Noah by Fisher Price

Noah

This is the only parashat from which toy companies have profited for years. Noah is everywhere thanks to Fisher Price. It’s everymans story. Yet mostly misunderstood.

The re-start of Olam Hazeh, only 21 days after we come out of Yom Kippur is alarming. We know the Torah doesn’t often write in days or months or years. And it’s totally unclear where we are in Bereshit when it comes to a timeline. But this is only the second parashat and already we’re starting over.

Beginning of world. End of world. New beginning. New covenant. HaShem makes a covenant between Noah and him, similar as the one he made with Adam. This is a serious new beginning, which makes us all Bnei Noah, rather than Bnei Adam.

And here is where the internet comes in. The amount of websites written about Noah are staggering. Noah is alive and well on the internet amongst all religions.

What stands out on the internet and in articles written by Hasidic bloggers and writers is the notion that Bnei Noah is everyone but us Jews. Bnei Noah are appearantly non-jews who keep the Noahide Laws.

You have Noahide.com, Noahide.org. – Noahide is hot on the Internet.

Maimonides, who today undoutably would have been one of the world’s foremost bloggers, has this to say in Mishne Torah (8:11). “A non-Jew, who upholds the seven Noahide commandments is considered a Righteous Gentile and has earned entry to Olam HaBah.” But our Rambam does add an interesting caveat here.

According to Rambam; Should the Gentile follow these Noahide laws out of intelligence because it’s a good way to live versus following them out of respect for the divine origin of the laws, he won’t cut it. Thus Maimonides adds the distinction of belief to the commandments.

The seven laws, mentioned specifically in Talmud Sanhedrin 56 a/b and Tosefta Sanhedrin 9:4 are :

-Avodat Zarah – The prohibition on Idolatry.
-Birchat HaShem – The prohibition on blasphemy.
The most important one:
-Shfigat Damim – The prohibition on murder – litterally the “spilling” of blood.
-Gezel – Prohition on robbery and theft.
-Gilui Arayot – The prohibition on immorality and certain sexual relations.
-Ever MinHaChay – Not taking or cutting alive limb from an animal.
-Dinim – The establishment of a justice system.
Now forgive me, but as we know all our Sages including Rashi, Rambam and so on are Monday Morning Quarterbacks. None commented during the establishments of the Torah. During the game.

So as long as we’re Monday Morning Quaterbacking, what if Bnei Noah, all people that came after Noah, would have adhered to these commandments, would we have had the Ten Commandments?

I know it’s a naive question because half of the answer is that Bnei Israel was given a new beginning and covenant and a more restrict set of commandments because they were so called “chosen.”.

So in a way the seven Noahide Commandments become the perfect counterweight to the deeper Ten Commandments the Jew has to uphold. The Sages, years later, had now a perfect way to split the people from the chosen people without taking away the most pertinent laws the unchosen had to uphold. And, as Maimonides points out, every Jew has the task to make sure these seven laws were to being followed by all people in the world.

The difference between the Seven Commandments and the Aseret Ha-Dvarim are:
-the introduction of HaShem and reminder that it was He who brought us out of slavery.
-the promise of love for those who love HaShem.
-the promise to make and keep the Sabbath.
-the promise to love one’s parents.

What Maimonides noticed was the distinction to love HaShem. Something that’s missing from the seven commandments. Yes, there’s the Noahide Mitzvah to recognize that there’s one God but not the specific mentioning to love HaShem.

That’s why Maimonides added the notion to not just follow the seven mitzvot as a way to be a good person but rather to honor HaShem’s commandments because they came from HaShem. An atheist can be a good man if he follows these seven mitzvot but he obviously doesn’t honor its origins.

And then there’s the mentioning of the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments. Clearly there to be much more than just a day of rest, but rather a clear sign of distinction of who the Jews are.

In a way Parashat Noah draws an early line in the Torah; On one side, all people who are given laws to be just and on the other side that of a people who later, will be chosen to receive a different covenant with extra mitzvot.

In the words of Rambam (in Kings/Malachei 8:10): “Moshe Rabbenu commanded from the mouth of HaShem to convince all the inhibitants of the world to observe the commandments given to the Children of Noah.”

When we see a rainbow, we say the Bracha; …Ve Zoher Ha Brit Ve Ne-eman B-Vritoh, VeKayam Be Ma-amaro – …Who remembers the covenant and is faithful to His covenant and who keeps His word.

At the time of the first rainbow, there were seven commandments. Just remember when you look up and see a rainbow today to think of the other three as well.

Sabbath Shalom.