By Rabbi Shemtov
During the lifetime of Noah, G-d introduced seven laws, for all of humanity, known as the “Seven Noahide Laws.” These laws are a set of rules that all of us must keep, regardless of who we are or from where we come.
Here are the seven laws. Each one of them has many details which are beyond the scope of this article.
1: Do not profane G‑d’s Oneness in any way.
2: Do not curse your Creator.
3: Do not murder.
4: Do not eat a limb of a living animal.
5: Do not steal.
6: Do not have forbidden sexual relations.
7: Establish courts of law and ensure justice in our world.
Laws that are made by humans can change based on circumstance, but laws made by G-d never change. Although most of these laws are self-understood, they were given by G-d to ensure that, even if at one point it would seem justified to circumvent a law, we won’t because we understand that they are given by G-d who does not change based on circumstance.
For example, “do not steal” seems self-understood. However, there may be times when someone can justify not returning an item to a large company, telling themselves that the company doesn’t care about the $2 item.
The Talmud brings a statement on the sixth law “do not have forbidden sexual relations,” from Rabbi Yehoshua, “There is no guardian against sexual immorality.” There is a very big weakness for this particular transgression, which only makes it easier to come up with a rationale to commit this immorality. For this reason, G-d gave these specific laws.
G-d gave the world these seven laws so we could live in a moral, cohesive environment. Every one of us is commanded by G-d to follow this set of rules. Without these seven things, it would be impossible for humanity to live together in harmony.
If you have any questions or would like some further reading on this topic please feel free to reach out to me through email rabbi@jewishvailaz.com or on my website www.JewishVailAZ.com
Rabbi Yisroel Shemtov grew up in Brooklyn, NY. After finishing Yeshiva, Rabbi Shemtov went on to becoming or-dained at the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey. Rabbi Shemtov has served as a student Rabbi in communities across the world. Including in Bulgaria, Wyoming, South Dakota and California where he has led educational and holiday programs. He has taught children through Torah Tutors, an online Jewish studies plat-form.