Guide for the Noahide

The Almighty commanded six categorical laws to Adam. These were to be taught generation after generation. Mankind quickly abandoned the Almighty's Instruction. Ultimately the world was so corrupt in its rebellion that only the household of Noah merited to be saved from the expression of the Almighty's Will in relation to the situation. This was the Great Flood.

Ever wondered what it was that made the generation of Noah worthy of such an extreme consequence? The reason for this consequence is referred to in Genesis 6:11-13 only by means of two words whose meanings do not specify the violation of any particular law -- though I am of the opinion that they imply violation of the Law to Establish an Upright Judicial System. This itself is one of the Laws of Noah. The two Hebrew words used in describing the reason for the Great Flood are "nish'hhatha" and "hhamas." Nish'hhatha literally means ruin, and implies a state of corruption. Hhamas is roughly translated as tumult or social-disorder, and implies lawlessness and anarchy; yet these words by themselves do not give clear indication of exactly what laws that generation was rebelling against, or what orders they ceased to heed. The text makes one thing clear, whatever laws they had cast aside, they were laws which the Almighty Creator expected them to uphold, upon which their existence on the Earth depended.

The Book of Jonah begs the same question. Yona [Jonah] was sent to Neen'weh [Nineveh] to warn the non-Israelites living there that they must repent, lest the Almighty bring judgment upon their great city. They repented in the end, but what sins were they repenting from? When they repented, what commandments of the Creator did they resume keeping which previously they had turned against?

There is found no where in the Bible any straight forward list of the obligations the Almighty commands the nations of the world to keep. It should be clear to all from the Bible's introduction to the 'Ten Commandments' that the 'Ten Commandments' were only directed to the People of Israel. Immediately preceding the giving of the 'Ten Commandments,' (more properly: the Ten Matters) it is recorded in Deuteronomy 5:1-4 the following:

"And Moses called to all of Israel and said unto them, 'Harken O Israel, to the statutes and to the judgments that I am speaking in your ears this day, that you should learn them and keep them - to do them... The TRANSCENDENT One did not make this Covenant with our fathers, but rather, He made it with us - we who are here alive this day, all of us."

"..His Covenant that He commanded to you to do, the Ten Matters.." (Deuteronomy 4:13)

In addition to this, there are laws contained in the Torah [Law of Moses] which clearly indicate a distinction between Israelites and a non-Israelite.

"You shall not eat anything that died on its own; you may give it to the immigrant in your gates, and he shall eat it; or sell it to the foreigner; for you are a people set apart to the TRANSCENDENT One your Venerable Authority.." (Deuteronomy 14:21)

* the Hebrew word gehr, usually translated as "stranger," is here translated as immigrant.

From this verse we learn of three types of people distinct from the native-born Israelite. We learn of an "immigrant in your gates" to whom we "give," who is distinct from the "foreigner" to whom we "sell;" and because the "immigrant in your gates" mentioned in this verse is allowed to eat that which is forbidden to Israel, we see that he is distinct from the immigrant mentioned in Numbers 15:15-16 "who permanently sojourns" with Israel; for unlike the immigrant of Deut. 14:21, the immigrant of Numbers 15:15-16 is obligated in Torah just as a native-born Israelite:

"As for the congregation, the same statute is for you and for the immigrant who sojourns [immigrates] with you; an everlasting statute for your generations; as you are, so shall the immigrant be, before the TRANSCENDENT One. The same Torah and the same adjudication shall be for you and for the immigrant who sojourns [immigrates] with you." (Numbers 15:15-16)

(A side note: The Written Torah does not explain how an individual changes from any one of these statuses to another.)

By now, with all this information in mind, a few things should be apparent to us:

1* that the Bible assumes obligations for the non-Israelite nations of the world.

2* the obligations of the non-Israelite nations are distinct from the obligations of the people of Israel

3* among people who are not native-born Israelites there are three basic types -- a "foreigner" (nokhrey), a "immigrant of gates" (gehr be-sha'arekhem), and a "immigrant who sojourns" (gehr ha-gor ita'khem);

4* the Bible is being vague regarding these issues;

So how can we know more about these three types of status among non-native-born Israelites? And the main question: With the Bible being so vague, how are we to know what commandments the non-Israelite nations are obligated to keep?

THE ANSWER

The people of Israel inherited from their righteous ancestors certain teachings which preceded the Covenant made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. Some of these teachings are alluded to in the written text of the Torah [Law of Moses.] The most essential teachings which the People of Israel inherited from their ancestors are the Laws of Noah. It is these laws that are incumbent upon all mankind.

Throughout history, while the majority of humankind would be turning away from surrendering to their Creator, there remained a remnant of people, sometimes just individuals, who preserved the chain of instruction passed down from generation to generation, going all the way back to the first man (Adam) who received them from the Almighty. The instruction of the 7 categorical laws, often called the 7 laws of Noah because the 7th was given via Noah, were kept by very few until Abraham's lifetime.

Abraham not only preserved the 7 laws, he also strove to spread the knowledge of and submission to the will of the One Creator to the masses. Genesis 12:5 refers to “..souls they made in Haran.." The souls they made can’t refer to children. Abraham and Sarah hadn’t yet had children, as indicated in the chapters that follow Genesis 12. Instead, the ancient Sages of Israel taught that the souls they made refer to the people that Abraham and Sarah won over to the monotheistic community which they were building. With Abraham, the Almighty began to unfold His ultimate plan to remedy the problem of the world's continual rebellion and ignorance of His Will. The Almighty made an ETERNAL covenant with Abraham's household. (See Genesis 17:7, 13, 19.) This household, whose faithful teachings were passed down through Isaac [Yeys'haq] and then Jacob [Ya'aqov], developed into the People of Israel.

At the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, the People of Israel became set apart as a "priestly kingdom." What is a priestly kingdom without people to whom to minister? By making the nation of Israel, and setting them apart from the degenerative trends of the world by means of the 613 commandments, the Almighty created a way by which knowledge of the Torah would never be forgotten. The core of this Torah remained the seven original Laws of Noah, the core of which remained surrender to the One Creator. This nation, the People of Israel, would itself be a continual and eternal testimony to the Reality and Singularity of Creator's Being, and to the faithfulness of His Instruction for mankind.

The LORD of the world set apart a thin stretch of land for this set apart people to dwell in. He choose this land to be at the cross roads of 3 major continents. By placing this set-apart land in such a location, it became inevitable that traveling caravans from throughout the known world would encounter this set-apart people. Among the commandments given to Israel which form part of what is called the "Oral Torah," is that if anyone wants to even pass through the Land of Israel, although they need not become an Israelite, they must at least accept the 7 Laws of Noah. Such a traveler who accepts the 7 laws is the "immigrant in your gates" which we saw mentioned in the Written Torah [Law of Moses] earlier. This function of People of Israel, being a teacher to the nations, is one of the essential purposes of its existence as a nation of priests. Teaching the 7 Laws of Noah is critical to that purpose.

Now as to the question - “Why aren’t the 7 laws of Noah listed in the Bible?" Among the possible reasons why the 7 laws are not plainly listed in the Torah [Law of Moses] may be:

1) Because the Written Torah [Law of Moses] was not given directly to the nations. Rather, the nations were, and are, to learn Torah under the guidance of the people of Israel. (Zechariah 8:23, 14:16-21; Micah 4:1-3)

These Bible passages are in the context of the "latter days" because only "at that time... the nations... shall no longer walk according the stubbornness of their evil heart," (Jeremiah 3:17); and only at that time "...He shall swallow up the covering which covers all the peoplehoods, even the veil which is stretched over all the nations....," when "He shall remove the reproach of His People from all the earth;" (Isaiah 25:7-8) and "All the ends of the earth shall remember and return unto the LORD;" (Psalm 22:28). "...the nations shall come from the extremities of the earth, and shall say: 'Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, emptiness, and things that are of no profit,'" (Jeremiah 16:19). And in that day, "the Mount of the LORD's House [the Temple] shall be established... and all nations shall flow unto it. And people of many nations shall go and say, 'Go ye, and let us ascend to the Mount of the LORD, to the House [Temple] of the Venerable-Authority of Jacob; and he will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Sion shall the Torah go forth, even the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-3) How shall the Torah go forth from the Mount of the LORD? By means of Moses' Court: See further.

2) Because when Israel received the written Torah [Law of Moses], they already had knowledge of the 7 Laws of Noah. This is similar to the reason why the writers of the ‘New Testament’ did not repeat basic stories of Jes’us life in each of their books. The authors probably assumed or knew that the readers were already aware of these things. All in all, it is quite clear from the written text that the Israelites had standards of right and wrong even before the giving of the Torah. The same is true for the righteous individuals before the formation of the children of Jacob / Israel. It is supposed to be a "given" to anyone reading this article, that basing standards of right and wrong on something as subjective as emotions or feelings is definately not to be called "the right thing to do."

3) To testify to whom the true people of Israel are. There have been many groups, big and small, who claim to be either replacements of Israel or the new Israel. Some even claim that they themselves are the historically true Israel while those called Jews in the English language are either phony Israelites or cast aways. Yet the preservation of the Oral teachings and explanations of the Torah [Law of Moses] testify to the fact that the Jews are the true people of Israel.

Only the Jewish People possess the record of the Great Court [Sanhedrin]’s rulings, which the written Torah commands us to follow (Deuteronomy 17:8-12). Along with this, only the Israelites - the Jewish People, possess clear knowledge of the divinely given laws which the non-Israelite nations of the world are obligated to keep. None of the phony "replacement" groups have inherited any such information. In fact, these phony groups would not even be able to read the Bible in any translation without relying on someone who learned Hebrew from the Jewish People. And even more so, many of these pseudo-Israelite groups believe that ALL PEOPLE must keep all the commandments just as Israel must keep them. Are you prepared for such?

As for the "foreigner" mentioned above in Deuteronomy 14:21, the Oral Torah explains that he is a non-Israelite who has not formally accepted the Laws of Noah -- the only laws absolutely binding on the non-Israelite nations. The phoney groups who want to obligate the entire world in the Law of Moses should have a dillema here. Are they claiming that we are to instigate a profit off the ignorance and sin of the foreigner by selling to him meat which he is forbidden to eat? This would be the implication where it true that they are obligated in Torah just as the Israelites. And such groups want to put this perversity in the "mouth" of the Almighty. Heaven forbid.

And who is the "immigrant who permanently sojourns with you?" He is an individual who was born a non-Israelite, either from a "foreigner" or from a "immigrant in your gate;" but at some point he desired to "come under the 'wings' of the Divine Expression" by offically and permanently joining the People of Israel, accept as binding upon himself all the obligations of the Torah which the Creator gave to Israel, and by which He set them apart as a unique people unto Himself, with a special purpose in this world.

By beginning to heed the Laws of Noah, you join in the fulfillment of Israel's divinely ordained purpose, and become a partner with Israel - the LORD's selected People, in the preservation of the Commandments of the Sovereign LORD; He alone is the Creator and Sustainer of all existence. Exalted is He above the highest praise of man - preserver of His glorious Guidance by the preservation of the House of Noah; Preserver of Abraham's seed - to Moses ~ the Immutable "I AM."

Having understood the contents of this page, you should now be better prepared for learning THE LAWS OF NOAH - the Creator's Torah (instruction) for the nations.

The following are the introductory principles regarding observance of the Laws of Noah:

Mishneh Torah, Hilkoth Melakhim u'Milhhamothehem Chapter 8

8:12 [10] Moses our teacher gave the Torah and the commandments as an acquisition only to the people of Israel, as it is stated, "inheritance of the house of Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:4) and to anyone who wants to become a convert from among the rest of the nations, as it is stated, "as you are, so is the convert" (Numbers 15:15), but whoever does not want to become obligated in Torah as an Israelite should not be forced to accept the Torah and commandments upon himself as an Israelite.

8:13 And Moses our teacher was likewise commanded from the "mouth" of the Almighty, to compel all those who come into the world to accept all the commandments that Noah was commanded; but anyone who does not accept them is to be killed - by means of conviction within a valid court-system.

But anyone who accepts these the Laws of Noah is called a gehr-toshov, the "immigrant in your gates" mentioned in the Bible, in all contexts; and he needs to accept the Laws of Noah upon himself in front of three Torah-scholars.

But anyone who accepted upon himself to be circumcised in order to obtain status within Torah as an Israelite, and he allowed twelve months to pass without being circumcised for the sake of becoming as an Israelite, - behold, he is as an apostate among the nations.

8:14 [11] Anyone who accepts the seven commandments of Noah, and is cautious to do them - behold, this individual is of the pious among the nations of the world; and he has a portion in the world to come; and this is someone who will accept them and do them because the Holy One, blessed is He, commanded concerning them in the Instruction (Torah); and He informed us (Israel) about these laws by means of Moses our teacher, that the sons of Noah were commanded concerning them from beforehand;

However, if he will do them only because of the descretion of reason, he is not a resident immigrant (gehr toshav), nor is he of the pious of the nations; but rather, he is counted among their wise-men.

Mishneh Torah, Hilkoth Melakhim u'Milhhamothehem Chapter 9

9:1 Adam, the first man, was commanded concerning 6 matters; He was commanded concerning:

idolatry,

cursing the Name of the Almighty,

blood shed,

forbidden intercourse,

stealing,

and concerning the establishment of a judical system.

9:2 Eventhough we have knowledge of all of these commandments by the the teaching we received into our hands from Moses our teacher, and eventhough reason is inclined to uphold these, nonetheless, it is seen in the general words of the Torah ('Law of Moses') that they were commanded concerning these.

The prohibition against eating meat taken from an animal while it was still active / alive, was additionally commanded to Noah, as it says:

"Nonetheless, meat with it's life-movement in it's blood do not eat." (Genesis 9:4)

Therefore, we end up with seven commandments.

9:3 And thus the matter was for the entire world, until Avraham was commanded more than these seven by being commanded regarding circumcision. He also made it a practice to pray at sunrise.

Yiz'hhaq (Isaac), the son of Avraham, set apart tithes, and he made it a practice to pray an additional prayer during the latter-half of the day.

Ya'aqov (Jacob), son of Yiz'hhaq, added the practice of obstaining from the sciatic nerve (Genesis 32:32-33); and he made it a practice to pray at evening.

And in Mizraiyim (Egypt), Amram was commanded further concerning more commandments, until Mosha (Moses) our teacher came; and divine instruction (Torah) was made whole by him.

"The Torah of the TRANSCENDENT ONE is whole, restoring the soul. The Testimony of the TRANSCENDENT ONE is steadfast, making wise the simple..." (Psalm 19:8)

"To the Torah, even to the Testimony; For if they do not speak in accordance with this Word, there is no light of dawn to it." (Isaiah 8:20)

IDOLATRY - Worship foreign to the Creator's Will

9:4 [2] A ben Noah (non-Israelite) who does foreign worship (idolatry) is liable for the death penalty, so long as he did a service of idolatry in the generally practiced manner. A ben Noah is liable for the death penalty for any type of service of idolatry that a court of Israel is to consider worthy of the death penality. Nevertheless, a ben Noah is NOT liable for the death penalty for doing an idolatrous act that a court of Israel is not to consider worthy of the death penality. Even so, although in such a case the ben Noah is not to be executed, he is still not allowed to do any kind of these idolatrous acts.

All the peoples of the world are not to be allowed to erect monuments around which people may gather, nor to plant trees associated with idolatry, nor to make forbidden images.

BLASPHEMY

9:5 [3] A ben Noah (non-Israelite) who curses the Name of the Creator, regardless of whether he curses one of the special names of the Creator, or whether he curses any of the other names of the Creator in any language, he is liable for the death penalty.

BLOOD SHED

9:6 [4] A ben Noah who murders any human-being, even one unborn in the womb of its mother, such a person is liable for the death penalty because he is guilty of murder. Likewise, if someone killed another person who would have soon died anyway, put someone in front of a lion, or starved someone to death, such a person is liable for the death penalty, because in one way or another, this person mudered.

Likewise, if one slayed a person who was violently chasing someone, in a situation where the life of the violent chaser could have been spared if injuring one of the chaser's limbs was all that was needed to impare him, such a person who needlessly killed the pursuer is liable for the death penalty.

PROHIBITED INTERCOURSE

9:7 [5] There are six types of sexual acts forbidden to a ben Noah:

Intercourse with his own mother,

with his father's wife (who is not one's mother, ei: step mom),

with another man's wife,

with his sister from his mother's side (maternal sister),

with another male,

and with an animal

-- as it is written: "Therefore, a man should leave his father..." (Genesis 2:24)

This verse indicates that intercourse with his father's wife is prohibited, even when she is not his mother; (An individual who is "leaving his father" is also leaving any wife his father may have, since his father and any wife his father may have are considered "one flesh.")

Intercourse with "...his mother" is prohibited, as is explicit in the verse;

The phrase "and he will cleave with his wife" in the above verse entails that intercourse with his fellow's wife is not permitted. ("with HIS wife," and not with someone else's.)

In the above verse, the phrase "and he will cleave with his wife" excludes intercourse with a male; (A male is not a wife; "wife" and "woman" are the same word in Hebrew.)

The phrase "and they become one flesh" excludes cattle, livestock, fowl, etc.. from among types of intercourse entailed as permitted by the verse, because a one can not produce "one flesh" with such. [Becoming "one flesh" includes the ability to have children. Children are a physical combination of the man and woman. - This excludes intercourse with non-females and non-humans.]

And it is stated, "My sister, daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, so she has become to me for a wife." (Genesis 20:13) [This shows that one's maternal half-sister is forbidden by the Laws of Noah, but not one's paternal half-sister.]

9:8 [6] A ben Noah is worthy of death when he had intercourse with his mother even if she was never married to his father, but was, instead, raped or seduced by his father. In the context of law, she is considered his mother in every place.

One is liable for the death penalty for having intercourse with one's father's wife even if one's father already died.

One is liable for the death penalty if he had intercourse with another male [see Homosexuality], whether it was a minor or a mature male, whether with an animal - small or big. When he had intercourse with an animal, only the ben Noah is to be put to death. The animal is not to be put to death.

9:9 [7] A ben Noah is only put to death for being with his fellow's wife if they had intercourse in the normal manner (vaginal) AFTER she had already had intercourse at least once with her husband. On the other hand, if she was only set apart to be his wife, or had only had the marrage ceremony, but the woman and her committed partner/husband had not yet had intercourse, then one is not liable for the death penalty for having had intercourse with her, as it is stated, "For she has been possessed by her 'possesser'" (Genesis 20:3) [The Hebrew word for husband literally means one who possesses. The word for intercourse literally means to possess.)]

9:10 When does this hold true? When the ben Noah has intercourse with a bahth Noah (non-Israelite woman). If, on the other had, the ben Noah has intercourse with a Jewish woman in the same circumstances, then the ben Noah is obligated to be put to death whether or not they had intercourse in the normal (vaginal) manner, or in the abnormal way (anal).

A ben Noah who had intercourse with an Israelite girl between the ages of twelve and twelve and a half, a girl who has also already been set apart by someone for marrage, such a ban Noah is liable for the death penalty according to the way an Israelite would be put to death in such a case. If the ben Noah had intercourse with her after she had done the wedding ceremony, but before she had intercourse with the one she married, the ben Noah is liable to die under death penalty using the same method by which Jew would be executed in such a case. Now, if the ben Noah had intercourse with a Jewish woman after she had already had intercourse with the one she married, then the ben Noah is put to death in the same way he would have been put to death had he committed adultry with a non-Israelite woman.

9:11 [8] If a ben Noah sets apart one of his female servants for one of his male servants, and then afterwards the ben Noah has intercourse with his female servant, he is to be put to death because of adultery. On the other hand, he is not liable for the death penalty for such an act if it is not yet known to the public that such and such the female servant is the 'wife of so and so' the male servant, and is referred to as his wife.

At what time would the ben Noah become permitted to have intercourse with his female servant? From the time that he separates her and the male servant and uncovers her head in the market place.

9:12 From what point in time is a bahth Noah [a non-Israelite female] considered divorced? She is considered divorced form the time that she is removed from his [her husband's] home and is sent on her own, or, when she chooses to leave his domain and goes to be on her own. Their divorce is not made in writing. This matter does not depend on the man's choice alone. At whatever point in time that either he or she decide to separate and go their own individual ways, they are divorced.

STEALING

9:13 [9] A ben Noah is liable for stealing, whether he stole from the one from among the idolators or from one from among Israel. The person liable for stealing is liable whether he stole by force, or stole money, or kidnapped. One is liable whether one holds back from paying an employee's salary or any similar thing. Even a worker who eats (produce that he is working with) at a time that he is not working (with that same produce), is liable for stealing. In all these situations one is liable and is considered a theif.

A ben Noah is liable for stealing even if he stole something worth less than the smallest form of currency. Thusly, if one ben Noah stole something less than the smallest currency, and another ben Noah stole that from him, they are both to be put to death for the theft.

EATING FROM A STILL-LIVING ANIMAL

9:14 [10] Likewise, a ben Noah is liable for eating a limb from a living animal and for eating meat from a living animal, even for eating the smallest amount; and blood from a living animal is permitted to him.

9:15 [11] Whether it is a limb or flesh that is detached from a living domesticated animal or from a living wild animal, the prohibition remains. But it appears to me [to the Rambam], that there is no death penalty against a ben Noah for eating a limb from a living animal that posseses wings. [12] One who slaughters an animal, even if he slaughted it by slitting the two signs (the wind pipe and the gullet), all the time that it is still convulsing, any limb or flesh that is detached from it is forbidden to sons of Noah [plural form of "ben Noah"], due to the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal.

9:16 [13] Anything which is prohibited for the People of Israel due to the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal, is also prohibited for the ben Noah. And there is something for which a ben Noah is liable that an Israelite is not liable, and this is that a ben Noah is liable for eating a limb or meat from a living animal, whether it is a domestic animal or wild, whether it is pure (kosher) or an impure (non-kosher), they - the sons of Noah - are liable, due to the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal and due to the prohibition against eating flesh from a living animal; and a limb or meat that was detached while the animal was convulsing, even though a Jew slaughtered it at its two signs (the wind pipe and the gullet), in any case, this meat is indeed prohibited to a ben Noah, due to the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal.

ESTABLISHMENT OF GOVERNMENT

9:17 [14] What does it mean that they are commanded concerning establishing law? They are obligated to set up judges and magistrates in every major city to establish laws on the other six commandments of the seven commandments of Noah, and to admonish the peoples to do them. A ben Noah that transgresses one of these seven commandments is liable to be killed by decapitation.

9:18 What does this imply? One who does [literally: serves] foreign worship (idolatry), or who curses the Name, or who spills blood, or who had intercourse with one of the six persons with whom sexual relations are forbidden, or who stole even less than the worth of the smallest form of currency, or who ate the least bit from a limb of an active [literally: living] animal, or meat from an active animal, or who who saw someone transgress one of these seven laws and didn't have him judges and killed -- behold, such an individual as this is to be killed by dicapitation.

9:19 It is because of this that all the lords of Shekhem were killed, since Shekhem stole [by kidnapping Dinah?]. They, [the lords of Shekhem], saw and knew what had been done, but they did not apply law. A ben Noah is sentenced to be killed with the testimony of one witness, with one judge, and with no warning having been given at the time of the crime. A ben Noah is sentenced even by the testimony of relatives, but not by the witness of a woman. A woman shall not serve as a judge for them.

10:1 A ben Noah who by mistake transgressed one of his commandments is exempt from all punishment. This is the case with the transgression of any commandment except for a person who kills by mistake. This is so because if the redeemer of blood kills the one who mistakenly killed, the redeemer of blood is not put to death because of it. And there is no city of refuge for the one who killed by mistake. (This is so if he has not offically taken upon himself the 7 laws under a Jewish court, thus becoming a resident alien.)

But with this having been said, the courts are not to execute the one who killed by mistake.

10:2 Concerning what are these matters stated? Concerning a person who by mistake, transgressed one of the commandments of Noah unintentionally; For example: Someone who had intercourse with his fellow's wife and imagined that she was either his own wife or unmarried;

But if he knew that she was his fellow's wife, and did not know that she is forbidden to him, or rather it came upon his heart that this matter of being with another man's wife is permitted to him, and likewise if a person killed, and he did not know that it is forbidden to kill: Behold, this is near to purposeful transgression and he is therefore put to death; This situation is not considered to them as a trangression by mistake, since it was upon him to learn and he did not learn. ( It is my opinion that the last sentence in this law regards someone who lives in a place where the government upholds and teaches the Laws of Noah. Such is my opinion because 1) the last sentence assumes that the individual had the resources to learn the Laws of Noah, and 2) because only in a government that upholds and teaches the Laws of Noah is it possible for an individual to be executed according to the Laws of Noah. The Creator does not demand more than we are able. )

10:3 [2] A ben Noah who is forced by one forcing him to transgress one of his commandments, it is permitted to him to transgress; Even if he is forced to transgress the prohibition against foreign worship (idolatry), he can serve / worship it, since they (bnei Noah) are not commanded regarding sanctification of the Name; And the minor, and the deaf, and the mentally handicapped are NEVER punished among them, since they are not legally obligated in the commandments (literally: are not sons of the commandments).

10:7 [5] We already clarifed that all executions of a ben Noah are by decapitation, except if he had intercourse with the betrothed maiden wife of an Israelite. In a case such as this, he is to be stoned according to the way that is applicable to Israelites. If he (the ben Noah) had intercourse with her after they (the Israelite couple) had entered into the marriage-canopy (thus completing their marriage), BEFORE they (the newly-wed couple) have had intercourse, he (the ben Noah) is executed by strangulation according to the way that is applicable to Israelites.

Additional Laws Received by the Courts

10:8 [6] According to the teaching-received by the Great Court, the bne Noah (plural for 'ben Noah') are only forbidden to cross-breed animals and in joining different tree species together; And there is no death penalty concerning these prohibitions; And one from the nations who hit an Israelite and caused the least bit of damage, eventhough he is liable for death by the "hand of Heaven," he is not to be executed.

10:9 [7] Regarding circumcision - only Abraham and his seed were commanded concerning it, as it is stated, "You and your seed after you," (Genesis 17:9-10). This excludes the seed of Yishmael, as it is stated, "for in Yiz'hhaq [Isaac] will your seed be called," (Genesis 21:12). And Esau is also excluded, for we behold that Yiz'hhaq [Isaac] said to Ya'aqov [Jacob], "and the blessing of Abraham will be given to you, to you and to your seed," (Genesis 28:7) -- implied is that he alone is considered Abraham seed who keeps hold of his faith and his way of uprightness, and they, the seed of Ya'aqov, are the ones obligated in circumcision in answer to the question whether the covenant of circumcision was to be passed through Yiz'hhaq or Esau.

10:10 [8] The Sages of Israel stated that the sons of Qa'tura are obligated in circumcision; and they are those who are the seed of Abraham which came after Yishma'el and Yiz'hhaq [Isaac]. And since, as of today, the sons of Yishma'el and the sons of Qa'tura have mixed, all of them have become obligated in circumcision on the eighth day; but they are not to be killed for violation of it.

10:11 [9] A member of the non-Israelite nations who occupies himself in the Torah is liable for death by the "hand" of Heaven; such a one should not be occupied in Torah except for concerning their seven commandments alone. And likewise, a member of the non-Israelite nations who ceased work, even on one of the weekdays other than the 7th Day Sabbath, -- if he made it for himself like the Sabbath Day, he is liable for death by the "hand" of Heaven; and there is no need to state that if he made for himself a holiday, he is likewise liable.

10:12 The general principle of the matter: They are not to be allowed to innovate religious practice, or to create for themselves commandments from their own minds. Either a person shall become a full member of the people of Israel (literally: gehr sadaq - righteous convert) and thus accept upon himself all the commandments, or he shall remain with his Torah [as it applies to non-Israelite nations, and not add to it nor detract from it. And if he occupied himself in the Torah that is only binding upon Israel, or ceased working as a religious expression, or innovated something religious -- they (the legal enforcement of non-Israelites) are to hit him and punish him, and inform him that he is liable for death due to this; but he is not to be killed.

(I believe the "ben Noah" referred to in the following is a non-Israelite dwelling in the Land of Israel, a geir toshav)

10:13 [10] A ben Noah who wants to do one of the commandments from the rest of the commandments of the Torah, in order to receive reward -- they should not prevent him from doing it properly according to its legal details (halakha). And if he brought an offering, they are to accept it from him. (This is indicated by the "whosoever" in Numbers 15:14.) If he gave charity, they are to accept it from him; and it appears to me that they are to give it to the poor of Israel, since he is given sustenance from Israel, and it is a commandment upon them (the Israelites) to enable him (the observant ben Noah) to live; but a member from the non-Israelite nations who gives charity, we accept it from him, and give it to the poor of the non-Israelite nations.

10:14 [11] The Court of Israel is obligated to erect judges for these resident converts (gehrei toshavim; non-Israelites who formally accepted the Laws of Noah and dwell in the Land of Israel), to ajudicate for them according to these judgments, in order that the world shall not be destroyed. If they saw to it that they have judges established (literally: erected) from among them, they have them established; and if they saw to it that they establish judges for them from among the Israelites, they establish them from among the Israelites.