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Psak 5769 Nisan 9


This Statement was drafted by a team consisting of Rabbi Yechiel Sitzman, Rabbi Yoel Schwartz and Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander, confirmed by the Sanhedrin.

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Jerusalem Court for Issues of Bnei Noah
Secretary: Rabbi Amnon Hever Tel: 054-9400909 b.d.hartzion@gmail.com

9 Nisan, 5769 (3 April 2009)

Statement of Policy Regarding Meetings with Non-Jews

One of the purposes of the Sanhedrin is to spread the Messages of the Torah to all Jews and non-Jews who will listen. Obviously, this includes non-Jews who are very far from being Observant Noahides. "Spreading the Messages of the Torah" includes all forms of communication, including face-to-face meetings, which are the most effective method. That we will use with those who turn to us.

Our meetings are not, in any sense, “interfaith dialogs”: we do NOT “have an aim of deriving a common ground in belief”. Our approach is one-sided: our sole purpose is to teach Torah.

We wish to clarify that in NO WAY are we endorsing the beliefs of the people or the organizations with whom we come in contact. Our meeting with them only indicates that they have expressed interest in learning from the Torah, and that we have reason to believe that they are not actively engaged in missionizing among Jews.

We wish to make it clear that persons without proper knowledge and experience SHOULD NOT engage in this type of teaching.

We are happily aware of the Righteous Gentiles of the Noahide Movement, comprising people who have taken great leaps of faith, and who profess that the One God, the Creator of the Universe and the Redeemer of the Jews from Egypt, who made a covenant with Noah after the Great Flood, which covenant comprises Seven Commandments. Generations later God gave the Torah to the people at Sinai, by Moses, for the edification and benefit of Humanity; that the Noahide Commandments are universally applicable, and for that reason these Noahides choose freely to observe God’s will and obey his Noahide Commandments. Many of these wonderful people, besides observing the Noahide Commandments, also take upon themselves other acts of devotion taken from the Torah. We are sure that the Almighty loves them for trying to be close to Him. We hold these Righteous Gentiles close to our heart, and pray that the Almighty God will bless and sustain them, and bring success to their efforts.

We are aware also of the many groups and individuals who worship the one God, and have indeed taken upon themselves the Noahide Commandments, and often they, too, take upon themselves other commandments, but still relate in some way to their previous religion.

It is our understanding that it is very difficult for a person to leave his religion, and it is psychologically much easier to add to one’s religion. This type of syncretism has been known in the past. While understandable psychologically, syncretism is related to by the Nascent Sanhedrin as a mistake, which hopefully can be rectified by observing history and facing reality – and listening to the Word of God in the Torah, and the God-inspired words of the Tanakh.

It is of utmost importance that the efforts we make to bring God’s message to the non-Jewish world does not compromise the Jewish people.

Thus we limit our contacts to people and organizations, which do not try to cause Jews to leave the Way of the Torah and to accept elements of other religions.

With respect to non-Jews of other Faiths: we see it as our duty to clarify the truth to all people. We also feel gratitude to all those who wish to help the Jewish people. As God said to Abraham [Gen. 12,3]: And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'

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