations of the world and will be especially successful, in that the President has shown a living example in his personal conduct to spread the Seven Noahide Laws, with no ulterior motive other than it being the word of the Creator.
May this speed up the time when the world will reach its perfection and the true and complete redemption will be realized.
Live the Rebbe King Moshiach Forever.
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