Chabad Rebbe & Noahides

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The following article by Michael Kress ran in the Dallas Morning News on July 9, 2004.[1]

Jews aren't the only ones remembering the Lubavitcher rebbe on the 10th anniversary of his death. A movement of non-Jews credits Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson with teaching them the "Noahide" laws, a set of precepts that, according to Jewish tradition, non-Jews must follow. Adherents of the movement, most of whom describe themselves as former Christians, are known as Noahides or B'nei Noach – children of Noah. They gather weekly or monthly in fellowships, called chavurot, to study Jewish texts. "The Torah is not just a single path," said Terry Lanham, leader of Chavurath B'nei Noach (the Fellowship of the Children of Noah) in Fort Worth. "The Torah is for all mankind."
The seven laws, which derive from the Book of Genesis, are: Do not practice idol worship (or, in some translations, do not deny God); do not commit blasphemy; do not murder; do not engage in illicit sex, such as adultery; do not steal; do not eat the limb of an animal that is still alive; and set up a court system. Many Jewish texts expound on these and on non-Jews' responsibilities under Jewish law.
There is no formal national or international organization of Noahides, so it's impossible to know how many there are. Adherents say their numbers are growing. They credit the efforts of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Schneerson's Brooklyn-based Hasidic movement. Chabad emphasizes outreach to unaffiliated Jews. But the rebbe, as he was known to followers, also preached that Jews should teach non-Jews about the Noahide laws. "We have to speak up and explain and expound to people who are willing to listen," said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a Chabad spokesman. He said it was America's openness – and the lack of centuries-old hostility here between Jews and non-Jews – that made Noahide outreach viable.
During his lifetime, Rabbi Schneerson received numerous presidential and congressional citations, many specifically praising his Noahide outreach. On his 82nd birthday, for instance, President Reagan issued a proclamation that said in part: "In fostering and promoting a tradition of ethical values that can trace its roots to the Seven Noahide Laws, which have often been cited as universal norms of ethical conduct and a guarantee of fundamental human rights, the Lubavitch movement and its greatly respected leader have shown Americans of every faith that true education involves not simply what one knows, but how one lives."
Vendyl Jones, an Arlington-based archeologist, was studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1967 when he first heard about the Noahide laws. Mr. Jones, a former Southern Baptist minister, eventually renounced Christianity. In 1990, at a gathering in the Fort Worth Coliseum, he announced the formal creation of a modern Noahide movement. (In practice, however, long before that official kickoff, Noahide groups were "popping up all over the world," he said.) Mr. Jones visited Brooklyn that year to seek Rabbi Schneerson's blessing. "The rebbe grabbed me and put his arms around me and told me, 'Vendyl Jones, you are doing the most important work in the world,' " he said. A weekly study group in Mr. Jones' home attracts 10 to 70 people, he said. Mr. Lanham's group, which meets monthly, involves about a dozen families.
Mr. Lanham cites Jewish texts with an ease that escapes most Jews. Like many Noahides, he refers to God as "Hashem," literally "the name," a term commonly used by traditional Jews. He said he's considered converting to Judaism, but his wife is opposed. "It's not a requirement," he said. "God made me a non-Jew for a very specific reason." He said of Rabbi Schneerson and his efforts to teach Noahides, "Thank God he did what he did."

See also

References

  1. ↑ Source
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