Seven Laws as Categories
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Rabbi Aaron Lictenstein
In Rabbi Aaron Lictenstein's opinion it is possible to defines all seven laws with the view towards establishing the extent to which they, severally, correspond to the Jewish law directed at Jews. He demonstrates that the single Noahide law on Theft corresponds to as many as sixteen of the 613 commands. [1]
The Hinnuch, Aaron HaLevi of Barcelona, in his compendium of the six hundred thirteen commandments, under Commandment 424 (Io titaveh) which grows out of the Deuteronomy 5:18 verse "Do not desire you neighbor's home," writes as follows:
- Likewise then, we say that since they are commanded concerning Theft, they are also commanded concerning. The deterrents to its transgression…
- Now, it is not my intention to state that the Noahite is admonished against this [desiring] under a distinct imperative - for he is not subject to specific imperatives like the Israelite - but that he is admonished generally concerning the Seven Laws, as if to say, for example: "Let no man approach his close relative, neither his mother, nor his sister, etc." Similarly, concerning Idolatry, he is prohibited in a general sense. And thus too concerning stealing, it is as if he is told: "Do not steal rather avoid stealth completely," and not to covet is part of not stealing. But it is not thus for the Israelite… So it is that even when we are already subject to a command (in a general way] we are also bound by specific positive and negative commandments…
This idea has been re-stated briefly by Elijah Benamozegh in the following words:
- Quel que soit le nombre des preceptes noachides, il est certain que chacun d'eux represente non pas un commandement unique, mais tout un groupe d'obligations de meme nature.
- Whatever the number of the Noahide precepts, it is certain that each represents not just a single commandment, but a unit of similar obligations.[2]
