New Series on the Weekly Parasha for Noahides: Episode 1 Bereshit

Weekly Parasha for Noahides by Rabbi Moshe Perets

New Weekly Parasha Commentary of the Week for Bnei Noah By Rabbi Moshe Perets

Yom Rishon 2 Cheshvan 5785

First Parasha: Bereshit - Genesis

What is the main teaching from the Bible in Genesis Chapters 1:1 for Noahides?

Shalom and welcome to the Weekly Parasha for Noahides!

An initiative from the Noahide Academy of Israel for everyone anywhere who wants to become affiliated with the Jewish People and enter the ultimate Redemption.

We are now starting this new series for Bnei Noah, the Descendants of Noah! We are all descendants of Noah. As you know Noah gave birth to all Humanity.

So here we are to fulfil what Noah started! To redeem Humanity and bring salvation to the world.

So let us begin!

But where should we begin?

Obviously at the beginning!

So let us start with Bereshit, Genesis.

At the beginning... and reveal the hidden messages by HaShem in the Torah for Bnei Noah.

Bereshit - Genesis 1:1

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen 1:1)

What Rashi says about the Beginning

It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you,” (Exd. 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Jews were commanded, for the main purpose of the Torah is its commandments.

Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?”

Because of [the verse in Psalms] כֹּ֣חַ מַ֖עֲשָׂיו הִגִּ֣יד לְעַמּ֑וֹ לָתֵ֥ת לָ֜הֶ֗ם נַֽחֲלַ֥ת גּוֹיִֽם:

“The strength of His works He related to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations” (Ps. 111:6).

For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they will reply,

"The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it (this we learn from the story of the Creation) and gave it to whomever He deemed proper When He wished, He gave it to them (the 7 nations), and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us the Jewish people.

The Seven Nations in the Land of Canaan

What is written in Devarim (Deuteronomy) - Chapter 7:1

כִּ֤י יְבִֽיאֲךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ וְנָשַׁ֣ל גּוֹיִֽם־רַבִּ֣ים | מִפָּנֶ֡יךָ הַֽחִתִּי֩ וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֨י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִ֜י וְהַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֣י וְהַפְּרִזִּ֗י וְהַֽחִוִּי֙ וְהַיְבוּסִ֔י שִׁבְעָ֣ה גוֹיִ֔ם רַבִּ֥ים וַֽעֲצוּמִ֖ים מִמֶּֽךָּ:

“When the Lord, your God, brings you into the land to which you are coming to possess it, He will cast away many nations from before you: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and powerful than you.”

According to both Noahide Law and Jewish Law, land acquired as a result of military conquest is not considered to be stolen property (see Shulchan Aruch Admour Hazakein, Orach Chayim 649:10). Therefore, the nations of the world could not possibly accuse the Jewish people of being robbers merely due to the fact that they seized the land of Canaan.

Rather, the nations complaint is that the Jewish people transformed the land into a permanently and essentially Jewish one, precluding any nation from identifying it as their own at any future time.

Even if the land will be conquered by another nation, it will remain "the Land of Israel" and Jewish people will still refer to it as their own, perceiving the loss of the land as a temporary exile. For after Jewish conquest and inhabitation, the land became a holy, uniquely Jewish land at its very essence, remaining associated with the Jewish people forever.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Settling of the Land of Israel and the Coming of Mashiach

The spiritual parallel between the 7 nations of Canaan and the 7 emotional sefirot in the soul. The world was created in order that HaShem could have a relationship with the Human Being and for the human being to relate back to HaShem.

Now the foundation of a relationship is to get to know each other. How can HaShem know man? And how can man know HaShem?

Well the Torah teaches us that “to know” someone needs to be on a physical, emotional  level (not only intellectually), as it is mentioned in Genesis “ And Adam Knew Chava “ (Gen 4:1)  – Man knew his wife (Chava the Mother of all Life).

וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֨הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־יְהֹוָֽה

Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, "I have acquired a man with the Lord."

with the Lord. Heb. אֶת יהוה, like עִם יהוה, with the Lord. When He created me and my husband, He alone created us, but with this one, we are partners with Him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 22:2, Mid. Tadshei, Niddah 31a]

So we can learn from this that the world was created for the physical or emotional experience of knowing G-d, through all things in our reality.

Humanity was created at the beginning to be engaged in this emotional experience of reality through the 7 emotional attributes of the soul: kindness, strength, compassion, perseverance, humility, attachment and humility. These attributes are paralleled by the 7 nations who lived in Canaan the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites.

HaShem by creating the reality as so is teaching us this.

The verse in Deut 7:1 also says that: “seven nations more numerous and powerful than you.” Meaning that the emotional attributes of the soul are more powerful then the 3 intellectual components of the soul in a person experience of reality.

By giving the Land of the 7 Nations to the Jewish People, HaShem is teaching us on how to rectify all of reality or the human experience: Make the Intellect rule upon the emotions.

If we look at humanity in general what motivates people to make certain decisions?

Generally it is based on financial considerations or “ a hunch” or a feeling. Now this has brough us to an instable society, individuals, families, nations as the divorce rates are at 70%, wars, economical competition between nations etc.

By Choosing the Jewish People which are the incarnation of the 3 Intellectual Sefirot – who can receive the Torah – the Wisdom of HaShem,. The Will of Hashem determines that in order to bring salvation to humanity, to make order upon the emotions, intellect is required. The intellect of Torah vehiculated by the Jewish people as we teach the 7 universal commandments.

Therefore we can know all understand that Mashiach will be revealed and Redemption will become a reality lived by all when all the Jews will be returned to Israel and we will be teaching the 7 commandments to humanity – and humanity will be fulfilling them this will re-establish the “ Primordial Man” we are Adam HaRishon, to achieve Unity in Humanity as the Tree of Knowledge will be rectified into the Tree of Life – and we will then have once more Eternal Life.

The Promise made to Abraham and The Real Size of the Land of Israel

Bereshit (Genesis) - Chapter 15:18

יּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא כָּרַ֧ת יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־אַבְרָ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית לֵאמֹ֑ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֗ נָתַ֨תִּי֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את מִנְּהַ֣ר מִצְרַ֔יִם עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת:

15:18 On that day, the Lord formed a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt until the great river, the Euphrates river.

On that day, the Lord formed a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt until the great river, the Euphrates river.     

Who is Abraham’s Seed?

Gen 21:3

גוַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־שֶׁם־בְּנ֧וֹ הַנּֽוֹלַד־ל֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָֽלְדָה־לּ֥וֹ שָׂרָ֖ה יִצְחָֽק:

And Abraham named his son who had been born to him, whom Sarah had borne to him, Isaac.      

Gen 21:12

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֗ם אַל־יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ עַל־הַנַּ֣עַר וְעַל־אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֛יךָ שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמַ֣ע

בְּקֹלָ֑הּ כִּ֣י בְיִצְחָ֔ק יִקָּרֵ֥א לְךָ֖ זָֽרַע

And God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased concerning the lad and concerning your handmaid; whatever Sarah tells you, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac will be called your seed.               

Gen 21:13

וְגַ֥ם אֶת־בֶּן־הָֽאָמָ֖ה לְג֣וֹי אֲשִׂימֶ֑נּוּ כִּ֥י זַרְעֲךָ֖ הֽוּא:

But also the son of the handmaid I will make into a nation, because he is your seed."   

Gen 22:2

וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֨בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק וְלֶ֨ךְ־לְךָ֔ אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ הַמֹּֽרִיָּ֑ה וְהַֽעֲלֵ֤הוּ שָׁם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ה עַ֚ל אַחַ֣ד הֶֽהָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ:

And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, yea, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."                              

Rashi Explains on your son. He [Abraham] said to Him,“ I have two sons.” He [God] said to him,“ Your only one.” He said to Him,“ This one is the only son of his mother, and that one is the only son of his mother.” He said to him,“ Whom you love.” He said to Him,“ I love them both.” He said to him,“ Isaac.” Now why did He not disclose this to him at the beginning? In order not to confuse him suddenly, lest his mind become distracted and bewildered, and also to endear the commandment to him and to reward him for each and every expression. — [from Sanh. 89b, Gen. Rabbah 39:9, 55:7]

Gen 15:19

יטאֶת־הַקֵּינִי֙ וְאֶת־הַקְּנִזִּ֔י וְאֵ֖ת הַקַּדְמֹנִֽי:

The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,                         

Gen 15:20

כוְאֶת־הַֽחִתִּ֥י וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּ֖י וְאֶת־הָֽרְפָאִֽים:

And the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim,                

Gen 15:21

   כאוְאֶת־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְאֶת־הַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֔י וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֖י וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִֽי:

And the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites."        

The Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites are Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and they are destined to be our heritage in the future, as it is said (Isa.11:14): “upon Edom and Moab shall they stretch forth their hand, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.” - [from Gen. Rabbah 44:23]

Yeshayahu (Isaiah) - Chapter 11:14

וְעָפ֨וּ בְכָתֵ֚ף פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ יָ֔מָּה יַחְדָּ֖ו יָבֹ֣זּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם אֱד֚וֹם וּמוֹאָב֙ מִשְׁל֣וֹחַ יָדָ֔ם וּבְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּֽם:

"And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west, together they shall plunder the children of the East; upon Edom and Moab shall they stretch forth their hand, and the children of Ammon shall obey them."

Rashi explains:

Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land and the children of Ammon shall obey them. As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them (the 7 Noahide Commandments).

The Role of the Jewish people as the Mashiach for Humanity

Rabbi Moshe Weiner, the Author of the Code of Torah Law for All Humanity the Noahide Code states:

The explanation of this statement of the Sages is that from the outset of Creation, God chose the nation of Israel as a special nation to serve Him, as it says, [Exodus 19:6] “And you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, and He designated for them a particular land that is to belong solely to them, and He made it known in His Torah that He created it and gave it to whom He deemed fit.

In Genesis 2:16

וַיְצַו֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֥ל עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל:

And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.

Our sages taught (in the Talmud Sanhedrin 56a) that this verse is referring to the

The Seven Universal Commandments for Humanity:

1. “God” – Belief in God

2. “Almighty God” – Not to worship idols

3. “Commanded” – To establish Courts of Law

4. “Man” – To respect Human Life, not to murder.

5. “Saying” – To respect family Relationships, not to commit forbidden relations

6. “You May Eat freely” – not to eat a limb from a living animal

7. “From every Tree of the Garden” – To respect others Property, not to steal

The Prophecy of Isaiah 11:9

לֹֽא־יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ בְּכָל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־מָֽלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים:

"They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the seabed."

Practical Personal Resolutions

Increase in 3 areas of Divine Service:

1. the proper study of Torah (with a proper Rabbi or Jewish mentor, or here at the Academy);

2. Prayer ;

3. Acts of Goodness and Kindness: the observance of the 7 commandments and its 90 derivative laws as well as acts of charity, financial and spiritual, like teaching Torah to others.

   
   

By Rabbi Moshe Perets  

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Rabbi Moshe Perets is the President of the Noahide Academy of Israel, Founder and Executive Director of NoahideAcademy.org, the world’s largest Noahide informational website. He accomplished his Rabbinical Studies at the Chabad Yeshiva and his medical studies at the University of Louvain in Brussels, Belgium.

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