How the rabbis failed us

First things first. I very much accept the reality of personal responsibility. Although the focus of this article may be my limited perception of the role of the rabbi in the state of the so-called “noahide movement,” this post could easily be called “How we failed ourselves.” In the law I’ll quote a little later, you’ll see the onus is on us Gentiles to fix our situation, to know enough morality and rationality to make a decent law system. So our situation is our fault. If our courts are full of injustice and folly, the buck stops with us, not the Jews. We could never use the excuse, “well, the rabbis didn’t tell us what to do and how to do it!” We still have enough to get the job done and we’ve failed!

Hmmm … I remember something in Nachmanides’ commentary about this. Let me see if I can find it. Sefaria.org is such a great resource. So commenting on Bereshis (Gen.) 6:13, Nachmanides writes the following.

VIOLENCE, that is, robbery and oppression. Now G-d gave Noah the explanation [that the flood was due to the fact that the “the earth is filled with] violence” and did not mention “the corruption of the way” [recorded in the preceding verse] because violence is a sin that is known and widely publicized. Our Rabbis have said that it was on account of the sin of violence that their fate was sealed. The reason for it is that the prohibition against violence is a rational commandment, [footnote: Likewise Ramban [Nachmanides] above 6:2. See also Yehudah Halevi’s Al Khazari, II, 48, that “the rational laws are the basis and preamble of the divine law, preceding it in character and time, and being indispensable in the administration of every human society.” (Hirschfeld’s translation.)] there being no need for a prophet to admonish them against it. Besides, it is evil committed against both heaven and mankind. Thus He informed Noah of the sin for which the end is come — the doom is reached.

Available at https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.6.4?lang=bi&aliyot=0&p2=Ramban_on_Genesis.6.13.1&lang2=bi

So you see that? There are obligations we have that we don’t need a prophet for. We don’t need a rabbi for it either. It makes sense that we’re supposed to be fair and just. We don’t need a Jew to tell us this.

So it should be clear, if I mention my issue with the rabbis, I’m not shoving all the blame onto them. The problem is us!

But the fact is that there is apparently such a thing as a “Noahide Movement.” It’s normally labelled as a religious thing which started in the 1990s. So it’s been around for 30 years. But what do I keep bumping into when I’ve had fleeting exposure to noahides (as you know, I don’t call myself that unless I need to hold it as an empty badge for acceptance into groups)? “I need to consult my rabbi!” I keep hitting this cowed and fawning dependence on the rabbis. It’s as if the rabbis are teaching (and based on what I’ve seen by rabbi Tovia Singer, another one called “Richman” and taught in The Divine Code) that their noahide flock need to get their “rulings” from rabbis. Just think about that! Non-Jews, people who are not Jewish but are from numerous countries around the world, need what should be Jewish judges to give those who are not Jews “rulings.” Do you know what rulings are, in the English language?

ruling (on something) – an official decision made by somebody in a position of authority, especially a judge

“ruling,” Oxford Learners’ Dictionary, available at https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/ruling_1 (Accessed 2nd May 2024)

In case you get caught by the ambiguity of a word, the term “authority” doesn’t mean “expertise.” Experts don’t give rulings. Authority means the power to enforce laws and exact obedience or dish out consequences. A Jewish legal authority doesn’t have that authority over a non-Jew outside of his jurisdiction, and his jurisdiction is only over Jews and those Gentiles who live in the nation. So most of the world is outside of Jewish authority.

To be blunt, rabbis can’t make rulings over Gentiles. That language is utterly redundant. They can explicate and elucidate the seven laws. They can tell us the details of the seven commandments, and hence the authority comes from the divinity behind the laws. If the rabbi explains that the prohibition of idolatry contains a detail that a Gentile is not allowed to worship an idol according to its custom, or that the prohibition concerning forbidden sexual partners includes bestiality, then this is not a rabbi offering rulings based on his own authority; he’s only telling you what the details of the divine law is and it’s the divine law that has authority.

But when a rabbi, like Moshe Weiner, says it is forbidden for a Gentile to marry an idolator, or hunt in certain ways, or spill one’s sexual seed, or partake in debates with someone who claims to be a prophet of an idol, he is not giving a detail of the seven laws. And at that point, he is not explicating divine law, that only being the seven commandments. He can never be said to be giving a ruling since he has no authority to do so. He can only be giving advice. The word “forbidden” is out of place, without merit.

Let me focus more on this failure of the rabbis by quoting one of my favourite laws of the seven, but the most vague in certain senses. I’ll quote Maimonides’ rendition which was confirmed by Nachmanides. I’m going to use the uncensored version since that’s the one Nachmanides refers to as well.

What must they do to fulfill their requirement regarding the Law of Justice? They have to set up magistrates and judges in each district to judge the people with regard to these Six Commandments; and they must issue warnings (about them) to the people. A non-Jew who violates one of the Seven Commandments is executed by means of the sword. How is this so? Anyone who worships idols or blasphemed or murdered or had sexual relations with one of those forbidden to him or stole even less than the value of a Prutah or ate any amount from a limb or the flesh of a live animal or saw someone else violate one of these and failed to judge and execute him, is himself executed by means of the sword. It was for this reason all residents of the City of Shechem deserved to be executed. For Shechem kidnapped, and they saw and knew and failed to judge him. A non-Jew is executed by the testimony of one, and with one judge, without forewarning, and by the testimony of relatives, but not by the testimony of a woman. A woman may not judge for them.

A non-Jew who accidentally violates one of his (Seven) Commandments is exempt from punishment, except for an accidental murderer. For if a Blood Avenger kills him, he is not killed. He has no City of Refuge and their courts do not execute him. To what do we refer? To someone who accidentally and without intention violates one of the commandments as, for example, if he had sexual intercourse with his friend’s wife and thought that she was his wife or that she was single. However, if he knew that she was his friend’s wife, but did not know that she was forbidden to him and thought this was permitted for him, or if he killed someone and he did not know that it is forbidden to kill, this is considered to be “close” to having committed the act “On Purpose”, and he is executed. This is not considered as an accidental sin for them since he should have learned what the Law is, and didn’t.

Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars, Chapter 9 section 14 and Chapter 10 section 1, Available at https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah%2C_Kings_and_Wars.9.14?ven=Laws_of_Kings_and_Wars._trans._Reuven_Brauner,_2012&lang=bi and https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah%2C_Kings_and_Wars.10.1?ven=Laws_of_Kings_and_Wars._trans._Reuven_Brauner,_2012&lang=bi

This is what Maimonides says. I’ll also compound that with what Nachnamides says.

Now many people ask: “But how did the righteous sons of Jacob commit this deed, spilling innocent blood?” The Rabbi (Moshe ben Maimon) answered in his Book of Judges, saying that “sons of Noah” [footnote: Or “a Noachide,” a term denoting the human race. See Seder Bereshith, Note 222.] are commanded concerning Laws, and thus they are required to appoint judges in each and every district to give judgment concerning their six commandments which are obligatory upon all mankind. “And a Noachide who transgresses one of them is subject to the death-penalty by the sword. If he sees a person transgressing one of these seven laws and does not bring him to trial for a capital crime, he who saw him is subject to the same death-penalty. It was on account of this that the people of Shechem had incurred the death-penalty because Shechem committed an act of robbery and they saw and knew of it, but they did not bring him to trial.”
But these words do not appear to me to be correct [as to how the sons of Jacob killed the Shechemites – my addition] for if so, our father Jacob should have been the first to obtain the merit of causing their death, and if he was afraid of them, why was he angry at his sons and why did he curse their wrath a long time after that and punish them by dividing them and scattering them in Israel? Were they not meritorious, fulfilling a commandment and trusting in G-d Who saved them?
In my opinion, the meaning of “Laws” which the Rabbis have counted among their seven Noachidic commandments is not just that they are to appoint judges in each and every district, but He commanded them concerning the laws of theft, overcharge, wronging, and a hired man’s wages; the laws of guardians of property, forceful violation of a woman, seduction, principles of damage and wounding a fellowman; laws of creditors and debtors, and laws of buying and selling, and their like, similar in scope to the laws with which Israel was charged, and involving the death-penalty for stealing, wronging or violating or seducing the daughter of his fellowman, or kindling his stack, or wounding him, and their like. And it is also included in this commandment that they appoint judges for each and every city, just as Israel was commanded to do, but if they failed to do so they are free of the death-penalty since this is a positive precept of theirs [and failing to fulfill a positive precept does not incur the death-penalty]. The Rabbis have only said: “For violation of their admonishments there is the death-penalty,” and only a prohibition against doing something is called an “admonishment.” And such is the purport of the Gemara in Tractate Sanhedrin.

Nachmanides, Ramban on Genesis, Commentary, on Genesis 34:13, available at https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.34.13?lang=bi&aliyot=0&p2=Ramban_on_Genesis.34.13.1&lang2=bi

Just to be clear, any reference in this translation of Nachmanides’ commentary to Noachide refers to all Gentiles or all of humanity, not just a specific group of religious Gentiles who call themselves “noahide.” So even Maimonides’ work, which he quotes, where he uses the word translated “Noachide” refers to all humanity, not a religious sub-sect of Judaism.

The importance of these quotes is this: who is the onus on to set up judges and magistrates and to enforce the law? Who would these people knowledgeable of law consist of? Who is supposed to be knowledgeable of our Gentile law?

Take note of certain statements by Maimonides. He says that we Gentiles are supposed to be able to recognise the breaking of our laws and bring that person to justice. We’re not supposed to have to query a rabbi on what the law is in order to decide if the law has been broken. We’re supposed to know it.

I’d like to thank one of the people I regard as my teachers for what I say next, the Great Jacob Scharff, one of the rare Gentiles who actually teach our law. It’s this rarity that shows the ineffectual nature of the “noahide movement” and the failure of its rabbis. But I’ll get to that. But Jacob pointed me to this rendition of the law by Maimonides and helped me to see a command implied by it. See how it ends. When talking about inadvertent transgressions of the seven laws, Maimonides writes, “This is not considered as an accidental sin for them since he should have learned what the Law is, and didn’t.” Do you see it? We Gentiles are supposed to learn our laws, our moral responsibilities, the rational truths that are the basis of our moral decisions.

Look all throughout the words of Maimonides and Nachmanides. They are clear. We Gentiles should be doing these things. Our judges and rulers and we as individuals should be able to judge according to our laws on various levels, from individual to judges. We’re supposed to be becoming experts of our own law.

But what has happened with these noahides for the past 30 years? There are all these rabbis claiming to teach “noahides,” telling Gentiles that they need a rabbi. A good amount of books have been written and courses promoted to teach Gentiles. But where is the plethora of Gentile teachers of the seven laws? Where are our experts? Even now, I’m told that such a thing is rare. So what have these rabbis been doing? Why am I still being told by “noahides” who are under the tutelage of rabbis, existing in “congregations,” that they still have to seek the opinion of their rabbi – since he is the halachic authority – (yeah, they still have trouble speaking their native language and add Hebraisms) to give answers to questions?

Rabbi Chaim Richman preaches that Gentiles need rabbis. You can find this in his video on Youtube, in the NoahideWorldCenter channel, called “What is a Rabbi and Why do Son (sic.) of Noah Need One.” He says and implies that only a rabbi (necessarily a Jew) can bring out the nuances of the seven laws to see how they apply today.

Rabbi Moshe Weiner in the Divine Code says this:

If a question in Torah Law arises for a Gentile and the verdict is not explicit and clearly explained in the permitted sources, he does not have the ability or power to identify the correct ruling. Rather, he must ask a reliable and observant Jewish Torah scholar, for only they have permission to explain the Torah and decide what the correct Torah-law ruling is in any particular situation. (topic 4, ibid.)

And its footnote, 97.

This is concerning a questionable situation that requires a Torah-law decision, and deciding on an answer is equivalent to delving deeply into the Torah. More so, a Gentile may not be ordained to teach and expound the Torah, because that is solely the spiritual assignment of the Jews – to be deeply involved in Torah, and to delve into it for the purpose of deciding practical rulings on a Torah-law basis. This task is only given to observant Jewish Torah scholars who are trusted in their explanations of Oral Torah.

However, if a matter is easily understandable from learning about the Noahide Code and the conclusion is obvious, it appears clear that a Gentile is allowed to decide upon it for matters of personal practical observance. But it is essentially difficult to decide an exact conclusion for Torah law in general, and laypersons do not have the objectivity and breadth of Torah knowledge to be certain that they are making the correct ruling. (footnote 97, ibid)

Notice how the translation is worded: “a Gentile may not be ordained.” Rabbi Moshe Weiner wrote the book, The Divine Code, where one of the first major sections is “Fundamentals of the Faith.” So it’s clear that his language reflects his mentality, that our law is a religion that people get ordained into. And since “Torah” belongs to the Jews, he feels that only they can clarify the unclear.

But this religious mentality is a modern mental disease. The laws are not a religion. There is no ordination. Judges and teachers are not ordained any more than dustmen and street cleaners. They show that they are qualified and then do the job. There is no religion or ritual in our law because it is just that: law. And since it is our law, it is not for Jews to dictate to us how the unclear should be clarified. They should just teach us what we need to know to apply it, if such assistance is really needed, and then they go and deal with their people as we deal with our own. As David Novak said in an article called “The Modern Noahide Movement,” a Jew telling a Gentile how to live is a form of imperialism.

But Weiner’s approach does follow the mentality amongst many popular rabbis, that of keeping the Gentile dependent and under control. Do you see how he uses the word “Torah” in an ambiguous way? He refrained from specifying the seven laws, saying “only Jews can expound on the Seven Commandments.” Rather he kept saying “Torah.” As was expressed by Dr Aaron Lichtenstein, the Jewish Torah and the Seven Commandments are two different paths although there are overlaps. Yes, the Jewish Torah was given to Israel for the judges to expound to them. But whether they have such a charge over the Seven Commandments is highly questionable and the position that they do is highly suspect when it comes to consistency.

Imagine the Jew wanting to be free from foreign rule, given laws that they have their own king and priesthood and prophecy system. Think of the automony they want for themselves and the promise they have that they’ll be able to shrug off foreign influences and rule. Then imagine that same Jew saying to the nations around them, “we get to tell you what to do and how to live and the specifics of your law.” That is hypocrisy. That is inconsistency.

Again, no! Give us what is ours and then we’ll deal with any issues and uncertainties we have. We may consult you if we feel the need. Yes, it may be true that Jews can expound the Torah given at Sinai for the Israelite nation to their people. But don’t think that you are the ones to dictate to the Gentile!

But then seeing the mentality of such rabbis, is it any wonder then that this “noahide movement” has a dearth of Gentile teachers, of non-Jewish people who know the details of the law to such an extent that they could be our judges and magistrates. But then if our law includes the command to create such entities, then are the rabbis guilty of stopping us from fulfilling our own law?

But is it their role to even empower us, to inform us enough to get the job done? As I said before, there is an expectation of a human being to have enough of a grasp on rationality and wisdom to come to certain conclusions. It is the expectation of humans, a divine expectation, of not needing to be told something to know right from wrong. We didn’t need to be commanded to establish courts ourselves. There is something apparently inherent in us or a good amount of us to know fairness is demanded and justice needs to be implemented. So even if it is an agenda of certain rabbis (not all of them) to restrict us from keeping our own law properly, should it really matter, especially, as I said before, the buck stops with us?

Look again at what rabbi Moshe Weiner opines is in our remit.

… it appears clear that a Gentile is allowed to decide upon it for matters of personal practical observance. But it is essentially difficult to decide an exact conclusion for Torah law in general, and laypersons do not have the objectivity and breadth of Torah knowledge to be certain that they are making the correct ruling.

This reminds me so much of how atheists would say “well you can keep your religion subjective and personal and private, but when it comes to the law of the land, the government are in charge.” Look at the rabbi’s words: you can have an opinion if you’re just keeping it to yourselves, but the Jews rule you!” Remember what “ruling” means in English. As well as presupposing that that one needs extensive knowledge of the oral tradition to “make rulings,” he is saying that the Jews are in charge. And there, even I, a mere lone Gentile, would resist him to his face on that point, even though I stand alone. And, for the most, I do stand alone. The Divine Code is exalted amongst many “noahides” and many of their Jewish teachers. There are “congregations” being taught from that book. There are many who listen to rabbi Tovia Singer who speaks in fear of the notion of us Gentiles, or his “noahides,” having some self-governance, it being better that we/they just follow the rabbis.

And because of that, we’re crippled. No, the “noahide movement” is crippled from actually learning to keep our seven laws to as full an extent as we can in a world that rejects those laws.

So yes, we failed ourselves. Yes, the “noahide movement” has failure in-built; it has failure on a systemic level. But it is also my opinion that, for the most, the rabbis failed us too. I’m thankful for the books written and the information about the seven commandments shared. I’m not saying they are a wholesale failure. I wouldn’t know to oppose them if I wasn’t exposed to the information they had about our laws. But if we Gentiles want to keep our laws to their fullest or at least know our laws to our fullest, then there is opposition from the very people who are telling us about these laws. Our physiotherapist is shooting us in the foot or slipping poison into our food in order to keep a job.