Which laws were for just Israelites and which laws for Israelites and non proselyte foreigners

Question

I have few specific verses and doubts related to them:

Leviticus 20:1-6 explicitly mentions that the particular law was to be followed by an Israelite and equally by a non proselyte Gentile.

Lev 20:1-6

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.(A) The members of the community are to stone him.(B) 3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;(C) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled(D) my sanctuary(E) and profaned my holy name.(F) 4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,(G) 5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.(H)

Also if we see Deuteronomy 17:2-7

If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant,(D) 3 and contrary to my command(E) has worshiped other gods,(F) bowing down to them or to the sun(G) or the moon or the stars in the sky,(H) 4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true(I) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,(J) 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.(K) 6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.(L) 7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,(M) and then the hands of all the people.(N) You must purge the evil(O) from among you.

Any man or woman who turned to mediums or spiritists were to be put to death

We see that it says "any man or woman" but does not mention explicitly that the law applied to an Israelite and a non proselyte foreigner.

The reason for the doubt is, because, above Scripture ( Deut 17:2-7 ), says, they have violated the covenant God had with His people. God says doing idol worship is worshipping gods that did not bring them out of Egypt nor did they have covenant with this foreign god.

But this covenant was not applicable with the non proselyte foreigners.

So could this be applicable for non proselyte gentiles residing in Israel for temporary or permanent basis.

Also if we see the Scripture Deuteronomy 13:12-17 below :

If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13 that troublemakers(W) have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.(X) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(Y) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,b both its people and its livestock.(AA) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(AB) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(AC) That town is to remain a ruin(AD) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[c] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(AE) will show you mercy,(AF) and will have compassion(AG) on you.

The above Scriptures says the entire town was to be burnt if trouble makers (meaning a group of people) we're doing idol worship in the land. No one was to be spared. So, that here looks like even if it were non proselyte Israelites who stayed there for temporary or permanent basis were to follow this law but again God speaks of violation of covenant which was not applicable for non proselyte foreigners.

Also, if you see the below two Scriptures these both are covenant based laws but it seems to apply to anyone who resided on Israel for temporary or permanent basis:

Exodus 31:15

Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death

Exodus 20:8-10

Remember the Sabbath(A) day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(B) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(C) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

Can someone with references of Scriptures please explain which ones applied to non proselyte foreigners and for Israelites both? Some commands look like it's for covenant people only meaning for Israelites only but if a non Proselyte was staying in the land they were to abide by the law, however, if they left the land, they did not have to, unlike The Israelites who were to keep these laws whether in covenant land or anywhere else.

Thanks & Much Regards

PS: you can also refer to this thread for more insight on the question:

Which Mosaic laws did Nehan foreigners (immigrants that were not proselytes) had to follow while staying in Israel (long or short term)

I would like to add: if you feel uncomfortable with the radicalness of those verses, please don't reply. There are people who are radical but without love, proof of which is shown in the boundary being crossed of harming another.

But on the other hand, God is radical. He has made boundaries and He expects Hos people to abide by it. His heart has always been to include righteous gentiles among His people, but first they must be cleansed. It's no point bringing people and letting them live however they want in ones own Sanctuary. We can't punish people and we mustnt.. That's not His heart. But we can and must cut off from them and send them out of land.

However, I'm not sure of anything as of now, because it's been very long since I had read the entire Tenakh from first word to the last word and that 1 cycle of completion took me 10 years.

I need to restart with my study but I'm running short of time and I want to have basic principles on place. Like abiding by cornerstones then going in depth.

Please reply if and only if you feel comfortable, I made my stance clear because I know I have one life n I can't live scared and whatever time I've left I want to do right. I don't have time to play polite and speak politically correct. At the same time I believe the line of radicalness gets crossed to evil when and only when we harm anyone. All we need to do is cut off from them and if I was living in Ancient Israel I would send non abiding Noah laws foreigners out.

However I need much proofs to know my stances are correct or not from Tenakh's perspective.

Thankyou

Answer 1

Judaism is quite complex and most Jews focus on our own obligations without learning what non-Jews can or cannot do. I say this as an introduction that you might need to find an expert in "Noahide" laws - those laws that apply to non-Jews.

Nevertheless the verse you quoted:

in Leviticus:

Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel

Ironically this verse implies that if a foreigner is not included explicitly in the command then it does not apply to them. If a verse saying "any man" applied to non-Jews or those in Israel, why did this verse require them explicitly mentioned. The reason is that in general non-Jews are not included whether they are or are not in Israel unless mentioned or included.

Though that rule is not always straightforward due to how Torah law works because sometimes when it say (man man) איש איש, it comes to include a non Jew as well (חגיגה). This is because it repeats the word man.

Also Rambam Kings for a few laws about non-Jews:

עַל שִׁשָּׁה דְּבָרִים נִצְטַוָּה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. עַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. וְעַל בִּרְכַּת הַשֵּׁם. וְעַל שְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים. וְעַל גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת. וְעַל הַגֵּזֶל. וְעַל הַדִּינִים. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכֻּלָּן הֵן קַבָּלָה בְּיָדֵינוּ מִמּשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ. וְהַדַּעַת נוֹטָה לָהֶן. מִכְּלַל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה יֵרָאֶה שֶׁעַל אֵלּוּ נִצְטַוָּה. הוֹסִיף לְנֹחַ אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ט, ד) "אַךְ בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ". נִמְצְאוּ שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת

six commandments were given to the Adam (first man): 1) idolatry, 2) cursing G-d, 3) murder, 4) illicit sexual relations, 5) thievery and, 6) establishing a system of justice. Even though all of these have been received as a Tradition from Moses our Teacher and we logically lean towards them, nevertheless, from the Torah we see that they were commanded. Noah had a seventh commandment forbidding the eating of a limb torn from a live animal, as it says, “Even flesh, life is in the blood, do not eat of it” (Genesis 9:4).

Also a גר (sojourner - like what you quoted in Leviticus) mentioned in a verse, might be a גר תושב, someone who explicitly accepts all 7 laws of Noah - see שולחן ערוך יורה דעה קכד ב. I believe this is understood to be in front of a Jewish court of 3 men. So those verses do not necessarily apply to any non-Jew who happens to travel or stay in Israel - actually a specific non-Jew.

Perhaps see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ger_toshav for more information

Answer 2

I'll summarize my conclusions from all of above verses and if anyone feels my conclusions are not Scripturally well divided, please let me know.

• God covenanted people of Israel but even the land Canaan became Holy & Covenanted with God when He had it purged from its heinous crimes of sacrificing babies to Molech etc. So the land itself was covenanted along with the people whom covenanted to Himself

Leviticus 18:28

And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

• God asked children of Israel to clear the land of any idols, images & graven images and from high places.

Numbers 33:52

you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

Leviticus 26:1

Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.

The above two verse makes clear that God was clearing the lands of these things and then second they were not to make any idols, graven images, images, high places in any public places in the land (an Israelite could not make & worship images & idols even in their own private properties either).

As seen in the above verses, there were laws God intended for anyone staying in the land - for Israelites and non proselyte sojourners alike, like, the laws that abolished what were an abomination to The Lord and laws that abolished detestable practices in the land. Also just one outward law (unlike inward moral laws) that the non proselyte sojourners were to keep, was the law of keeping Sabbath. And in such laws, God explicitly mentions that the laws were to be kept by Israelites and non proselyte sojourners equally.

However, forming covenant with God was a matter of heart. God brought Israel out of Egypt, He was their deliverer now and not just their Creator. But the non proselyte sojourner had no such experience with God. God always delivers and gives non stop 24 7 company to non proselytes when He wants them for Himself, then His kindness leads them to repentance and a sanctified life. However unless this personal experience happens for someone they have formed no covenant with The Living God and so God doesn't force a non proselyte to not idol worship.

That makes me reach the conclusion that a non proselyte sojourner could worship idols in their own homes, even with their other non proselyte friends.

However, God drew the margin strict by not allowing them to sacrifice to another gods in His land (private or public property)

Leviticus 17:1-8

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel (A)kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and (B)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man (C)shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice (D)in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them (E)as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. 6 And the priest shall (F)throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat (G)for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they (H)whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who (I)offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and (J)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, (K)that man shall be cut off from his people.

And the second margin He drew was that if anyone (Israelite Or non proselyte sojourner) lead any Israelite to worship any idol or images or to sacrifice anywhere except for where God appointed sacrifices (which meant it was a sacrifice to other gods, one could not sacrifice to God except in place He ordained), then such a person trespassed.

Deuteronomy 13: 12-17

If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13 that troublemakers(W) have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.(X) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,(Y) 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely,b both its people and its livestock.(AA) 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town(AB) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.(AC) That town is to remain a ruin(AD) forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things[c] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(AE) will show you mercy,(AF) and will have compassion(AG) on you.

Deuteronomy 17:2-7

If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant,(D) 3 and contrary to my command(E) has worshiped other gods,(F) bowing down to them or to the sun(G) or the moon or the stars in the sky,(H) 4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true(I) and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,(J) 5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.(K) 6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.(L) 7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death,(M) and then the hands of all the people.(N) You must purge the evil(O) from among you

And the third margin being - which was equal for a proselyte sojourner and an Israelite was that they could not build idols, images, graven images in public places as pointed above with Scripture reference. Additionally, covenanted people, Israelites could not worship idols, images even in their private property while the sojourner non proselyte could worship idols and images in their own private property.

So a non proselyte sojourner too could not sacrifice to any gods in the land except to God of Israel and in the place He chooses for sacrifice. Non proselytes too could not insult God.Non proselytes too had to keep the Sabbath to give the land rest. Non proselytes too could not lure an Israelites to worship or sacrifice to other gods. There were few laws which were not covenant based but were abomination and detestable to Lord God and He banned even the non proselytes from doing those things in the land. However, a non proselyte sojourner could worship to their idols in their homes except they could not sacrifice to their gods in the land (public or private property land) and they could not build images, idols, graven images in public property, however, they could in their own private property but again they could nit sacrifice to their gods even in their own private property.

These are the conclusions I have reached with all the verses above.

Please correct me if and where i am wrong. Adding Scriptural references will really be helpful.

Thankyou.