Requests From a Righteous Gentile

The following personal essay was submitted to the asknoah.org website by a Bas Noach who wishes to share her thoughts with our visitors.

We now live in a time when traditions are being thrown to the wayside. The media is filling naive minds with what it wants them to believe is the modern morality for life. Our youth are no longer looking toward family and elders as the means to understanding the world. The once revered Gentile religions are being exposed and ridiculed. And with the help of technology, misinformation is being spread to the world. There is no better time to act than today.

Although anti-Semitism still exists, there are many sympathetic ears willing to listen to the Jewish people. This has been shown through the many Noahide web sites and email lists that have gone on-line. More importantly, there are many who are looking beyond the modern philosophies, false religions and the media, in search of what the truth really is. It is through G-d’s mercy that so many realize that there is more than just the physicality of one’s being, but how can they be sure? With so much trickery, injustice, special effects and the mocking words of the atheist in the world today, it is far too possible for people to simply ignore or disregard this spiritual pull they feel inside.

Correcting the knowledge base

These people must know that they DO have a soul, a purpose here on earth, and that there is a spiritual world, with G-d overseeing it all. There is so much misinformation and confusion that is being spread through the world by movies, pop-religions and the media. The internet is a breeding ground for lies and deception. One can find thousands of web pages discussing the Seven Laws of Noah, but only a small percentage that are completely factual.

How can these Gentiles be convinced of the truth, G-d’s greatness and His love? Through observant Jewish people, of course. There are few who do not know of the pain the Jewish people have endured, and yet these Jewish people continue to stand by G-d, follow the commandments He gave them, and retain His divine knowledge. This devotion can be observed from the outside by those Gentiles who have the privilege of living or working in the vicinity of Orthodox Jews. But more often that not, Gentiles do not have that surrounding, and the Jews they are in contact with do not speak of G-d or follow His commandments.

To offset these many obstacles, observant Jewish people must take a more personal and welcoming approach. This includes educating the Gentiles on-line and in person about the Seven Noahide Commandments and the spiritual reward they bring, and educating all the Jewish people about the Gentiles’ role in Torah.

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Addendum on overcoming the barriers

by Dr. Michael Schulman, Director of Ask Noah International

When the Rebbe launched the first widespread campaign in modern times for promoting awareness of the Seven Commandments for the Children of Noah, he said that every Jew should work within his or her maximum sphere of influence to accomplish this goal, which is required by Torah Law given to Moses on Sinai. Inevitably, among the great numbers of Gentiles who can be reached with this message, there are those who will heed a higher calling to become Chassidei Umos HaOlom, Pious Gentiles of the world. Many of these individuals are seeking advice on what Torah subjects to learn, how and where they should pray, and how they can connect with other Noahides who have similarly embraced this faith.

If this was a radical new idea, it might be a cause for concern. But it is not, since there is an analogy from history that is firmly established in Torah. In the era of the Yovel (Jubilee) cycles, a Ger Toshav was a Righteous Gentile who lived among the Jewish People and revered the Torah, gave allegiance to the Jewish nation, prayed toward the Holy of Holies, and brought his or her burnt offerings to G-d in the Holy Temple.

There are certainly famous Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible for the Righteous Gentiles of today to identify with as inspiring role models. (And it should be noted that the title “Righteous Gentiles” was given in the past generations to those compassionate and courageous Gentiles who, at great risk to themselves, saved the lives of many Jews during the times of horrendous anti-Semitic persecutions.)