The Universal Commandment and Repentance
The Noahide Code is the beginning of the path to healing. May I share with you a couple of questions that I have about this?
The Noahide Code is the beginning of the path to healing. May I share with you a couple of questions that I have about this?
The commandments not to commit idolatry and not to commit blaspheme necessarily directly imply faith in G-d but this faith is not positively and explicitly commanded in the Noahide Code in the way that it is in the first of the Ten Commandments given to Israel.
The commandments not to commit idolatry and not to commit blaspheme necessarily directly imply faith in G-d but this faith is not positively and explicitly commanded in the Noahide Code in the way that it is in the first of the Ten Commandments given to Israel.
Clearly, to receive (any of) these seven commandments from G-d implies faith in G-d. However, this could be said about the commandments as given to Israel also.
Clearly, to receive (any of) these seven commandments from G-d implies faith in G-d. However, this could be said about the commandments as given to Israel also.
To truly receive a commandment or commandments requires both faith in and fear of the Commander. And yet the Sages of Israel recognized that in Israel’s case, nevertheless, G-d declared explicitly before all else that He is Israel’s G-d, doing so as an imperative that the members of Israel should believe in Him.
To truly receive a commandment or commandments requires both faith in and fear of the Commander. And yet the Sages of Israel recognized that in Israel’s case, nevertheless, G-d declared explicitly before all else that He is Israel’s G-d, doing so as an imperative that the members of Israel should believe in Him.
This statement of explicit authority being given in the first of the Ten Commandments to Israel defines the issue of the relationship of G-d to the nations and to the whole creation, insomuch as He now declares Himself to be the G-d of Israel.
This statement of explicit authority being given in the first of the Ten Commandments to Israel defines the issue of the relationship of G-d to the nations and to the whole creation, insomuch as He now declares Himself to be the G-d of Israel.
This question, then, concerning a positive commandment of faith, is the nature of my first question.
This question, then, concerning a positive commandment of faith, is the nature of my first question.
The Talmud derives the seven Noahide laws from the universal commandment of Genesis 2:16. That commandment as given corporately and universally to Humanity in the representative person of Adam can, through an examination of the Talmud’s reasoning, be understood as itself being an imperative to believe in G-d, that is to say, in HaShem Elokim.
The Talmud derives the seven Noahide laws from the universal commandment of Genesis 2:16. That commandment as given corporately and universally to Humanity in the representative person of Adam can, through an examination of the Talmud’s reasoning, be understood as itself being an imperative to believe in G-d, that is to say, in HaShem Elokim.
A great deal could be said to demonstrate this. It can help to clarify and strengthen our understanding if we do this, but here my desire is to be as brief as I can, so I will leave this as being self-evident. And since it is self-evident that G-d explicitly commanded Adam to trust Him and fear Him, instead of leaving Adam and those he corporately represented to rely upon their own empirically reasoned conclusions for doing G-d’s will, we see that our freewill itself was fully constituted by G-d through the positive commandment to actively believe in Him and trust Him for life and all its provisions.
A great deal could be said to demonstrate this. It can help to clarify and strengthen our understanding if we do this, but here my desire is to be as brief as I can, so I will leave this as being self-evident. And since it is self-evident that G-d explicitly commanded Adam to trust Him and fear Him, instead of leaving Adam and those he corporately represented to rely upon their own empirically reasoned conclusions for doing G-d’s will, we see that our freewill itself was fully constituted by G-d through the positive commandment to actively believe in Him and trust Him for life and all its provisions.
Having failed to obey this commandment, then, this leaves us with two primary questions concerning the Noahide Code.
Having failed to obey this commandment, then, this leaves us with two primary questions concerning the Noahide Code.
These questions are the question of how the original universal commandment’s reformulation as the seven Noahide Laws, (formulated as negative or prohibitive commandments, as they are with the exception of one commandment), now expresses the original positive imperative of faith in G-d, in HaShem Elokim, and how this leads to a universal imperative of repentance, not only personal repentance but primarily corporate repentance for Humanity.
These questions are the question of how the original universal commandment’s reformulation as the seven Noahide Laws, (formulated as negative or prohibitive commandments, as they are with the exception of one commandment), now expresses the original positive imperative of faith in G-d, in HaShem Elokim, and how this leads to a universal imperative of repentance, not only personal repentance but primarily corporate repentance for Humanity.
This leads Noahides back, in the footsteps of Shem/Melchizedek, full circle to Israel. For if our minds were darkened and so our steps led to idolatry and blasphemy through following empirically reasoned conclusions about G-d, then there can be no escape into repentance and a restored true faith in G-d apart from a renewed explicit commandment from G-d to believe in Him, to fear Him and trust Him. The explicit commandments given by G-d after the giving of the universal commandment to Adam, which was transgressed, are the commandments given to Israel. Even the universal commandment being given as branching into the seven Noahide Laws are put on record and defined through the given of the Torah.
This leads Noahides back, in the footsteps of Shem/Melchizedek, full circle to Israel. For if our minds were darkened and so our steps led to idolatry and blasphemy through following empirically reasoned conclusions about G-d, then there can be no escape into repentance and a restored true faith in G-d apart from a renewed explicit commandment from G-d to believe in Him, to fear Him and trust Him. The explicit commandments given by G-d after the giving of the universal commandment to Adam, which was transgressed, are the commandments given to Israel. Even the universal commandment being given as branching into the seven Noahide Laws are put on record and defined through the given of the Torah.
We see that there is only one such renewed commandment from G-d in the world, which was given through the covenant of promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, which is the Torah covenant made with Israel. How then are Gentiles to obey the the Noahide commandments if not in corporate repentance?
We see that there is only one such renewed commandment from G-d in the world, which was given through the covenant of promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, which is the Torah covenant made with Israel. How then are Gentiles to obey the the Noahide commandments if not in corporate repentance?
And how are they to obey the Noahide commandments in corporate repentance if they are not brought by divine revelation authoritatively into relationship with Torah Israel, to stand with Israel corporately, according to their place, to hear and obey the imperative declaration of G-d to know that He is the G-d who redeemed Israel?
And how are they to obey the Noahide commandments in corporate repentance if they are not brought by divine revelation authoritatively into relationship with Torah Israel, to stand with Israel corporately, according to their place, to hear and obey the imperative declaration of G-d to know that He is the G-d who redeemed Israel?