Hot answers tagged noachide-laws
10
Because it wasn't put to them as a choice, but unilaterally imposed on Noach and his descendants by G-d. Being human carries basic obligations, because humans have abilities animals do not and a corresponding charge that animals do not: basic maintenance of the world (the Jewish understanding of the word often mistranslated to English as "subdue").
9
Rabi Menachem Azaria from Pano says that the Thirty commandments is sections of the 7 commandments (עשרה מאמרות, מאמר חקור דין חלק ג פרק כא).
Rashi on the Gmara says that we don't know what is the list of the 30 commandments.
See also the Talmud Yerusalmi (מסכת ע"ז דף ט,א פרק ב הלכה א גמרא) that says in the future Bnei Noach get 30 commandments. Maybe ...
9
Rav Moshe Feinstein, in a t'shuva about allowing children to say a generic prayer in public school (Orach Chayim II #24), refers to the Ramba"m's statement in Mishne Torah that Adam Harishon was given one commandment - belief in God. No'ach and his descendants later got 6 more, adding up to 7. They both conclude that not only the negative aspect of believing ...
8
Given the Rambam's statement:
Anyone who accepts upon himself the fulfillment of these seven mitzvot and is precise in their observance is considered one of 'the pious among the gentiles' and will merit a share in the world to come.
This applies only when he accepts them and fulfills them because the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them in the ...
8
We call them the "sheva mitzvos bnei Noach," but I think that the term is "lav davka" (imprecise).
See Rambam, Melachim 9:1. From his language, it seems that Og was obligated in all seven except ever min hachai. But see the Kesef Mishneh there ('ד"ה על ששה דברים כו); from his language it seems that Og was either not allowed to eat meat at all or was also ...
7
There are certain foods likely to be taken from live animals and most others would not be. So for example, I'd trust that most chicken or beef available on the market is not eiver min hachai. But snow crab legs are apparently often taken from live snow crabs. So if the ben noach knows what foods are likely to be problematic, they can avoid those or devote ...
6
The Gemara says that a non-Jew is liable to death for stealing less than a penny. "אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן בן נח נהרג על פחות משוה פרוטה ולא ניתן להשבון"
The Rambam agrees.
5
Even so, the definition of chamas, as opposed to gezel, according to Rabbi Chanina in Bereishit Rabba is less than a shava peruta. (So too Rav Acha in Yerushalmi Bava Metzia.) Since the pasuk mentioned chamas, rather than gezel, it is a midrashic approach to look at the halachic definition of a chamsan.
The courts back then, presumably, did not work ...
4
Yes, a Ben Noach is allowed to practice another religion as long as it doesn't break any of the 7 Noahide laws.
As for your example, according to the Rambam Muslims have no problem with their belief system (obviously there are other issues that the Rambam does have - but that is not within the context of this discussion).
4
It seems from the gemara (Hullin 92a bottom line) that they did indeed accept commandments upon themselves. The gemara uses the phrase:
שלשים מצות שקבלו עליהם בני נח
Thirty commandments which Bnei Noach accepted upon themselves.
4
The Mishneh Torah, in Hilkhot Melakhim u-Milchamot 10:6-7[4-5], says:
ו [ד] בן נוח שבירך את השם, או שעבד עבודה זרה, או שבא על אשת חברו, או שהרג חברו, ונתגייר--פטור. הרג בן ישראל, או שבא על אשת ישראל, ונתגייר--חייב; והורגין אותו על בן ישראל, וחונקין אותו על אשת ישראל שבעל--שהרי נשתנה דינו.
ז [ה] כבר ביארנו שכל מיתת בני נוח בסיף--אלא אם כן בעל אשת ...
3
Eiver min hachai is repeated in the Torah and forbidden to Jews, (see Sefer Hachinuch here).
See also Ever Min Hachai - A Limb from a Living Animal.
3
Because it is a much more basic covenant than that which exists between G-d and Bnei Yisrael. The latter is based on mutual responsibility and chosenness. G-d chose Bnei Yisrael for a particular mission. He also chose them as His protected people because of the actions of their fathers. If Bnei Yisrael abide by G-d's commandments, which are set up in such a ...
3
While I do not mean to suggest that they cannot have a portion in the world to come, if they do keep the 7 mitzvos, they are nevertheless not permitted to observe another religion:
The general principle governing these matters is: They are not to be allowed to originate a new religion or create mitzvot for themselves based on their own decisions. They ...
3
He's accountable because he should have learned the laws and he didn't (Rambam, Melachim 10:1). Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman (Kovetz Maamarim, Maamar Al Emunah; partially translated online here) explains that a person naturally should think about the purpose of life, and you certainly don't think the purpose of life is to drink beer. You will eventually come to ...
2
These two articles on Chabad.org break it down well, see them for full details and sources
:
"Judaism and Vegetarianism" and "Chassidic Masters - Meat"
In short:
Originally, Meat was forbidden, since man was unable to elevate it [When a person drinks a glass of water, eats an apple, or slaughters an ox and consumes its meat, these are converted into the ...
2
The simple answer is that they aren't obligated (Sanhedrin 59b).
As a general rule for understanding how the Talmud views learning these things from verses, anything said exclusively before Sinai is only for Jews (because there can't be anything that Jews are not obligated in but non-Jews are), but if it is said before Sinai and after Sinai, then it applies ...
2
Per Igros Moshe Even HoEzer2 18 the Mitzva of Peru U'revu is Tashmish - since it is not in a persons control whether a child will be born. There is a Chiyuv of Tashmish in regard to Peru U'revu so long as a person does not have a boy and a girl. Based on this Yitzchok was Mekayem the Mitzva of Peru U'Revu with Tashmish, and as to not having a girl that was ...
2
From http://www.moshiach.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=227&Itemid=64 which in turn references Nodah B'Yehudah, volume 2, Yoreh Deah, number 148.
So long as ascribing power to a deity other than the Creator remains conceptual, it is permissible to the Children of Noah according to many authorities. But worship of this ...
1
In short: Jews.
The 7 Laws of Noah are encoded in the Torah, and were given to all of mankind even before the rest of the Torah was revealed. (By "encoded" I mean that they aren't incredibly obvious from the text itself; rather, the sages explained the verse in the Talmud.) Most of the 7 laws are obvious rules of morality (prohibitions against stealing, ...
1
Ralbag suggests a fascinating approach to understanding the incident. He explains that
these people did not sin in any way. They were not dispersed as a punishment. Instead, they
were dispersed in order to assure the preservation of humanity. Concentration of the entire
human race in a single location created the possibility of sudden extinction. A localized ...
1
Sforno suggests that we begin by understanding the motivations of these people. Why did they wish to create a single monolithic society? Sforno seems to say that the objective was to empower a single ruler over all of humanity. This would be accomplished through two steps.
A great capital city would be built.
The people would share a single religion, ...
1
http://beta.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1013006/jewish/What-Was-Up-With-the-Tower-of-Babel.htm
Talmud (Sandhedrin 109a):
In the School of Rabbi Shila it was taught that they built the tower
with the intention of piercing the heavens with axes to drain all the
water held therein, making it impossible for G‑d to bring another
flood, ...
1
Blasphemy is not the problem — it refers to cursing G-d with His name (Rambam, Melachim 9:3). The problem is idolatry, and the consensus is that Christianity is idolatry. However, the Rambam writes elsewhere (I can't find it right now) that a non-Jew only receives reward for doing the things he is commanded in if he does them because G-d commanded them; if ...
1
The answer is because it was not repeated at Sinai, and any mitzvah which was said only once but not repeated is understood to be exclusively a Jewish mitzvah. (מצוה שנאמרה ולא נשנית, לישראל נאמרה ולא לבני נח--סנהדרין נט ע"א). The reason for this appears to be based on the principle that there is nothing which is mutar for a Jew which is prohibited for a ...
1
Although this is speculation, you are talking about a Midrash explaining why the Dor HaMabul deserved the flood. Post-Mabul Bnei Noaḥ - by definition - have different rules than the Bnei Adam who lived prior to (and were punished by) the Mabul. Prior to the Mabul, perhaps, their courts had a Perutah requirement - or perhaps the Midrash is just using that ...
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