As discussed in the current issue of NoahideNations.com’s Connections magazine, Noahide kiruv is an important concept.

“Kiruv” literally means “bringing close.”  I believe it is distinct form proselytizing in that kiruv aims to bring a person closer to their original spiritual path, rather than “the new and better path.”  For all Jews, this is the path of the Torah & the 613 mitzvot.  For all Gentiles, this is the Toah & the 7 Mitzvot of Noah.

As the Tibetan Dalai Lama said to Israeli travelers who sought his audience,
“‘You come from the most ancient wisdom…the source…You do not need to travel all the way here to seek the truth…You should return to your country and learn your religion well.  Return here if you feel the need, but only after you have done so…’ “¹

Hence Kiruv aims to return people to the source, the most ancient wisdom, the Torah.

If I were a Noahide, and I were involved in Noahide kiruv, I would firstly reach out to people who are already living the Noahide path but don’t realize that they are.

Here is a recent news article from the Jerusalem Post about the Makuya community from Japan.  I have seen them in Israel on several occasions.  Has anyone in the Noahide community contacted these lovely people?

WITH THE women dressed in delicate and colorful kimonos, the group paraded through portions of Beersheba’s Old City, singing Jewish songs in perfect Israeli-accented Hebrew.
Photo: Yocheved Miriam Russo

“A Friend Indeed” Jpost.com March 18th, 2009.

In a world intent on endlessly criticizing Israel, the Japanese Makuya are something else. At least once a year - beginning shortly after the state’s founding in 1948 - a delegation of Makuya makes a pilgrimage to Israel. They have only one objective: to show their support for Israel and - even more unusually - to emphasize their unconditional love for Jews and Judaism.

The Makuya aren’t converts. They aren’t political. They aren’t asking Jews to change anything, let alone convert to their own religious beliefs…(see full article at Jpost.com)

I was just perusing the Noahide classifieds at NoahideNations.com

I wasn’t actually looking for someone.  I just wanted to read how Bnei Noach are describing themselves to the world.  I found it facinating, inspiring, and fun.

(w/permission)

Since I don’t think it fair privacy (nor legal?) to copy&paste the classifieds from NoahideNations.com, here’s your chance to share your bio, story, or message to the world.  This blog is read by different types of people from all around the world.

You can remain as anonymous as you wish, please just indicate how you wish to be addressed.  Pictures, poems, or links will be considered as well.

Your bio/message/story to the world can be sent to NoahGear (AT) gmail (dot) com
or use the contact page.

This is the first issue of “Connections,” from September 2008.
The magazine has contributions from many of the major leaders and visionaries driving the Noahide community today.  You can download the PDF file from NoahideNations.com.

Here are some lovely words by Reb Gutman Locks from Mystical Paths.  I also recommend his books, including “Coming Back to Earth: the Central Park Guru becomes an Old City Jew”

Background for this post: Reb Gutman dedicates time during the week to help Jews put on tefillin at the Kotel (Western Wall).

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by Reb Gutman Locks at Mystical Paths

There are many opinions as to what life will be like when the Moshiach finally comes. Although they argue on most points, they all agree that one big change will be the way the Nations of the world will view the Jewish People. After the Redemption, they will appreciate the Jews and will look toward Jerusalem for guidance.

There is a well known teaching about the time of the Moshiach. It says that the non-Jews will realize that the more the Jews learn Torah, the better it will be for the entire world, including them. They will want this reward so much that they will station guards outside the study halls with sticks in their hands. If a Jew comes out before the day is over, they will threaten him with blows unless he returns and finishes his day of study.

Can you imagine a non-Jew being so dedicated to the Jews’ spiritual development?

Yesterday at the Kotel [Western Wall], there were three young men standing together apparently discussing the history of the place. It turned out that they were volunteers for one of the many projects that are set up around the country to attract Jews from all over the world. But of these three, only one was a Jew. He was a medical student in America, and the other two were from Holland.

I asked the Jewish man to put on tefillin. He refused with a definite “No!” Many times, a Jew who is with his non-Jewish friends will not want to put on tefillin because he does not want to break up the group, or does not want to embarrass the non-Jew by telling him that he cannot do it. So they most often side with the gentile and not with me. There can be any number of reasons that a Jew invents to refuse to put on tefillin, and this guy seemed to have them all.

I saw that I could not get anywhere with him, so I said to the two guys from Holland, “Look you cannot put on tefillin because you are not Jewish, but if you get him to put on tefillin you will get credit in Heaven. He won’t listen to me, but he will listen to you because you’re his friends.”

They picked up on it right away. “Yeah,” They said smiling broadly. “Go for it. It will be good.” He gave in immediately, and with a gentle hug I slid him over to the tefillin stand.

I explained to them what the mitzvah of tefillin is, and gave him the English prayers to read. Then I explained to the two non-Jews that G-d loves all People, and that now He loves them even more since they helped a Jew to put on tefillin.

Signs of the times. Redemption is getting closer and closer.

Just a note of clarity about terminology:

“Rabbi” in Hebrew is “Rav” which is a title, as in “President Washington” or “Dr. Jeffres”

When a person has a personal rabbi that they “cling” to and go to for guidance and questions, they often refer to that particular rabbi as “my rav” or “my rebbe.”

The term “rebbe’ is used as a title instead of, or in conjunction with “rabbi/rav,” mostly in Chassidic circles, such as Chabad and Breslev.  Whereas other Orthodox Jewish circles simply use the term “rav” such as “Rav Moshe Feinstein” or “Rav Ovadyah Yosef.”

On having a rebbe, in “Pirke Avos” “Ethics of Our Fathers” it says:
“Accept a teacher (rav) upon yourself, acquire a friend for yourself, and judge everyone favorably.”

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Guest post by: Alice Jonsson from Breslev.co.il

The current news out of Israel illustrates how profoundly vital it is that more non-Jews than ever immediately turn to Hashem and His Torah. Unfortunately I could write that sentence just about any day of the year and it would be true. I could also substitute pretty much any country. Take Denmark for example. That’s correct. Denmark.

Apparently Danish headmasters are now telling some Danish Jews that they should send their children elsewhere for schooling because of the large numbers of Arabs, specifically Palestinians, in some of the schools. They claim they will not be able to keep the Jewish kids safe. Grown adults claim to be incapable of keeping children from attacking minorities in their schools.  Gentile to Gentile, this is what I have to say to those Danes: when grown folk, as we say in the South, can not control their children there is something horribly amiss.

Number two, sometimes the worst aggressors are the so-called passive aggressors, those who perpetrate violence by doing absolutely nothing. When you throw Jewish children to the wolves, or let the wolves take over, instead of getting rid of the wolves, you can bet the wolves will be coming for you next. Be grown folk and take charge. Or at least have the guts to admit that perhaps you do not want the Jews there in the first place.

I live in Atlanta, GA. If in the year 2009 a school in Atlanta said that African American or Latino students should go elsewhere because the administrators just won’t be able to keep them safe from racist whites or whomever, can you imagine the totally justifiable outcry? Oprah Winfrey would be filming live in the parking lot. But Jews in Denmark. Feh. Next the Danish government will be recommending that Jews all confine themselves to a small part of the country and live behind large stone walls with giant iron gates. To keep them safe. This is what happens to the world when non-Jews do not live by the Seven Commandments.

But how do we help people to learn about these commandments? How do we live with them ourselves? Read the rest of this entry »

As noted in my previous post, I hope to continue making occasional posts.  My goal is that they will be valuable useful posts, since I will only be able to write them from time to time.  Enjoy!

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Shalom!
please refer me to another noahide site, esp one that most takes [Rebbe Nachman's] vibrations into account!

- E. from Israel

Dear E.,

I’m glad you would like to connect with fellow Jews who are involved with Bnei Noach.  That is wonderful.

You will have to do some searching on your own.  The most comprehensive list of Noahide-related sites that I know of can be found on WikiNoah.org.  Some of the links may be outdated, but you should be able to find some interesting stuff.
See WikiNoah link:
http://wikinoah.org/index.php/Websites

I assume that by “Nanach” you mean “Breslev” and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman who lived in a town called “Breslev.”  The Jewish community that has been most active in teaching and reaching out to Bnei Noach is Chabad, followed more recently by Breslev.

CHABAD
The Lubavetcher Rebbe of blessed memory was adamant that teaching the 7 mitzvot to the nations is our duty as “a nation of priests/ministers,” and that doing so will transform our world into a peaceful community.  One could say that it was the Rebbe who reawakened the Jewish (and non-Jewish) world to the path of Gentiles in Torah - a path that lay mostly dormant in Jewish history due to the hardships of the Jewish exile.

Today, on the footsteps of the Moshiach, the Jewish people are far more secure than in previous generations.  Therefore we are now able to build the bridges between Jews and Gentiles for living life according to Torah.  This is leading up to Moshiach when the Jews and Gentiles will have a G-d-centered relationship of peace.
See Chabad link:
http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62221/jewish/Universal-Morality.htm

BRESLEV

Rabbi Lazer Brody (”Rabbi Rambo”) is affiliated with the “Chut Shel Chessed” Breslev yeshiva lead by Rabbi Shalom Arush. Rabbi Lazer Brody is in communication with some Bnei Noach, including native Americans who have an affinity toward G-d, the Jewish People, and the Torah.  He writes about them from time to time on his award-winning blog “Lazerbeams.”

Here are a list of posts relating to Bnei Noach from Rabbi Lazer Brody’s blog.
See Rabbi Brody link:
http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/bnai_noach/index.html

Breslev.co.il has a Bat Noach journalist named Alice Jonsson who writes a lovely column on Breslev.co.il - she brings thoughts, perspectives, and words of Torah.  Some of them have been posted on iHeartNoahides with permission.
See Breslev.co.il link for her writings:
http://www.breslev.co.il/searchresults.aspx?text=alice+jonsson&type=1&fullType=authors&language=English

NATIONAL
Other than Chabad and Breslev, the more national and long-term-vision type of leadership has been spearheaded in recent years by Rabbi Yoel Schwartz who represents the Nascent Sanhedrin in Israel.
More info about Rav Schwartz in this link:
http://www.wikinoah.org/index.php/Yoel_Schwartz

Also Rabbi Chaim Richman of The Temple Institute in Jerusalem (http://www.templeinstitute.org/main.htm) has done a great deal for the BN community - some of my Bnei Noach friends consider Rav Richman their personal rav.
See Rabbi Richman link:
http://www.lttn.org/

I thank you for the email, and wish you the best.

Shabbat Shalom,
Daniel

Hello dear readers.

The internet where I live is being discontinued because of its ill-effects on the children who live here.  That ends my ability to continue running this site, at least for the time being.  I am running into unhealthy time constraints with my professional life as well, so discontinued internet service is not so untimely, to be honest.

This site will stay up because it is used as a resource by people searching for answers, and arriving at iHeartNoahides.com

I can still be reached via the Contact page and email, which I can check outside my home on a regular basis.

I hope to continue work with B’nei Noach sometime down the road, in some form or another.  I do plan to continue this site once my situation changes, so be sure to check back every so often - you’ll probably find an occasional post.  You are wonderful people.

- Daniel

As stated previously, this site follows the rulings of Rabbi Yoel Schwartz of the Jerusalem Court for B’nei Noach.  As regards marriage, he states the following (I added paragraph headings and brackets for clarification):

Marriage:
Every man should marry a woman, and every woman should marry a man since it is written “that it is not good for a man to live alone by himself.” Marriage brings about a partnership between two people and increases the population of the world. In marriage a Noahide will participate and contribute in the building of the world. Marriage is initiated by the couple’s decision to live together as husband and wife followed by their sexual union. It is worthwhile and enhancing that the two hold a formal marriage ceremony and a marriage feast.

Divorce:
A married couple can divorce even if both don’t agree to the divorce. If the husband sends his wife away from their home declaring that they are no longer married or if the wife leaves their home with a similar declaration they are no longer married. However, Noahides should abide by the laws of the state in which they live in marriage matters. They should therefore also follow any procedures that are required by the laws where they live so that they should be considered divorced also according to these laws. After the divorce, both partners are free to remarry. The marriage also ends if one of the two dies.

Forbidden Relations
According to the Torah, a married woman and another man are not allowed to have sexual or any intimate relations with each other. A man, on the other hand, is allowed to marry more than one wife or concubine. Since the l0th century the Ashkenazic Jews generally have only one wife. Today there are also civil laws in many countries against bigamy, which are to be followed as law for the Noahide.

A person is not allowed to have sexual relations with his mother, sisters, maternal aunts from his father or mother’s side, his father’s wife even after the death of his father, daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law and her mother, his wife’s daughters and granddaughters. A person is not allowed to have homosexual relations (man with another man or a woman with another woman). Also a person is not allowed to have sexual relations with animals. This is bestiality.

Safeguarding from Transgression
Rape by a Noahide is a capital offense. There are opinions that, regarding people who are forbidden by the Torah to have sex with one another, the Torah prohibits any physical contact between them that is liable to be stimulating. This would include kissing, hugging and social dancing. It is nevertheless permitted for people to kiss their offspring.

It is worthwhile for men and women to minimize their mingling with one another. For this reason, youth groups and social activities should be organized separately for boys and for girls. In particular, when groups come together for prayer, etc. the men and the women should sit separately.

Proper Sexual Relations
The purpose of sexual relations is to increase the human race and to strengthen the ties between the married couple. According to the Torah, a husband is called to gratify and satisfy sexually his wife. The same holds true for the wife toward her husband. All this is to strengthen the ties between the married couple. God created men and women with sexual appetite and chemistry. Sex is a blessing from God, and it is not sin in the bounds of permitted sex under the seven laws of Noah.

One should not read pornographic literature or watch pornographic movies. As women who are dressed inappropriately can stimulate men easily, women should dress modestly.

Having Children
Most authorities are of the opinion that Bnei Noah are not obligated any more to have children. There is a minority view that they are. According to this minority view and the view of Nachmanides, masturbation is prohibited. Also, according to them [the minority view] only the female is allowed to use contraceptives. The ones that would be permitted are foam or pills or similar methods.

Timing of Relations
It is an ancient custom of Israel to be careful and not to have sexual relations when the woman is having her menstrual period. An Israelite married woman is not allowed to have sexual relations with her husband for seven days, starting from the first day of her menstruation period. After the seven days she must go to a ritual bath, a mikvah, before she resumes having sexual relations with her husband. A Noahide is not called to do so, but it is worthwhile for the couple to abstain from having sexual relations during the woman’s menstrual period.^[1]

[-iHN note: Western medicine is disputed on whether sexual relations during menstruation is healthy or unhealthy.  Chinese Medicine advices against it, as it causes 'Qi Stagnation' in women.  Of course, Torah laws are not rooted in health concerns, despite often leading to better health.]

As explained by Rav Kook, and by Rambam, contemplating the wonders of Creation engenders a yearning to know G-d.

I highly recommend the Planet Earth BBC documentaries.
Here’s a short clip of Bird’s of Paradise in New Guinea.

On the one hand, we recognize how miniscule and finite we are.  This builds a sense of Awe or Fear of G-d.  In light of this Awe, we then grow a sense of Love, Gratitude, and Yearning for G-d who “cares” about and “loves,” as it were, even finite Mankind!

Since I created this site in July 2008, a number of people have arrived at this post searching with the search-terms “Noahide Tzitzit” (or similar words).

(photo used with permission)

I’m not sure why people are searching “Noahide Tzitzit.”  There are two reasons I could see why:

1) They are looking for information on the prophecy in Zechariah which describes the G.d-centered relationship Gentiles will have with Jews in the End of Days.

2) They are looking for information on some misinformed practice of Gentiles wearing tzitzis (fringes on cornered garments, such as in the above picture).

The iHeartNoahides.com website follows the halachic rulings of Rabbi Yoel Schwartz.  As regards the question of should B’nei Noach wear tzitzit or other prayer garments, Rabbi Schwartz says as follows:

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(source: WikiNoah)

Prayer garments for non-Jews must not have the Tzitzit (special corner fringes) which are commanded for Israel as a sign of their covenant [with G-d].

Rabbi Yoel Schwarts recommends that our [B'nei Noach] prayer garments incorporate some reminder of the Rainbow Covenant [which G-d made with Noah]. Whether it is in the form of a robe, scarf, or shawl wear it in the spirit of reverence and humility. Unless, one is sitting at a meal, one who is able to do so stands during prayer. — Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, Oklahoma B’nai Noah Society DRAFT Rosh Hashanah prayer book

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I will add my own opinion:

“In the spirit of reverence and humility”

That means that the purpose and function of your prayer garment is to influence your heart and mind toward a state of reverence and humility toward G-d, which is the proper state of mind to have while praying.

No matter if your prayer is during a moment of great joy, such as a wedding, or a moment of great sadness, such as a funeral, the spirit underlying your joy or sadness should always be reverence and humility before Whom you are expressing your joy or sadness.

May your prayers always be heartfelt and sincere, whether or not you choose to don a prayer garment.