What was that "something?" All his observations led him to conclude that it was the "Trinity," the item of belief by which Christianity separates itself from all others. At this time, he became acquainted with Jews from the small Lyons community, and he realized that theirs was a religion with no such concept to distract the mind. There was one God alone, and the only service was that related directly to Him. He studied Torah and, gratified by what he learned, he made up his mind to become a Jew himself. After all, this was the faith in which all the others originated, and it was the meanings in the Hebrew text that had led him to question what he had first been told.

===Considered Conversion===The convert to Judaism had to abandon his previous non-Jewish identity altogether==

When he found out more of the details of the conversion process, he became discouraged once more. The convert to Judaism had to abandon his previous non-Jewish identity altogether, acquiring an entirely new personal nature like that of all other Jews in order to approach the fulfillment of the whole Torah.

Pallière wrote to him, asking for a meeting. On arriving in Leghorn, Pallière received a note saying that the rabbi was coming to greet him at the small hotel where he was staying. This personal approach, far removed from hierarchy or protocol, made a great impression on Pallière, who knew he was much younger than the rabbi. This was confirmed when a knock on the door of his room announced a most ordinary-looking old man, bearded and stooping, with conventional clothes and a ready smile.

===The Unknown Sanctuary===

In The Unknown Sanctuary, written many years later, Pallière described what followed. The rabbi listened to him explain his doubts about becoming a Jew, and the rabbi acknowledged them all. He told Pallière that there was no duty on anyone's part to become a Jew, and that the anguish his mother might feel on being parted from her son was certainly not misplaced. He went On:

:"They are founded on the principle of the abolition of the Torah even for the Jews," he told the Frenchman, "and they ignore in the Jewish prophets all that you yourself have known so well how to find in them."

===A great and far-reaching concept existed===

Pallière was transfigured by what he had heard. The elderly rabbi had told him that a great and far-reaching concept existed where he had thought there was nothing at all. There was a place for the non-Jew who realized Jewish truth but could not become a Jew. He had never heard of a religion which offered something to those who were not entirely a part of it, and he realized immediately that only the Jewish faith possessed the expanded views, and the humility, to make such an offer. Rabbi Benamozeg saw the effect of his words, and he added:

Such words change the whole course of the life of a man. Pallière took his leave, and the two never met again, but until the rabbi's death three years later, the two men exchanged letters carrying forward the suggestion that had been made and accepted.

===Adapting his life===Adapting his life to a set of beliefs that he alone knew and understood==

Pallière had to face the task of adapting his life to a set of beliefs that he alone knew and understood, and it was not surprising that his confidence did not immediately jump to the level that was needed. He wrote, "Not to be a Christian, not to be a Jew and yet after a fashion to adopt Judaism, was an equivocal position which in that state of faith had little attraction for me."

:According to the teachings of Judaism the Jews as the "priests" of humanity are subject to the Law of Moses, while the "laymen" are linked to the early universal religion alone. Christianity on the other hand introduced confusion into this, by either imposing the Law on the Gentiles through James, or abolishing it for the Jews through Paul (The Unknown Sanctuary).

===The importance of the non-Jewish identity===

Rabbi Benamozeg answered Pallière's heartfelt query about the importance of the non-Jewish identity:

:You will find there in abundance the complete elements of the code that you are seeking, and you who know Hebrew can convince yourself of it without difficulty. If one takes into account the circumstances in which the Sages discussed these questions, threatened with dire penalties even for teaching to their own people, their words unmistakably bear the Divine seal. They make an impression on the faith and the admiration of everyone, they rise to heights that even you do not dream of; it is Rabbinic Judaism and its authorized interpreters, the princes of wisdom and dedication. (The Unknown Sanctuary).

===He continued on his path ===

Pallière was convinced. He continued on his path and eventually came into positions of responsibility in both the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds that no one else had ever held at the same time. He earned the love and respect of all who came into contact with him. For the rest of his life, the memory of his dialogue with Rabbi Benamozeg inspired him. He described the meaning that it held for him in the personal sense.

:Why do you speak of feelings of isolation? I see all around you a great multitude of believers. I grant you that the outward signs may not be visible, but nevertheless you will truly be of the community of your brethren, the community of the future. For this, according to the Jews, is the true religion of the Messianic times.

===Now Pallière knew who and what he truly was===

Now Pallière knew who and what he truly was, and many people came to know of how Torah applied to non-Jews through his example. But the world around him was afflicted with evils, turning toward the turmoil of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the rise of Nazi power. The Jews were facing the terrible challenge of modern machine persecution, and he alone could not lead the non-Jewish peoples out of their situation. During the Nazi occupation of France, he was compelled to stop his work for fear of the Gestapo, but they did not come to harm him of their own accord. Hitler had no idea what he represented and therefore was not afraid of him. He died in 1949, beloved by everyone who had known him, leaving his writings and his example to those who would come after.

Let me reiterate this to you, my brethren in Israel, and to you, too, my Christian brethren who so persistently mistake for blindness Israel's age-old faith in its union with the Lord: take heed of my own experience. God is present in Israel, He is true to His promise, and those who seek Him will find Him as did the strangers in the vision of Isaiah. Better yet, seek Him with that feeling of closeness and love of a child toward the father that will inspire you to say: Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior; but behind the veil Thou wilt be found by the heart that loves Thee, by the soul that trusts in Thee.<ref>Palliere, Aime, The Unknown Sanctuary ("Le sanctuaire inconnu"), translated by Louise Waterman Wise. New York: Bloch Publishing Company, 1928.</ref>

==Palliere, A Noahide Catholic?==

In an article by Rabbi Yehoshua Friedman, published by the Root & Branch website entitled "Question and Answer about Aime Palliere's 'The Unknown Sanctuary'", Rabbi Friedman relates that he was asked:

:I recently purchased "The Unknown Sanctuary" by Aime Palliere. After finishing this book I find myself puzzled about why it is recommended. Palliere by his own admission remained a Roman Catholic and apparently continued to take the Eucharist according to the book.

:Considering the patently idolatrous nature of the Eucharist, I am puzzled why the book has been recommended at all. I think that perhaps Rabbi Benamozegh was not informed about the true nature of Catholicism. I found the book almost devoid of any worthwhile Noachide teachings, apart from a few excerpts from Rabbi Benamozegh's letters. Has anyone else here read the book and could they please give their opinion of it?

His reply was:

Here I think we need to understand context a little better. It is very important to read Rabbi Benamozegh's book, "Israel and Humanity". Rabbi Benamozegh deals with the positive aspects of Christian teachings. We all know about the negative aspects, of course, but as the saying goes, you catch more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar. It is necessary to reach people from where they are.

If you want a possible basis for permission for a Ben Noach to enter a church, there seems to be a clear one from the story of Naaman in II Kings Ch. 5. Naaman asks the permission of the prophet Elisha to accompany his master to the idolatrous shrine of Beit Rimmon. Elisha gives Naaman his permission to go and even forgives Naaman for bowing down there when he supports his master.

Now a church is not true idolatry according to definite opinions in halacha (Jewish Law). Christianity is "shituf" the combination of HaShem (G-d) with the worship of something else, which is, according to those opinions, permissible for a non-Jew. This disagreement applies to Christians who believe and practice Christianity.

For a Ben Noach who does not intend the practice according to the tenets of Trinitarian Christianity, we may follow the analogy of the Rambam in his letter to Ovadia HaGer.

Ovadia HaGer? was an Arab convert to Judaism in Eretz Yisrael in the time of the Rambam. As a Jew, he asked the Rambam a few questions. One is the famous one about whether a convert can refer to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as his fathers, and to the exodus from Egypt and other events as having happened to his fathers. That is an important part of Judaism, but not our concern here.

Another question which he asks is about teaching Torah to a non-Jew. That is very germane to Bnai Noach, but I'll save it for another posting.

The third question, which is what I want to deal with here, is as follows: Ovadia heard from a local rav that Islam was idolatry. This disturbed him since it seemed to him that his former people were perhaps practicing idolatry. The Rambam answered that Islam is indeed not idolatry, believing in the unity of G-d, but it retains a number of practices which are remnants of former idolatrous religions. He then goes on to enumerate them, but I won't go into it here.

What do we learn from this regarding our case? If we incorporate the position of the poskim who say that shituf is permissible for a non-Jew, then even Catholicism with all of its idolatrous practices, would be for a non-Jew something similar to Islam, having the countervailing advantage of accepting the text of the Torah as given, which Islam does not.

Palliere, with the permission and full knowledge of Benamozegh, went to both Catholic and Protestant churches to influence Christians. He also brought many Jews back to Torah with his impassioned addresses in synagogues and other Jewish forums such as the Jewish scouting movement in France. He was ultimately a very solitary man. He sought to maintain his connections with both Christians and Jews, and it is doubtful that many understood him.

I don't know how he lived during the German occupation. We must try to understand the whole story of a man rather than some halachic principles which are basically known to us.

There is some element of controversy over the teachings of Benamozegh. Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook z"l had a negative opinion of Benamozegh's attitudes which Rav Kook felt were too accommodating to Christianity, perhaps as a result of living in galut in a Catholic country without being sufficiently isolationist.

<ref>[http://www.rb.org.il/Fellowship%20Noahide/noahcom2.htm Root & Branch: Question and Answer about Aime Palliere's 'The Unknown Sancutary'"

by Yehoshua Friedman]</ref>

==References==

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