Oscar-award winning actor John Voight was awarded the Tzedakah Award by Noahide Nations at this year’s first Noahide World Conference.

Voight said,

“The Seven Noahide Commandments appeal to my own sense of what I feel is a higher purpose, which is to try to get everyone to an understanding of what they’re asked to do, what life’s responsibilities are. These very simple Seven Laws of Noah, are good basics.”

- Jon Voight

Below is an interview with John Voight on Israeli television from May 2008 after he visited the rocket-battered town of Sderot.

Notables:
“G-d says to Abraham: Those who bless you will be blessed, those who curse you will be cursed.  And isn’t that what has happened [in history]?”¹

“All sane people should have a passion for Israel at this time.”

“I’m thinking about the future of our children, about the future of this world that we’re in.”

What is Noahide culture?

It’s certainly not whatever-Jews-seem-to-do.  Nor is it whatever-Gentiles-seem-to-do.  So what is it?

First of all, we need to understand that what most people think of as “Jewish Culture” is not really Jewish.  It’s the expression of assimilated Jews into their host culture.  A prime example is Chanukah in America.

The core concept of the Chanukah story is Jews defending Judaism against those who wanted to assimilate into Greek culture.  This included Jew vs. Greek and Jew vs. Jew, r”l.  Tragically Chanukah in America has a lot to do with assimilation (8 days of presents?) and little to do with Judaism.

I recently saw cards and books such as the ones below at a Jewish Museum gift shop (of all places).

This is not an expression of Judaism.  It is an expression of America’s melting pot.  Orthodox Jews prefer that America (at least) be a salad bowl of distinct foods rather than a melting pot of indistinct alloy.

So what is true Jewish culture?
It’s the thing you find in every Jewish culture around the world.  Iraqi Jews never heard of European klezmer music because Klezmer music is only a byproduct of Jewish exile in Europe¹; it is not inherently Jewish - however, both European and Iraqi Jews read from the Torah, study Talmud, eat matzah but not chametz on Passover, etc.

True Jewish culture is Torah and Mitzvot (commandments).

So what is true Noahide culture?
If there even is such a thing as Noahide culture, I would like to suggest it is that which is found in every Noahide home and Noahide community, no matter where they are on the planet.

True Noahide culture, in my opinion, is the expression of love, admiration, and reverence for the G-d of Israel, His Torah, and His People.

The question is, what direction will American culture take from here on out?

Land of Noahides or Land of Other-hides?
Land of Jefferson or Land of Hamilton?

To be continued in the next post…

Below you can listen to Rabbi Tovia Singer’s lecture from the 2008 Noahide World Conference.

Rabbi Singer has a show on IsraelNationalNews.com and also is the founder of OutreachJudaism which does anti-missionary work on behalf of G-d’s people Israel.

Listen Here.

Hat tip to Ari.

Excerpts I especially enjoyed:

I’ll tell you this, if tomorrow the U.N. comes out with a resolution blessing you, supporting you, if Jimmy Carter next week comes out and blesses you, check your theology - haha! - because you don’t want the praise of the nations of the world, you want the praise of the G-d of Heaven.

I also enjoyed:

We know from the book of Genesis chapter 12 that G-d blesses those nations that bless Israel, that bless the Children of Israel, and curses those who damn our people, because in reality when they curse Israel they’re cursing the G-d of Israel.

So it’s really quite illogical for someone to say “I’m gonna put my hope with Rome.”  Hard to imagine how someone today would stand up and raise his fist against the G-d of Israel, after all we’ve seen mighty miracles here in the Holy Land.

So [what I've said up until here] are the two parts of the Gentile world that have turned their backs on the G-d of Israel.  And G-d will harden theirs hearts as he did Pharaoh.  And they’ll rise up to destroy Jerusalem.  And the Bible tells us in Zakariah chapter 12 that G-d will take even the weakest Jew, verse 8 & 9: “He will strengthen him like David even like the angels of the Lord of Hosts.”

But then there’s this third part, this other section of the Gentile world, who will choose the G-d of Israel, above every other god, above every other lord, above every other host.  And then G-d is going to refine them like gold.  That’s you, the Righteous Gentile, who chose the G-d of Israel.

Also I enjoyed this:

You recognize that the Almighty is working with the Children of Israel.  And you made a tough decision.  I would imagine that for many of you listening to my voice right now, walking out of a Church…You might have lost some family over that decision; to this day it’s quite possible that your mom won’t even talk to you.  Sisters have disowned you because you left The Assemblies of G-d, you won’t walk into a Baptist Church, and you won’t praise any other name than the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I don’t wish any suffering upon you, but if you’ve suffered on behalf of the G-d of Israel, you’re alright.  I wouldn’t sell it on the open market, I wouldn’t put your suffering on eBay.  [But] the Almighty sees every pain that you’ve endured on His behalf, that’s uppercase H.  And you’ve decided to cleave to the Children of Israel.

iHN Editor’s comment:
How exciting!!

Listen Here.

***************************************

(IsraelNN.com) Israel National Radio has begun what is possibly the first ever Sons of Noach radio show. Hosted by Ray Pettersen and Jim Long, the Noahide Nations show is a program about the Noahide, or Bnei Noach, movement - Gentiles who have accepted the Torah.

In recent years, groups have been springing up, mostly in the United States, for non-Jews who are disenchanted with Christianity and seek spiritual fulfillment through the Torah of Israel, but don’t convert to Judaism.

Below is the latest Noahide radio program broadcast.

There was no specific incident in Ray Pettersen’s life that led him and his wife, 12 years ago, [to] give up the religion upon which they were raised. “We all seem to have this feeling that something wasn’t right,” he says, echoing a sentiment felt by Jim Long and other guests on their show. [see iHN poll on this topic] “There was no controversy in the church or anything that would have caused this to happen. I just felt that G-d was telling me this isn’t right. I wanted to find out what is right.”

Pettersen is the founder of the Noahide Nations web site which offers information and networking for other like-minded individuals. He relates one story where someone wrote in that he thought he was the only Noahide in his city. Another person emailed him and they found out that not only did they live in the same city, but in the same building. Connecting Noahides in this manner is the goal of the new radio program.

To facilitate this process, IsraelNationalNews has opened a new forum entitled Torah Spirituality for Gentiles. A person need only register for free and may then begin posting messages to the forum.

In response to a forum question about the number of Bnei Noach in the world, forum manager Ashira Yosefa writes:

A precise number of the Bnei Noach population globally is difficult to know, but based on internet activity and the formation of Noahide groups and websites, inquiries, etc., it is arguably safe to say that Noahides, in a general sense of the word, presently number in the hundreds of thousands and that number is growing. The actual Noahides themselves are growing, progressively deepening their knowledge of proper Noahide observance and lifestyle with the help of Rabbis and Noahide leaders. As their spiritual journey continues, more and more true Bnei Noach take their place in today’s world and readily proclaim their love of Torah, of Israel and of the G-d of Israel.

Radio show host Jim Long’s journey to Noahide beliefs began as he was filming documentaries on archaeological digs in Israel and Egypt. He is the founder of Lightcatcher, a publishing and film production company. Long is also the author and producer of several books and films such as Riddle of the Exodus, Digging Up the Future and Return to Gilgal.

The first guest on the Noahide Nations show was Darla, a mother from Texas who, like Jim and Ray, had slowly come to the realization that Christianity was not for her. In the radio broadcast, she details the story of how she broke the news to her family and informed them that she would not be attending the annual Christmas dinner. The result was a prolonged, painful period of not talking to her sisters and other family members.

Darla finally got back together with her family at an annual Thanksgiving dinner. She now says that her family has accepted her, despite what they see as her strange beliefs, and even ask her to teach them about Jewish holidays. Darla offers advice on how other Noahides can avoid family friction, especially during holiday time.

There are many different Noahide organizations. In general, all of them reject the New Testament and embrace the Torah, using the Seven Laws of Noah as a moral code. Different Noahides follow different Jewish customs, depending on personal inclinations [iHN: and, I hope, Rabbinic advice]. As Gentiles, Noahides are not obligated by Jewish Law to keep commandments such as keeping kosher, although many do.

Noahide Nations is a weekly podcast which can be downloaded from Israel National Radio by clicking here.

Jim and Ray welcome questions or comments, some of which they will read on the air. They can be contacted at noahide@israelnationalradio.com

There is no “right way” for Bnei Noach to get married.¹  Rather, the questions to ask are:

1) What action(s) on our behalf constitute establishment of our marriage
2) What ceremonies are fitting and appropriate for Bnei Noach weddings

The length of this post will give one example of how you might answer question #2.

To answer question #1:

The subject of Noahide marriage according to Torah is discussed in the book “The Path of the Righteous Gentile,” in the chapter on Sexual Relations:

“Under the Seven Universal Commandments [for Gentiles], a woman is considered to be a man’s wife when the couple has sexual relations [in the normal manner] with the intent² that it constitute marriage.”

*******

Source: (Rabbi Mordechai)

…

…My third thought was that I wouldn’t know what ritual to use. I wouldn’t want to use Jewish ritual – they are not Jewish, and are under no illusions on that matter. So what would I do?

On the other hand: Come on, how cool is that, getting to do a Noachide wedding?

So I emailed colleagues, who clarified that a rabbi is empowered to perform any wedding which conforms with municipal law, but who had no idea what ritual to use. I Googled “Noachide Weddings” and “Noahide Weddings” and came up with this page, but the contents made me uncomfortable; I really didn’t like their adaptation of key Jewish wedding elements – the berachah [blessing] on wine, the ketubah, the Chuppah canopy.

But some colleagues of mine urged me on, pointing out that it’s pretty rare for an Orthodox rabbi to have a chance to get really creative!

Then, as I talked to the couple more and met with them, they were so visibly sincere that I fell in love with the idea beyond the “adventure” level. It was a chance to help good people do a good thing, in a meaningful way. Isn’t that why I’m a rabbi in the first place?

So I developed a ceremony which drew on biblical themes common for Jews and non-Jews, and meaningful for a wedding.

Here’s what we did:

1) They had found a non-denominational chapel in a park, and we used that space. As they stood together, I sang the traditional Jewish chuppah songs of Mi Adir and Mi Ban Siach.

2) I then presented a dvar torah on the Torah’s history of marriage, going back to Adam and Chavah [Eve]. I explained the Adam I and Adam II narratives, using Ramban’s idea that one narrative is creation of the soul (unified) and the other is creation of the body (separate). I talked about why Adam and Chavah benefit from being of two separate bodies – the idea, expressed in various commentaries, that the man and woman complement each other with their strengths, and so accomplish things they could never accomplish as one unit.

3) They had wanted to give each other rings, and written their own declaration of love and faithfulness for the occasion, so they did that at this point. I had them say “Behold you are sanctified to me,” taking the first half of the Jewish formula and dropping the “according to the laws of Moses and Israel” segment.

4) They had wanted to have a toast with wine at this point, but I was uncomfortable because of halachic [Torah Law] issues which are beyond the scope of this blog, and because of the adoption of a very Jewish wedding practice. So I decided to use water instead.

I explained the biblical significance of water, tracing it from the water present at Creation, through the punitive water of the flood rolling back Creation, through the water in which Jews drowned in Egypt, through the punitive water of Yam Suf [Sea of Reeds], through water from a stone in the desert, etc. My point was the power embedded by Gd in this natural element.

We recited the berachah [blessing] on water together (the berachah itself – “that all comes into existence at Gd’s command” – being very appropriate for the occasion), and drank.

5) To close the wedding I adapted a tefillah [prayer] authored by Rabbi Yochanan, presented in Yerushalmi Berachot 4:1, to read as follows:

יהי רצון מלפניך רבונו של עולם שתשכן בבתינו אהבה ואחוה ושלום ורעות ותצליח סופינו אחרית ותקוה ותרבה גבולנו בחברים ותקנינו לב טוב וחברים טובים ונשיש בחלקנו ונשכים ונמצא ייחול לבבנו

May it by Your will, Master of the Universe, that You bring love and brotherhood and peace and friendship into our home, that You give us success and hope, that You broaden our boundaries with friends, that You establish for us a good heart and good friends, that You make us happy with our lot, and that we rise each day to find our hearts’ desire.

On the whole, it was a remarkable experience. I was moved by their sincerity, and by their respect for Torah and Jewish belief.

I’m glad I did it - not because it was unusual, but because it really was cool in a much deeper way.

*********

Excerpt from “The Noahide Commandments”

By Rabbi Yoel Schwartz

It is stated in the book of Zechariah that after the Temple will be restored, during the holiday of Succoth all the nations of the world will make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow down before G-d. (Zechariah 14:1-21)

It is worthwhile for a person to take his vacation during this time. By doing so, a Noahide can use this free time to study, to observe nature and to meet with fellow Noahides for mutual prayer with emphasis on world peace just as Israelites did when the Temple existed and, as sacrifices were made for the welfare of all the nations, to pray for the coming of the Messiah who will amend the ways of the world.

Mon., October 13, 2008 - Tues., October 21, 2008.

Click Here for information!

I admit I should have posted this 2 weeks ago, at the beginning of this month.  My apologies.  Please forgive me.

Rosh Hashanah is coming up quickly.

- The day that Hashem is declared Master over the entirety of Creation, including each and every one of us!
- The anniversary of the day homosapiens were imbued with the soul (the 6th Day of Creation), separating them from the animal kingdom!
- The day that the Creator judges the entirety of Creation!

How can you ensure a wonderful Rosh Hashanah when you stand before the King?

Just like marathon runners prepare many days in advance of their big day, so too must we prepare ourselves in advance.  In fact, we don’t even do teshuvah (repentance) on Rosh Hashanah itself - it’s all supposed to be done now, leading up to the day of judgment!

So here’s how you can get started.

1) Download and read the Rosh Hashanah Celebration guide by the Oklahoma B’nai Noach Society.
2) Don’t (just) make a “New Year’s Resolution” on Rosh Hashanah.  Instead, make and do your resolution now.
3) Take time each day to talk with Hashem.  Go over the past year.  Review your life.¹

Below is the Table of Contents from the OKBNS Rosh Hashanah Celebration guide.

This wonderful guide they have designed with Rabbinic support is not meant to establish a single obligatory standard for all Bnei Noach.  Rather, it is a guide for those who feel that such a guide will enhance there connection to and service of Hashem.  This is important to understand, lest people mistake this for a new religion.
See “About this Book” page 3.

Table of Contents

About this book………………………………………………………………………………….3
Rosh Hashanah (New Year)……………………………………………………………….5
Prayer……………………………………………………………………………………………8
Prayer Customs……………………………………………………………………………8
Pre-Prayer Meditation……………………………………………………………………9
Kindling Lights…………………………………………………………………………….10
Psalms 1……………………………………………………………………………………11
Prayer for Parents……………………………………………………………………….11
Prayer for Children………………………………………………………………………11
Prayer for Remembrance……………………………………………………………..11
Rosh Hashanah Celebration Meal ……………………………………………………..13
Kiddush………………………………………………………………………………………..14
Washing of the Hands……………………………………………………………………14
Symbolic Foods…………………………………………………………………………….15
Against Idolatry…………………………………………………………………………..15
Against Theft………………………………………………………………………………15
Establishing courts of Justice………………………………………………………..15
Against Blasphemy……………………………………………………………………..16
Against Homicide………………………………………………………………………..16
Against Elicit Behavior…………………………………………………………………16
Against Eating the Limb of a Living Animal …………………………………….16
Merits of Society…………………………………………………………………………16
Blessing for Bread…………………………………………………………………………16
Blessing for Apples………………………………………………………………………..17
Eat the Festive Meal…………………………………………………………………………17
Blessing After the Meal……………………………………………………………………..17
Blessing of the New Moon…………………………………………………………………18
Shema……………………………………………………………………………………………19
Song………………………………………………………………………………………………20

I wrote this for you.

Who are Noahides?

Who are you, man in Italy
     searching how to become Noahide?
Who are you, woman in Spain
     searching for truth about Noahides?
Who are you, person in Texas
     searching for gentiles in the Bible?

You are Souls turning
     inward and upward
Escaping threats to be sent
     outward and downward.

You are artists
Painting colors of Torah
     Unseen for millennia
     Unforgotten to this day.

You are archaeologists
Unearthing Truth
     Between the rubble of lies
     Under dust of falsity.

You are eggs
Incubating in a nest
     Through relentless patience
     Aside chicks that recognize you not.

You are mourners
Collecting tears
     From shattered friendships
     And lost years in confusion.

You are newly weds
Building life
     With contagious excitement
     And virgin enthusiasm.

You are warriors
Slicing your way
     Through battlefields of uncertainty
     Staring into the eyes of “Just the way it is”
          and changing everything.

You are G-d’s creations,
Scattered across the playground.

Unlike Noah
You are not alone.

iHeartNoahides.com does an interview with Rachav, who runs the Yahoo! group “Noahides,” which is a wonderful group of people. They have great resources on the Yahoo! group website, such as links and essays pictures and other goodies.

Enjoy!

List of Questions:

1. How did you find out about Bnei Noach?
2. What are the 3 highlights of your life as a Bat Noach?
3. Are there any Bnei Noach in particular that you deeply admire or greatly appreciate?
4. Same question as #3 but Jews?
5. Do you have children? If so, do they follow in your spiritual path?
6. Can you give advice to Bnei Noach parents that read this blog?
7. How many hours a day do you dedicate to running the Noahides Yahoo! group?
8. How many of the Yahoo! group members have you met in person, and how many members are there?
9. What do you think is the next big step for the Bnei Noach movement?
10. How can ordinary observant Jews best support Bnei Noach?
11. How can Bnei Noach best support observant Jews?
12. How do you usually spend your time during Shabbat?
13. When Mashiach comes, do you see yourself moving to Israel? Why or why not?

When I was learning with Reb Moshe Kantor obm (of blessed memory -iHN) he showed me the book Path of the Righteous Gentile, I had been learning with him for a few years when he showed it to me. When I wanted to buy it though, he said that I was way past it and he refused to sell it to me.

I did buy the book a few years later after he had gone to his reward when our very small Noahide group were learning with a rabbi from Chabad, and he thought it should be used as our textbook. We went a few chapters into the book but the rabbi decided that it really wasn’t all that useful.

What are the 3 highlights of your life as a Bat Noach?

That is a very difficult question to answer, nothing in particular comes to mind. It was something which happened so gradually that one day I realized that I was on the right path. There are two kinds of gentiles. Those who make up their minds very quickly and those who take a long time to do so. I am of the latter kind. It took me several years to unpick all the false beliefs I had held. The process was slow because of my rather cautious indecisive nature.

Are there any Bnei Noach in particular that you deeply admire or greatly appreciate?

Those Bnei Noah I most deeply admire and appreciate are those who want to know the truth, show loyalty, and who have a great hunger for learning what G-d wants of them.

Same question as #3 but Jews?

Ditto the same answer as above.

Do you have children? If so, do they follow in your spiritual path?

I have four children and four grandchildren. None of my children has made a conscious decision to follow the 7 Laws, my son who still lives at home keeps them without studying them. He lives a very clean and honest life and does remember very well the things he learned as a child from the wonderful Jewish children’s books I read to my two youngest children. Sometimes I need to quote something from one of those Jewish stories I read to them as children, and my son now 29, can tell which which volume and which author it comes from and will immediately find it for me. My two older children both daughters with teenage children, were raised while I was still in the church something which left them rather cynical about religion and G-d. They were from my first marriage and were quite a few years older than my two younger children a boy and a girl. Tamara my youngest daughter does occasionally ask me questions about Jewish things.

Can you give advice to Bnei Noach parents that read this blog?

The first bit of advice that I can give unreservedly is, talk with your children, I do not believe that children should be seen and not heard, which I was raised with. Listen to what they are saying to you, and know where they are really coming from. I really wish I had done this with my first two daughters, it would have saved us all a lot of grief. Respect your children. And when they are young read to them from those wonderful Jewish children’s books which are both educational and interesting.

How many hours a day do you dedicate to running the Noahides Yahoo! group?

I really cannot quantify how many hours a day I dedicate to moderating the Noahides group at Yahoogroups. I am mostly housebound, so my computer goes on in the morning usually about 9 or 10 am, and stays on until after midnight many nights. I am not at the desk constantly, I leave it running even when I go out or I am busy with other things. Sometimes I will be at the keyboard for about 8 hours a day, and other days a lot less. I put up my website several years ago, but a couple of years ago I lost my access to my original website after someone hacked into my Yahoo account. I eventually got back my yahoogroups, but lost the website, so I put up a mirror site at
http://www.geocities.com/rachav7/

How many of the Yahoo! group members have you met in person, and how many members are there?

I have met in person only one of the members, she now lives in Queensland but we were friends before we finally decided to become b’nei Noah, I made my decision first, she was crushed initially, my timing was terrible but I had to make a decision just prior to the Passover, we had annually observed the christian Lord’s supper, which precedes Passover by one night. And that was when I told her that I couldn’t partake with her. She understood, and we both cried. But our friendship survived anyway. She later had to move to Queensland because of her daughter’s need of her, we are still good friends and she does read the messages on the group, but rarely corresponds there, and we occasionally phone one another, and we are in touch by email.

I do have friendships long distance with a number of the b’nai Noah, and since we have corresponded and chatted live with yahoo internet messenger we know each other very well.

What do you think is the next big step for the Bnei Noach movement?

I really don’t see any next big steps for the Bnei Noah movement, everything has been so gradual up to now, I don’t think that our growth will really happen fast until we reach critical mass which it has not done so far. There are currently 286 members of the group, the majority do not post. That is quite typical of all Yahoogroups, only about 10% of any group ever actually posts messages on any group.
Some people write to me privately from time to time who do not post to the group.

How can ordinary observant Jews best support Bnei Noach?

The best support that observant Jews can give the Bnei Noah is to spread the information among yourselves about our existence, so that if one of these Jews encounters a Noahide they will know who they are dealing with. Mostly we have encountered a lot of suspicion, even after we explain that we are bnai Noah the majority of Jews still think that we still believe in Jesus or worse that we are missionaries in disguise, of course those fears ares not easily put to rest since many missionaries dishonestly represent themselves to Jews. Also Noahides need to be allowed to attend shiurim (Torah classes) where they can learn.

How can Bnei Noach best support observant Jews?

We can defend the Jews when we hear anti-semitism, and do our best to make the truth known about Israel’s important role.

My website has a complete section about Israel and the current problems with the islamic radicals and terrorists.
http://www.geocities.com/rachav7/Israel.html

How do you usually spend your time during Shabbat?

My day is frequently spent on the internet approving email to the group and responding to questions, I regard my role as serving HaShem when I am moderating the group. I also have the opportunity to chat live with other b’nai Noah in IM.

When Mashiach comes, do you see yourself moving to Israel? Why or why not?

I really don’t see myself moving to live in Israel when Mashiach comes, I believe that the b’nai Noah will have their hands full at that time helping the gentiles of our nations to learn about HaShem. Of course if I am still living at that time, I would love to go up to Jerusalem at the Succot Festival, as commanded by HaShem and prophesied in Zechariah 14.

(source: Alice Johnson
hat tip: Robert)

One of the toughest aspects of becoming religious later in life is coping with how friends and family respond to this big change.

There can be a major disruption in shalom. For a lot of people this is pretty frightening for all of the obvious reasons. I have tons of respect for people who are able to shout their new views to the mountaintops. What guts. I can’t do that a hundred percent of the time without feeling quite chicken. But I’m getting better.

The other night a dear old friend was visiting along with a bunch of other friends and acquaintances. After a delicious summer dinner everyone started talking about the big election in the fall.

I hate talking politics with most people for all the obvious reasons most people hate it. To me it’s a bunch of people who aren’t really experts on anything sitting around probably offending the heck out of each other for no particularly good reason. I mean how many people are seriously going to change their vote because of one of these arguments? Am I being too cynical? Perhaps.

So the topic of Israel comes up. And the fact that I have made it clear that I am a single issue voter. I vote for the person I think will do the least amount of harm to Israel. This is not the most popular viewpoint in this circle of friends.

My dear old friend says something like this: “Are you seriously going to tell me that you believe that God spoke to this one group of people and gave them a specific piece of real estate and all of that craziness! Where is my old Alice? Where did she go?!”

I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that because I have always been a passionate supporter of Israel, which he knows. I guess he meant that there is a religious component now.

Being a hundred percent honest, that comment kind of made me want to cry because I really like this person. I looked at him and thought, “Wow. Is he drawing a line in the sand? I don’t want him to go. I hope this isn’t the end.”

So I said, “X, you have known me for fourteen years. I certainly hope I have evolved and changed as a person over that many years. You have and I love you anyway. You can believe whatever you want. I can believe whatever I want. And if you don’t like it, that’s really just tough. Go ahead and think I’m crazy.” He made it clear he does think I’m way off my rocker and loves me anyway. I think we’re OK.

Ideally, a Torah-loving person loves his fellow man, and by this I mean not just the people it’s easy to love. Ideally the more religious a person becomes the more humble they become, the more in awe of all of God’s creation they become, and the more they see that we need to be really, really exceptionally nice to one another. I love my friends, truly. I really love people in general. And the more spiritual I have become the more I feel this way, by the Grace of God.

I wonder if part of the tension between newly religious people and our friends and family who see things differently stems from fear. Maybe old friends are worried that the old you is dead. Maybe they are worried you are critiquing them. (If we actually are, maybe we should be super careful with that because it can get ugly and hypocritical.) Maybe they are worried that it’s going to get irretrievably awkward at some point. Perhaps they are worried we will try to shove our views down their throat. Maybe they need to be able to share their views with you, no holds barred, or else the friendship will be kind of fake.

Speaking of fake, maybe they are worried that you will only like them, because now you are somehow supposed to, not because you truly appreciate them for the beautiful, unique person they are.

Bnei Noach struggle often because there is very little community for us in the traditional sense of a religious community. There isn’t a building where we can check in with one another once a week to be around like-minded people who are in exactly the same position.

That’s tough for the people who were once Christians or Muslims who are accustomed to having that place and that connection to others. It’s also tough for people who are maybe looking forward to finally having that after spending their whole life without it.

Here’s a flipside to this, as I see it. This lack of community, as it were, has forced me to see the whole world as my community and to see the whole world as my house of worship. I think in many ways this meshes nicely with a Torah-centered view of the universe.

Judaism is not about checking in to a building once a week. Ideally it is in the home with you, at work with you, on the subway with you, at the restaurant with you, and, not to be gross, but with you when you leave the restroom and thank God that your body is working correctly. It is everywhere you are.

Most of my friends see the world in very different ways than I. Nevertheless, they are my community. I am so blessed, gigantically blessed, to know so many unique and fine people. I’m glad God has put me in this position. I really can not find very many people who think like me, because there are so few who do. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have community.

My community consists of people who like and love each other in spite of the fact that we don’t see the world the same way. I think that is true shalom and is a profound and beautiful thing. We are a community because we love each other for who we really are.