View source for Bnei Noah, the Sanhedrin's relationship with non-Jews

The Biblical, Monotheistic, Abrahamic faith, that was common among non-Jews who lived in or around Israel for hundreds of years until the destruction of the second Temple, is called in Rabbinic literature "the Covenant of Bnei Noah" or the "Noahide" faith.  This system of belief is thought by some scholars to be the root of Christianity and Islam, as it is referred to both in the New Testament and the Qur'an.

Judaism does not view itself as a universal religion, instead it sees itself as a national faith.  This is understood within the context of the Jewish teaching that there are seventy nations or groups of people in the world.  Each group of people must develop its own form of worship, unique to its own character.  There is however a basic minimum common to all proper faiths, and this is the Noahide teachings.  The Sanhedrin is required to play a role in helping to clarify these most basic teachings, and each group of people in turn must set up its own religious court to expand, develop and adapt these laws to fit the needs of its community of believers.

The history of the Noahide movement is difficult to trace outside of the ''Ger Toshav'' of the ''Tanach''. The movement, which seemed to be thriving before the destruction of the Second Temple, was nearly non-existent after the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Rabbi Bindman mentions that a memorial tablet was found in a synagogue in Turkey that "has two separate groups of names: one is of Jews, but the other is of Greeks ... and it [the list of Greeks] is headed with the words, 'and also these Fearers of the One...' A similar inscription has also been found in the synagogue of Sardis, this time with three groups of names: born Jews, full converts to Judaism, and observers of the Seven Laws. The 'Fearers' are mentioned many times by the Roman commentators and historians." ''Deuteronomy Rabbah'' (II:24) attests to the existence of G-d Fearers in general, and a particular G-d Fearer in the Roman Senate. Domitian, son of Vespasian complained that the city of Rome was full of Jews. It seems possible that many of those he believed to be Jew were in fact G-d Fearers. According to Gedaliah Alon, Josephus also attests to the presence of G-d Fearers, who were said to have absorbed the Jewish love of work.

More history of the Bnei Noah [http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/bneinoah/history.html can be found here.]

"Friends of the Sanhedrin's" [http://www.thesanhedrin.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=7 Forum on Bnei Noah]

The contact for Bnei Noah matters for the Sanhedrin is Roger Grattan. Any e-mail concerning the Bnei Noah and the Sanhedrin should be sent to him at sanhedrin.emissary@yahoo.com.

===Jerusalem Court for Issues of Bnei Noah===

[[Image:courtbneinoah.gif|thumb|left|300px|Special Court for matters concerning Bnei NoaH]] Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, received the blessing of leading hareidi-religious Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv to engage in the project of creating a court and infrastructure for B'nai Noah.

Rabbi Schwartz is the Deputy Chancellor, ''Segan Av Beit Din'', of the Sanhedrin.  He is also the Chief Justice, ''Av Beit Din'', for the Special Court for Matters Concerning Bnei Noah, ''Beit Din L'inyanei Bnei Noach''. This court has been set up to serve the needs of B'nei Noah worldwide. At this point, the council will not serve as a adjudicating body.

The Special Court for Matters Concerning Bnei Noah website can be found at  http://www.thesanhedrin.org/en/courtbneinoah/

"It is our sincere hope that in years to come, the knowledge of the halakha, Torah law, of the Seven Laws of Noah will grow to such a degree that there will be true Noahide judges," A justice on the court said. "One of the goals is to delineate clearly the seven laws and their applications according to the Mishneh Torah of the Rambam... Never before in recorded history have B'nei Noah come together to be ordained by the Sanhedrin for the purpose of spreading Noahide observance of laws... This is the first critical step of bringing about the ultimate flowering of the brotherhood of mankind envisioned by Noah, the father of mankind."

The Seven Laws of Noah are:

* ''Shefichat damim'' - Do not murder.
* ''Gezel'' - Do not steal or kidnap.
* ''Avodah zarah'' - Do not worship false gods/idols.
* ''Gilui arayot'' - Do not be sexually immoral (engage in incest, sodomy, bestiality, castration and adultery)
* ''Birkat Hashem'' - Do not utter G-d's name in vain, curse G-d or pursue the occult.
* ''Dinim'' - Set up righteous and honest courts and apply fair justice in judging offenders and uphold the principles of the last five.
* ''Ever Min HaChai'' - Do not eat a part of a live animal.

Questions to this court can be addressed to [mailto:bneinoah@thesanhedrin.org bneinoah@thesanhedrin.org]

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===Rabbi Schwartz's Bnei Noah website===

[[Image:beni-noah.gif|thumb|left|300px|Rabbi Schwartz's Bnei Noah website]] Rabbi Yoel Schwartz spoke on the topic of "B'nai Noah and World Peace."

Rabbi Schwartz'  website can be found at  http://www.beni-noah.com

"The Islamic Jihad against the world has restored religion to the center of the world's consciousness," Schwartz said. "Over 30 years ago, someone by the name of Eisenberg sent a proposal to the United Nations saying that there will never be world peace unless the citizens of the globe agree on certain principles of faith. It was adopted by the UN as one of its official documents but was not followed up upon and has since been forgotten. We are here today to follow up on that document and remind the UN why it exists. There will be world peace when the whole world agrees that there is one G-d. There are people who do not think what I am about to say is worthwhile, but I suggested years ago that we begin to translate our books, which are meant for the nations of the world, into Arabic as well [Schwartz has authored many books on practical observance for Noahides –ed.]. It is not by coincidence that we have this nation alongside us, surrounding and living inside the land upon our return to it, who also preserves the heritage of Abraham our father."

Schwartz has indeed translated his books to Arabic, with the help of an Arab man he met at a bus stop who asked him a Mishanaic question, telling him he had already translated the ''Mishna'', a codification of Jewish oral law. He said the entire printing has been sold out. "Muslim parents have thanked me for teaching their child that there is a different way to heaven than becoming a ''shahid'', a martyr," he said.

Rabbi Schwartz explained that although one of the purposes of the Jewish people's exile was to disseminate belief in the Torah's truths around the world, their return to Israel has brought with it the technology to redouble our efforts from here: "The moment we came to Israel, communication technology flourished. The telephone and radio spread rapidly, and computers and internet came soon after, changing the entire concept of communication and education. When we were in the exile, we were there to teach the world, and now that we have returned to the Land of Israel, G-d has given us the tools to do the work from here."

Questions to Rabbi Schwartz may be sent to: qa@beni-noah.com

===The High Council of B'nei Noah===

[[Image:highcouncilofbneinoah.gif|thumb|left|300px|The High Council of B'nei Noah website]] The High Council of B'nei Noah, website is a resource center for information about the council, projects being worked on, official announcements, and learning resources.  In contains a brief introduction to the Noahide Covenant according to the ancient oral Torah tradition of the Jewish people. Every human being among the nations of the world is considered a Ben Noah (Noahide).

This website for this council can be found on http://www.highcouncilofbneinoah.org/

A group of ten non-Jewish delegates assembled in Jerusalem to pledge their loyalty to the Rabbinic interpretation of Scripture, and the Laws of Noah in particular. They appeared before the nascent Sanhedrin, and established a High Council for B'nai Noah. "Each one [of the B'nai Noah] comes with a name he has made in the world, as a teacher and example in his community of observance of the seven laws of Noah," said the Sanhedrin's emissary who facilitated the council's organization.

Spokesman Jim Long outlined the Council's goals: "Education is a vital part of our effort and we need you [the nascent Sanhedrin] to help us with this. We need to make sure that developing Noahide groups do not split into denominations... The Noahide movement is a Torah-based template for an ethical way of life. The Creator requires humanity to uphold these laws as per His covenant with Noah."  He went on to say "Anyone who reads the Bible can see that your [the Jewish people's] Torah is your constitution, your Bill of Rights and your deed to the Land of Israel. We have plans to publish Noahide prayer books, children's books and documentaries on science and the world through the lens of the Torah."

Questions to the High Council of B'nei Noah may be sent to: [mailto:info@highcouncilofbneinoah.org info@highcouncilofbneinoah.org]

===The United Noachide Council===

[[Image:unitednoachidecouncil.gif|thumb|left|300px|Billy Jack Dial's United Noachide Council website]] United Noachide Council, Inc was founded in 2006 by Billy Jack Dial to serve the needs of Noahides worldwide. One of the primary organization’s goals is to support a democratic Noahide assembly that represents the interests and needs of Noahide Communities throughout the world, and ultimately to support a Supreme United Noachide Council composed of only qualified Noahide judges which will have graduated from a yeshiva for B'nei Noah in Israel.

This website for this council can be found on http://www.unitednoachidecouncil.org/

Billy Jack Dial was one of a group of ten non-Jewish delegates assembled in Jerusalem to pledge their loyalty to the Rabbinic interpretation of Scripture, and the Laws of Noah in particular. He appeared before the nascent Sanhedrin and declared the nascent Sanhedrin his authority in halachic matters.

The United Noachide Council currently maintains a set of Noahide Courts for arbitration.  Branch UNC organizations are in process of formation at various locations throughout the world. The goal of the UNC, Inc. organization is to have branches in every country. The UNC seeks to support and unify Noahides worldwide. They "promote diversity with the understanding that we all share the foundation of the Seven Noahide Laws - including the Chabad approach - but we are not limited to any one approach. We seek to provide assistance to all 70 Noahide nations, each in their own unique way."

Questions to the United Noachide Council may be sent to: [mailto:billyjdial@unitednoachidecouncil.com billyjdial@unitednoachidecouncil.com]
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==Related links==

People who visit the nascent Sanhedrin's website, also often visit these sites  They represent some initiatives to restore a Biblical hertitage and culture to the Jewish People.  They are often of interest to English speaking visitors to this site. ''Disclaimer: They are not in any way related, approved or endorsed by the nascent Sanhedrin, and may contain information contrary to the position of the nascent Sanhedrin.''

[http://www.wikinoah.org/ WikiNoah.org] Everything worthwhile to know about the Bnei Noah movement. The first online encyclopedia about the Noahide movement. Complete list of Noahide [http://www.wikinoah.org/index.php/Websites Websites] | [http://www.wikinoah.org/index.php/Maillists Maillists] | [http://www.wikinoah.org/index.php/Publications Publications] | [http://www.wikinoah.org/index.php/Leaders Leaders]

[http://www.1stcovenant.com/ 1st Covenant Foundation] Michael Dallen, a longtime writer and attorney, Jack E. Saunders, who began his professional career as a Baptist pastor, and Rabbi Michael Katz provide a wide variety of information on the Noahide Covenant, which they also call the Rainbow Covenant or Universal Covenant.  Michael Dallen's book can be found here

[http://www.asknoah.org/ AskNoah.org] Welcome to AskNoah.org and United Noahide Academies, associated with the Chabad Lubavitch movement. In the Internet section of the United Noahide Academies project, students have an opportunity for in-depth learning of selected kosher material based on quality resources that are already available on-line. A student may enroll in one or two courses per session.

[http://www.noahidenations.com/ Noahide Nations] The Noahide Nations web community sponsored and created by Torah Centered Noahides, and is dedicated to Torah Centered Noahides as well as those who wish to become Torah Centered Noahides, providing many articles as well as virtual online study courses.

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[http://www.beni-noah.com/ Beni-Noah, Rabbi Yoel Schwartz] Rabbi Yoel Schwartz received the blessing of leading hareidi-religious Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv to engage in the project of creating a court and infrastructure for B'nai Noah. Rabbi Schwartz is the Deputy Chancellor,Segan Av Beit HaDin of the nascent Sanhedrin and the Chief Justice,Av Beit HaDin for the B'nai Noah court.

[http://www.bnainoachnews.com/ B'nai Noach, Billy Jack Dial.] This website presents a public news, information and forums to link communities belonging to the Noahide Movement around the world. Billy Jack also hosts the [http://wikinoah.org/ Noachide Wikipedia], the online encyclopedia of the Noahide movement, as well as a [http://www.bnainoach.com/ Bnai Noach friends social site] and the [http://www.unitednoachidecouncil.com/ United Noachide Council].
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==References==
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[[Category:Organizational structure]]
[[Category:Jerusalem Court for Issues of Bnei Noah]]

[[he:בני נח ,מערכת יחסים של הסנהדרין עם עמות העולם]]