Message from the Rebbe
Source: AskNoah.org
“Message from the Rebbe,” quoted in full as printed in Lubavitch International, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Summer ’90), p. 3
We find ourselves now at a turning point in history. Changes have swept the world as dissolving repressive regimes have given way to a climate of increased moral consciousness. It is thus an appropriate time to reflect upon the dynamics of these changes and thereby draw encouragement and guidance to effect them fully. In explaining the purpose of Creation, our sages say that G-d, the Essence of all good, created the world as a result of His desire to do good. As it says in Psalms 145, “The L-rd is good to all, and His mercies are over all his works.” For as it is the nature of good to do good unto others, the creation of the universe was a Divine expression of goodness. In this way, the universe and all life are recipients and objects of Divine goodness.
Hence, everything that occurs in the world, even the apparent bad, such as natural disasters, must ultimately have redeeming good. Similarly, the negative inclination within human beings, who essentially desire to do good, is but a “mechanism” by G-d’s design, to establish free choice. For had G-d created a world that is totally and exclusively good, without any efforts on the part of mankind to achieve it, there would be no or little appreciation of goodness. In light of this, it is important to realize that in the individual’s struggle with evil, within the world at large or within one’s self, the approach should not be one of confrontation. Rather, by emphasizing that which is good in people and in the world, and by bringing the positive to the fore, the evil is superseded by the good, until it eventually disappears.
Although G-d created the world giving people free choice, He nevertheless has given us the tools and the guidance we need to encourage us to choose the good: a Divine moral code, one that predates all human codes, and the only one that has timeless and universal application for a good, moral civilization. This Divine code, known as the Seven Laws of Noah, establishes an objective definition of “good” – one that applies to all people. For as recent history has proven, a morality that is based on human ideas of good, is relative, subjective and essentially not persuasive. Furthermore, as is abundantly clear to educators and law-enforcement agents, neither intimidation nor threat of punishment can foster a deep sense of moral obligation. This can only come from the knowledge – through education, that there is an “Eye that sees and an Ear that hears” to Whom we are all accountable.
The Noahide Code of seven basic Divine laws, was given to Noah and his children after the deluge. These laws would assure Noah and his children, the forebears of the new human race, that humanity would not degenerate into a jungle again. The laws, which command the establishment of courts of justice and prohibit idolatry, blasphemy, homicide, incest, robbery, and eating the limb of a live animal (cruelty to animals), are the foundation of all morality. And they extend, by laws derived from these, into all aspects of moral behavior.
A particular task [is] to educate and to encourage the observance of the Seven Laws among all people. The religious tolerance of today, and the trend towards greater freedom gives us the unique opportunity to enhance widespread observance of these laws. For it is by adherence to these laws, which are in and of themselves an expression of Divine goodness, that all humankind is united and bound by a common moral responsibility to our Creator. This unity promotes peace and harmony among all people, thereby achieving the ultimate good. As the Psalmist said: “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.”
How to Become a Righteous Gentile
Source: AskNoah.org
Considering all the spiritual gain that will be achieved by becoming a Righteous Gentile who follows the Seven Laws of Noah, many people are anxious to embark on this path. But how would you get started? Here are some thoughts on how to best proceed.
Since there are two sets of Divine Commandments, you must first know the answer to the question, “What am I?” If you are a Gentile (i.e., born to a Gentile mother, and not converted to Judaism according to traditional Torah Law), you are ready to get started. If not, you should seek the path of traditional Judaism as taught by competent and traditionally observant Rabbis. If you have any difficulty or uncertainty in answering this question, you should consult with a Rabbi who has these credentials and is well versed in all aspects of the Seven Laws of Noah.
Maybe you are asking, “What will I be getting into?” “Is this for real?” “Can I try it for a while before I make a full commitment?” If you are motivated to take the initiative and find out more about the religion of the Seven Laws (or Noahism), you will need access to at least a few of the reliable books on this subject. At present, we suggest that you start with The Path of the Righteous Gentile, by C. Clorfene and Y. Rogalsky.
If your intentions are sincere and you are ready to search out religious Truth, the next step is commitment and pursuit. It will be very helpful to link yourself with a legitimate Noahide group in your area. If you need help with this, you may contact us and we will find one for you to get in touch with. Note that those groups that are accepted as being legitimate will have one or more observant (“Orthodox”) Rabbis as spiritual and practical advisors about how to keep the Seven Commandments and the other righteous traditions of the Children of Noah. They will also be able to guide you to reliable and authentic translations of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Why be a Righteous Gentile?
What difference does it make what kind of a Gentile you are, and who cares? After all, look at all the chaos in the world today. And look at all the people there are in the world. Does it make a difference to them?
A great leader of our generation said that it does make a difference whether you are a Righteous Gentile or not. It does mean something, and someone does care. The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, told the world that we will soon see the coming of the righteous redeemer Moshiach (the Messiah son of David), as promised in the book of Deuteronomy and the books of the Prophets. He urged people all over the world to prepare themselves by strengthening their observance of their Divine commandments. For Gentiles, he said that this means strengthening their understanding and observance of the Divine commandments from Mount Sinai which apply to them, namely the Seven Commandments which had been given to Noah for all his descendants. For Jews, this means strengthening their understanding and observance of the Divine commandments which apply to them, as found in the Torah and their rabbinic tradition which was given by G-d to Moses.
With his prophetic insight, the Rebbe urgently called on all people to reconnect with G-d’s desire for the observance of these two sets of commandments, because he saw and publicized that the promised Messianic redemption of the world is coming speedily to our generation! The Messiah will return the world to true Noahism and Judaism, which were both taught by G-d on Mount Sinai and transmitted by Moses, the Faithful Shepherd. With this call to action, Jews all over the world started examining their conduct and the way they were living their lives, motivated greatly by the dedicated hassidic emissaries which the Rebbe dispatched.
For Gentiles, the Rebbe spoke out beginning more than 40 years ago to reawaken the world to the Seven Laws which G-d gave to Noah and his family, and all their generations to come. The Divine rewards for observing these seven commandments, learning their details, and encouraging their wider acceptance are an inheritance for all people, which is there to be taken. The Rebbe said that this spiritual reconnection of the world will be accomplished by Jews and Gentiles joining together along their perspective assigned paths, in a spirit of kindness, goodness and charity. Please search your heart and take these words seriously! After all, you never know whose life you may be uplifting.
What ideas from judaism did we implement in our democracy?
Its on my homework and as far as I knew, judaism had a monarchy. Anyone know?
A Jewish Messiah
Source: MessiahTruth.com
Judaism, unlike the Christianity, does not believe that the Messiah is Jesus. The noun moshiach (translated as messiah) annotatively means “annointed one;” it does not, however, imply “savior.” The notion of an innocent, semi-divine being who will sacrifice himself to save us from the consequences of our own sins is a purely Christian concept that has no basis in Jewish thought or scripture. In Judaic texts, the term messiah was used for all kings, high priests, certain warriors, but never eschatological figures. In the Tanach, moshiach is used 38 times: two patriarchs, six high priests, once for Cyrus, 29 Israelite kings such as Saul and David. Not once is the word moshiach used in reference to the awaited Messiah. Even in the apocalyptic book of Daniel, the only time moshiach is mentioned is in connection to a murdered high priest. The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha, and Apocrypha never mention the Messiah.
The man destined to be the Messiah will be a direct descendant of King David (Isaiah 11:1) through the family of Solomon, David’s son (1 Chronicles 22:9-l0). He will cause all the world to serve God together (Isaiah 11:2), be wiser than Solomon (Mishnah Torah Repentance 9:2), greater than the patriarchs and prophets (Aggadah Genesis 67), and more honored than kings (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10), for he will reign as king of the world (Pirkei Eliezer).
Amongst the most basic missions that the Messiah will accomplish during his lifetime (Isaiah 42:4) are to:
- Oversee the rebuilding of Jerusalem, including the Third Temple, in the event that it has not yet been rebuilt (Michah 4:1 and Ezekiel 40-45)
- Gather the Jewish people from all over the world and bring them home to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 11:12; 27:12-13)
- Influence every individual of every nation to abandon and be ashamed of their former beliefs (or non-beliefs) and acknowledge and serve only the One True God of Israel (Isaiah 11:9-10; 40:5 and Zephaniah 3:9)
- Bring about global peace throughout the world (Isaiah 2:4; 11:5-9 and Michah 4:3-4).
There are over a dozen additional prophecies which the Messiah will also achieve (there is no mention of any “second coming” in the Tanach or the New Testament). In order to avoid identifying the wrong individual as Messiah, the Code of Jewish Law dictates criteria for establishing the Messiah’s identity (Mishnah Torah Kings 11:4):
- “If a king arises from the House of David who meditates on the Torah, occupies himself with the commandments as did his ancestor King David, observes the commandments of the Written and Oral Law, prevails upon all Israel to walk in the way of the Torah and to follow its direction, and fights the wars of God, it may be assumed that he is the Messiah.
- If he does these things and is fully successful, rebuilds the Third Temple on its location, and gathers the exiled Jews, he is beyond doubt the Messiah. But if he is not fully successful, or if he is killed, he is not the Messiah.”
Over 1,000 years before the attributed birth of the historical Jesus, it was recorded in the Tanach:
- Numbers 23:19: God is not a man, that He should be deceitful, nor the son of man, that He should repent. Would He say and not do, or speak and not confirm?
- Psalms 146:3: Do not rely on princes nor in the son of man, for he holds no salvation.
Even the New Testament concurs that Jesus, in fact, is not the Messiah:
- Matthew 20:28: Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve.
Rosh HaShanah:The Purpose Of Creation
Source: AskNoah.org
“Today the World was Born”
Rosh HaShanah recalls the creation of the world, as we see from the prayer,[1] “Today the world was born.” According to our Sages,[2] however, the world was created on the 25th of Elul, so that Rosh HaShanah actually marks the sixth day of creation, the day on which G-d created man.
Why do we commemorate the creation of man and not the creation of the whole world? This is especially strange, given that the creation of the world demonstrates G-d’s absolute power in His unique ability to create something from nothing.[3] Only G-d’s essence, free of all limitation, can bring about being from utter void.[4]
The 25th of Elul, the first day of the world’s existence, is further distinguished by being referred to in the Torah[5] as yom echad (“one day”), rather than yom rishon (“the first day”). The Torah thus indicates that on the first day of creation, G-d was “alone in His world.”[6] Though the entire created world already existed, it was not separate from its Creator; the world was one with G-d.
Conscious Acceptance of His Sovereignty
Despite its uniqueness, the 25th of Elul is eclipsed by Rosh HaShanah. This is because the creation of man opened up a new and deeper relationship between G-d and the created world.
Of all the beings in the physical and spiritual realms, man alone can choose to accept G-d’s sovereignty. Only his relationship with G-d stems from conscious decision and free will.[7] Though G-d creates and regulates all the other beings in the universe, they do not consciously accept this relationship. Their link with G-d flows from G-d’s creativity; it does not result from their own decision.
With the creation of man, G-d introduced the potential for voluntary acceptance of His unity and active consent to His will. Chassidic thought[8] illustrates the difference between G-d’s relationship with man and His relationship with the remainder of creation by contrasting two forms of absolute rule, tyranny and sovereignty. A tyrant exercises dominion without his subjects’ consent, by virtue of his might; the subjects of a king, even if he is an absolute ruler, may willingly accept his authority and seek his sovereignty.
Unlike every other created being, man has the choice of acquiescing to G-d’s dominion or rebelling against it. He alone has been empowered to acknowledge the unity of G-d through his own thought processes, and to relate to Him as his sovereign.
Making G-d Part of Our World
Why must G-d’s sovereignty be consciously perceived by man? From G-d’s perspective, His unity with the world encompasses every facet of creation. Man is rarely able to conceive of G-d’s unity from this perspective. Why, then, should mere man’s awareness and recognition be of such importance?
Our Sages[9] teach that G-d created the world because He “desired a dwelling place in the lower worlds.” In order for this desire to be completely realized, the establishment of a dwelling place requires not only that G-dly energy be extended into those lowly realms, but also that those realms be aware of the G-dliness in their midst and accept it. Only then is G-d’s dwelling place in the lower worlds complete.
Before man’s creation, G-dliness and the world appeared to be opposites; the world, from its own perspective, did not relate to the G-dly potential with which it is invested. Only with the creation of man did the possibility for an internalized awareness of G-d come into being.
G-d’s Partner in Creation
Man was created not only for the purpose of expressing unity with G-d in his own life; he was also given the potential to suffuse the entire world with an awareness of G-d’s unity. Adam, the first man, gave expression to this potential on the first day of his existence by addressing all of creation:[10] “Come, let us bow down; let us bend the knee before G-d our Maker.”[11]
By imparting his superior relationship with G-d to the entire world, man becomes G-d’s partner in creation[12] and contributes a necessary element to the world’s existence – a conscious union with G-d. This uniquely human perception of G-d’s pervasive unity makes Rosh HaShanah, the day of man’s creation, eclipse the 25th of Elul, for the potential for oneness with G-d that came into being with man’s creation overshadowed all previous levels of creation.
Diverse Plateaus of Existence
The question, however, remains: Why do our Rosh HaShanah prayers proclaim that the world was formed on that date? Even if it is acknowledged that Rosh HaShanah takes precedence, it was on the 25th of Elul that the world was created.
This question can be answered by reference to a point of Talmudic law… [an] object cannot be said to have [fully] come into being until it has been completed.[13]
Certain objects may be thought of as complete at any one of a number of stages. Animal hides, for example, can be used at one stage as covers or blankets, or they can be further treated and refined and made into clothing…. The Mishnah[14] rules that the status of the hide is dependent upon its owner. If the owner would be expected to be content with the hide as a cover, the hide is [completed]. However, if the owner is a tanner who would ordinarily consider the hide to be unfinished at this stage and would be expected to further refine it in order to make a garment, it is [considered unfinished].
This halachah (Torah law) lends us a conception of the status of creation before the advent of man. The 25th of Elul and the following days of creation revealed awesome G-dly powers. These powers were, however, totally eclipsed by the creation of man, which revealed a deeper purpose of creation and a higher aspect of G-dliness, just as the animal hide can be transformed into a garment by a skilled tanner.
The revelation occasioned by man’s creation caused the world’s prior existence to be considered unfinished. Through the creation of man, G-d established a new definition of existence, and according to this new definition, the world did not previously exist. The anniversary of man’s creation can therefore be considered the anniversary of creation as a whole.
“As the Waters Cover the Ocean Bed”
The ultimate state of unity between G-d and the world will be expressed in the Era of the Redemption, when “the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the ocean bed.”[15]
This will be accomplished through man’s efforts. The revelation of G-dliness in the Era of the Redemption depends on our present endeavors to perceive and express the G-dliness invested within the world.[16] By developing a conscious bond with G-d and extending that relationship into every element of our existence, we bring closer the time when that connection will blossom forth into complete fulfillment in the Era of the Redemption. May this be realized in the immediate future.
Notes:
1) Mussaf service of Rosh HaShanah, based on Rosh HaShanah 27a.
2) Vayikra Rabbah 29:1; also Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer 8:1 and other sources.
3) Ramban on Bereishis 1:1.
Creation of this nature took place only on the 25th of Elul. As Rashi (on Bereishis 1:14) explains, on the first day of existence G-d created the entire universe ex nihilo, bringing all the components of heaven and earth into being from absolute nothingness. On the following days, the days on which the Torah describes various entities as coming into being, G-d merely “formed” them, making new entities from existing substance by giving them distinct characteristics and locations.
4) Cf. Tanya, Iggeres HaKodesh, Epistle 20.
5) Bereishis 1:5.
6) Rashi, loc. cit.; Bereishis Rabbah 83:8.
7) See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah, ch. 5.
Likkutei Torah, Rosh HaShanah, p. 55b ff.
9) Midrash Tanchuma, Parshas Bechukosai, sec. 3; Tanya, chs. 33 and 36.
10) Zohar III, 107b.
11) Tehillim 95:6.
12) Shabbos 10a; see Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XV, p. 95 ff.
13) See Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Kelim 5:1.
14) Kelim 26:7-8.
15) Yeshayahu 11:9, quoted by the Rambam at the conclusion of his discussion of the Era of the Redemption in the Mishneh Torah.
16) Tanya, ch. 37.
