First Covenant Foundation

Before this goes into the newsletter, I’d like to run it here. It concerns our different attempts to tell the world about Noah’s Laws. I was reading the beginning of Leviticus, next week’s regularly scheduled Torah portion. This thought popped up:

All our efforts to reach others need to:

1) begin with the Golden Rule - treat others as you would have others to treat you. Then, 

2) we have the Noahide Laws (from which the Golden Rule is derived). The Noahide Laws give the Golden Rule the supporting framework that it absolutely needs - the reference points it requires. People who believe in the Golden Rule who don’t have the Noahide Laws commit the most horrible atrocities in the name of compassion and what they think is right. . . Then,

3) we have what Leviticus is all about, the Divine call to Israel AND TO ALL Noahides: You shall be holy because I the L’rd your G’d am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2). 

We - speaking of the entire Noahide and Torah outreach movement, not just First Covenant or Rainbow Covenant - may have had the order of these things mixed up, earlier. We usually started with 1) theology and Who is HaShem, G’d of Israel, then 2) the Noahide Laws, and only then 3) the Golden Rule - if we even mentioned it at all.

We tend to take the Golden Rule for granted, it’s “old stuff” to us, but it really is where we need to start. It should be where we all wind up, too.

© 2007 Hiram Rosa and the First Covenant Foundation

I have been hearing this question from others who have come to where I am today: what is expected of truly monotheistic Gentiles or non-Jewish people, people whom we associate with the title B’nai Noach?
 
The Torah has many teachings for us. One of which is that by finding out what G’d IS NOT, we get closer to Him. Even though we find the Seven Laws explicitly listed in Israel’s Talmud (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin - “Courts” - folio 56), they are part of the Torah’s larger context. We learn from the context what is expected of humanity. This is a starting point for us to achieve a higher connection to our Creator. 

In other words, we are not to just remain content with the listed Seven Laws, we need to go further into the understanding that these laws can yield. These seven principles are only main headings for general laws and values. Once understood, in association with their Divine connection to the Creator who revealed them, they reveal other commandments and connections that can logically be classified under each heading (see the First Covenant Association’s main book, The Rainbow Covenant). 

Here’s an example of how this system works. If you don’t commit the Noahide - that is, the universal, prohibited - crime of theft, what do you do? You get a job and become productive so you don’t need or feel inclined to steal. But theft constitutes taking anything that is not yours. This would include different forms of theft - for instance, kidnapping, dealing falsely in business, lying for your own personal gain, etc. This demonstrates that things are not so simple and that G’d provides us with ways to make ourselves better people and more pleasing to Him.
There is always more that we can do to please Him, in other words.       

The question of “where do I belong?” is moot - not capable of being decided - because we can only be where G’d put us. The issue is how one decides to accept His authority in our lives in order to attain a closer relationship with Him. We can only do this by first having correct ideas about Him. Then we can start to see how everything we do in our lives affects our spiritual and our physical outlook.

We live on two planes, the physical and metaphysical, the seen and the unseen. The Seven Laws for the Gentiles - actually, for all humanity - is the starting place to reach a higher connection to G’d. We become unclean by our intentions followed by our actions, but we can rise to cleanliness with our words of repentance and by correcting our actions. The Seven Laws help us moderate our intentions within, so we can control our actions. When we learn this lesson of self-control we become able to discern good from evil and know when we are about to be tempted to do that which we know is against G’d’s will.

We can’t start trying to live by the Seven Laws by just casually trying to find out what they are and how to fulfill them. One needs to study each of the seven general topics or headings, in order to find out what is constituted in that one heading.

You will find out that the more you learn about each law, statute and lesson that constitutes the main principle, you develop a better, stonger connection with that Law. Thus, you are more able to fulfill it.
The initial step is to realize these are Divine laws. Secondly, that they are for your spiritual, as well as physical, benefit. By spiritual, I mean the ability to connect more to G’d, not by emotional acceptance, but by intellectual understanding of why G’d gave us these wise laws and statutes, which will yield a great emotional connection as well.
Maimonides - Rambam - posits three reasons for learning the Ways of the Torah:

We should study them to attain correct ideas about G’d.

To attain a higher moral level of life.

And to learn how to overcome injustice and make the world more just.

Please consider this three-part consideration when studying the Laws. Don’t forget, the first two relate directly to G’d, while the last relates to our fellow human beings. In the three we have the whole man!      

In summary, from the Scripture, the Book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 - 14

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.