Do You Know Your “Seven Commandments?”
In Jewish tradition, the “ten commandments” of Moses apply only to
Jews. All others are expected to observe the “seven laws of Noah”:
one positive commandment to set up courts of justice and six
prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, sexual misconduct,
theft, and eating the limb of a live animal.
These laws are principles that provide the keys to a civilized world,
the right relationship between Jews and non-Jews, and the spiritual
development of non-Jewish peoples. Unfortunately, they have been
largely unknown for centuries. With the re-emergence of Israel and
increased religious freedom in other nations, Jews are once again actively
fulfilling the commandment to teach the Seven Laws to non-Jews. As a
result, people in all parts of the world have begun to study the Laws, and
there is renewed interest in the role played by the nations of the world in
the Messianic Redemption.
We live in times of unprecedented social disorder filled with
terrifying and dramatic events that almost defy interpretation. Through
these Noachide concepts, both individuals and groups can rediscover
themselves in the First Man and Woman and in their descendant, Noah,
to whom these precepts of universal morality were given. One God
created us all, and His Torah provides for all people, not just for Jews.
“...these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of
society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as
the Seven Noahide Laws.”— U.S. Congress (H.J. Resolution 104,
Public Law 102-14, 1991)
Yirmeyahu Bindman was raised and educated in England,
where he earned his physics degree from University College in
London. He now lives in Israel, where he is a writer and editor.
