The Requests of a Righteous Gentile

The following was submitted to the Asknoah.org website by a Noahide woman who wishes to share her thoughts with our visitors.

A personal essay

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 atheists in the world today, it is far too possible for people to simply ignore or disregard this spiritual pull they feel inside.

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 sites that discuss the 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 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 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 from the Director of AskNoah.org:

Overcoming the Barriers

When the Lubavitcher 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 a requirement within the Torah Law that was given by G-d to Moses on Sinai. Among the great numbers of Gentiles who can be reached with this message, there are many who are heeding a higher calling to accept it and thereby become Chassidei Umos HaOlom, Pious Gentiles of the world.

Many of these individuals are seeking advice about the Noahide faith, the precepts within the Noahide Code, what parts within the Torah teachings are important for them to learn, how they should approach the service of prayer, and how they can connect with other Noahides who have similarly embraced this faith. Providing guidance in all of these areas is the mission of Ask Noah International.

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 that ended before the destruction of the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem, Ger Toshav was the title in Hebrew for a Righteous Gentile who formally accepted to abide by the Seven Noahide Commandments, and was therefore permitted to live in the Land of Israel. A Ger Toshav accepted the truth of Torah, gave allegiance to the Jewish nation, and brought his or her burnt offerings for G-d to the Holy Temple.

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

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