The 7 Noachide Laws Quest

07/10/2026

You don't use a METAPHOR that's supernatural to describe something that's natural, it doesn't make any sense.

07/10/2026

For RAMBAM, the only Prophet that is not METAPHORIC is Prophet Moshe, the rest is METAPHORICAL.

07/10/2026

For RAMBAM, Spiritual is understanding HaShem, that's why for him the spirit is our mind.

04/10/2026

HUMBLENESS and FORGIVENESS

🕊️ Humility (Anavah)

The Rambam treats humility not merely as one virtue among many, but as a disposition that requires an extreme, rather than a middle, path.

The General Principle of Moderation
In the Laws of Character Traits (Hilchot De‘ot), the Rambam establishes that for most traits, the “straight path” is the intermediate measure, equidistant from both extremes.

A person who balances all their dispositions is called “WISE”.

The Exception: Humility

However, humility is explicitly excluded from this rule. The Rambam writes:

“And there are dispositions that it is forbidden for a person to conduct himself in them in an intermediate way, but he must distance himself to the opposite extreme—and this is haughtiness, for the good path is not that a person be merely humble, but that he be very lowly of spirit, and his spirit be exceedingly low.

Therefore it is said about Moses our teacher, ‘very humble’ (Num 12:3), and it is not said merely humble.

Therefore the sages commanded: be very, very lowly of spirit.”

He further notes that “anyone whose heart is elevated denies the fundamental” and that “one who has arrogance is under ban, even if only a little”.

The Distinction Between “Wise” and “Pious”
In the previous chapter, the Rambam clarifies the difference between one who is merely humble and one who goes beyond the letter of the law:

“One who distances himself from haughtiness to the utmost extreme and becomes very lowly of spirit is called PIOUS; and this is the trait of piety.

And if he distances himself only to the middle and becomes humble, he is called WISE; and this is the trait of WISDOM.”

Thus, the Rambam’s ideal is not a balanced humility, but an extreme self-effacement that he associates with the pious of old.

🤝 Forgiveness (Mechilah)

The Rambam’s laws of forgiveness are situated within the Laws of Repentance (Hilchot Teshuvah), where he distinguishes between sins against God and sins against one’s fellow.

The Obligation to Seek Forgiveness
When one has wronged another person, the Rambam rules that repentance alone is insufficient.

The offender must actively appease the injured party:

“If his fellow did not want to forgive him—he brings [in front of] him a row of three people from among his friends, and they approach him and ask from him.

If he was not appeased by them, he brings a second and a third time.

If he did not want [to be appeased], he leaves him and goes; and the one who did not forgive is the sinner.

And if he was his teacher—he must go and come even a thousand times until he forgives him.”

The Prohibition Against Cruelty

Most striking is the Rambam’s condemnation of the person who refuses to forgive:

“Because it is forbidden for a person to be cruel and not to be appeased; rather he should be easy to appease and difficult to anger, and at the time that the sinner asks from him to forgive, he forgives with a complete heart and a willing soul; and even if he distressed him much and sinned to him much, he should not take revenge nor bear a grudge.

And this is the way of the seed of Israel, and their correct heart.”

He contrasts this with “the gentiles, uncircumcised of heart,” who “keep their wrath forever”.

Posthumous Forgiveness
If the injured party dies before the offender can ask forgiveness, the Rambam requires a public act of contrition:

“One who sinned to his fellow, and his fellow died before he asked from him forgiveness—he must bring ten people and stand them on his grave, and say before them:

I have sinned to the Lord God of Israel and to this so-and-so that I did to him such-and-such.”

📜 Summary

Virtue Rambam’s Core Teaching Source (mechon-mamre.org)

Humility One must not be merely humble but “very lowly of spirit,” going to the opposite extreme from haughtiness.

Laws of Character Traits 2:5

Forgiveness It is forbidden to be cruel and refuse to forgive; one must forgive with a complete heart and not bear a grudge.

Laws of Repentance 2:10

These passages show that for the Rambam, humility and forgiveness are not optional virtues but legal obligations.

Humility requires an extreme self-effacement that surpasses the ordinary path of moderation, while forgiveness demands that a person overcome the natural inclination to cruelty and revenge, embodying the “correct heart” of the seed of Israel.

האתר הזה מכיל את כל התנ"ך (תורה, נביאים, וכתובים), "משנה התורה" של הרמב"ם (התמצית השלמה שלו של כל התורה שבעל-פה), ועוד מקורות ההלכה. יחד, אלה נותנים את ההדרכה השלמה של הקדו....

03/10/2026

CHIDDUSHEI DAAT

The Rambam addresses this directly in his legal code, the Mishneh Torah, within the Laws of Kings and Wars.

His ruling is unequivocal and forms a core principle of the Noahide framework.

📜 The Core Ruling: Hilkhot Melakhim 10:9

The Rambam's definitive statement on this matter is:

“The rule is that they are not permitted to form a new religion or devise commandments for themselves on their own.

Rather, [a gentile] must either become a righteous convert and take on all the commandments or else retain his own law [torah], neither adding to it nor detracting from it.”

This is a legal ruling, not a philosophical suggestion.

It establishes a fundamental boundary for Noahides:

they may not invent a new religious system.

They have two legitimate paths:

full conversion to Judaism, or faithful adherence to the seven Noahide laws as a complete, divinely revealed code.

🚫 What Constitutes “Creating a New Religion”

The prohibition is known in the sources as “CHIDDUSHEI DAAT”—innovating religion based on one's own intellect.

The Rambam's language is precise:

Noahides cannot “originate a new religion” or “create mitzvot for themselves based on their own decisions”.

This means a Noahide is forbidden from:

· Establishing a new faith system with its own obligatory rituals.
· Adopting specifically Jewish commandments (like observing a full Sabbath) as if they were binding upon them.
· Adding to or subtracting from the seven laws based on personal reasoning.

The underlying principle is that the Noahide laws are “dat ha-emet”—the true law—and a Noahide's obligation is to “retain his own law” (i.e., the seven laws), “neither adding to it nor detracting from it”.

🏛️ The Noahide Context: Why This Matters

This prohibition is not an isolated rule but is embedded in the Rambam's broader Noahide legal framework.

In Hilkhot Melakhim 8:11, he rules that a gentile who observes the seven laws “because they were commanded by God in the Torah” is a “righteous gentile” with a share in the World to Come.

However, if they observe them “purely by virtue of intellectual conviction,” their observance is considered less worthy.

The prohibition against creating a new religion flows directly from this.

To invent a new religion is to substitute human reason for divine revelation.

It implicitly denies that the seven laws are the complete and authoritative expression of God's will for humanity.

As one academic analysis of Maimonides puts it, the Noahide laws “set a universal standard for gentile religions”—a standard that excludes the invention of new ones.

📖 Academic Confirmation

Non-rabbinic scholarship on Maimonides confirms this reading.

The YCTorah journal notes that when the Rambam says a Noahide “retains his own law,” he “is not creating a new religion; he is observing ‘dat ha-emet’”—the true law.

The prohibition is absolute:

a Noahide cannot claim divine authority for a new religion or new commandments.

In sum, the Rambam's position is that a Noahide may not create a new religion.

They must either embrace Judaism fully through conversion, or live within the parameters of the seven Noahide laws as a complete and binding covenant—without innovation, addition, or subtraction.

03/10/2026

In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides does not explicitly use the phrase "peace at home" (shalom bayit) within the Noahide context.

However, the foundational principle of your previous answer—the supreme legal value of domestic peace—is a cornerstone of his entire legal system, and its universal application can be inferred from the Noahide obligation to establish a just society.

🏠 Peace at Home: The Universal Foundation

The Rambam's ruling that "the entire Torah was given to make peace in the world" (Hilkhot Chanukah 4:14) is a universal statement.

For Noahides, the home is the primary arena where the seventh Noahide law—establishing courts of justice—begins.

A just society cannot exist if injustice and discord reign in the household.

While the Rambam does not legislate a separate "Noahide shalom bayit," academic analysis of his Guide for the Perplexed (III:27) confirms that the "well-being of the body"—which includes domestic harmony—is a necessary precondition for the "well-being of the soul" (the intellectual and ethical perfection available to all humanity).

Thus, for Noahides, peace in the home is not merely a social nicety but a prerequisite for fulfilling their covenantal obligations.

🤝 Peace in the Community: The Noahide Legal Framework

The Rambam's most direct and radical teaching on peace for Noahides appears in his Laws of Kings and Wars.

He rules that war is not waged against anyone in the world until peace is first offered, and this applies "neither in a voluntary war nor in an obligatory one".

The terms of this peace are explicitly Noahide:

"If the enemy accepts the offer of peace and commits itself to the fulfillment of the seven mitzvot that were commanded to Noah's descendants, none of them should be killed".

This establishes a direct link between communal peace and the Noahide code.

The Rambam codifies the obligation to "visit the non-Jewish sick and to bury the non-Jewish dead along with the Jewish dead, and support the non-Jewish poor along with the Jewish poor for the sake of peace" (Laws of Kings 10:12).

Academic sources note that for Maimonides, the "Noahide laws set a universal standard for gentile religions" and embody the truths that all peoples will share in the messianic era.

His messianic vision is one of "peace, but not uniformity of faith," where "people everywhere will abandon violence, theft, and oppression".

📜 The Academic Consensus on Maimonides' Noahide Peace

Non-rabbinic scholarship emphasizes the practical and universal dimensions of the Rambam's teaching.

The Noahide laws are described as a "universal standard" and a "morality code" that forms the basis of civilization.

Maimonides rules that a non-Jew who observes these laws "belongs to the Righteous among the Nations, and has his share in the World to Come".

This salvation is available through a "different set of expectations"—only seven laws for gentiles versus 613 for Jews—which makes room for "adherents of other faiths" to achieve their own religious obligations.

In sum, while the Rambam does not provide a separate Noahide code for domestic peace, his universal legal framework makes clear that peace in the home is the foundation for peace in the community, and the Noahide laws are the divine instrument for achieving that communal peace.

As one academic analysis concludes, Maimonides teaches that "unless humanity accepts a fundamental morality... a free humanity will not endure".

28/09/2026

The 70 Faces of the Holy Torah

There is no direct statement where Rambam (Maimonides) explicitly affirms or denies the later, popularized phrase “70 Faces of the Torah” (Shivim Panim la-Torah). The phrase itself does not appear in his writings.

However, Rambam’s interpretive methodology is often discussed in this context, though with important rationalist qualifications.

📜 What the Sources Show

On Rambam’s legal code, the Mishneh Torah, and emphasizes his insistence on the “plain and simple meaning” of the text. It notes that follows the Law as summarized by Rambam and learns “according to the simple meaning of the text, as Rambam was very precise in his wording.” This suggests a primary commitment to a straightforward, non-multivalent reading in legal contexts, which is not the same as denying that non-legal passages might have deeper layers.

On Rationalist Judaism:

The phrase “70 faces” appears not as a direct teaching of Rambam. One invokes it casually to acknowledge interpretive disagreement. A more substantive comment discusses the distinction between panim (faces) and de’ot (opinions), citing a Midrash that “there are 70 faces in the Torah.” The general framework, however, centers on Rambam’s rationalist approach, which includes a willingness to interpret certain biblical narratives allegorically and to reject literal understandings when they conflict with reason or God’s incorporeality. This demonstrates that Rambam did embrace non-literal interpretation in specific theological or philosophical contexts.

💡 The Rationalist Nuance

The key takeaway from these sources is that Rambam’s approach to multiple meanings is not an endorsement of unlimited pluralism. His rationalism led him to:

· Reject interpretations that contradict logic or fundamental principles of faith.

· Embrace allegory for passages (especially in Nevi’im) where a literal reading would be theologically problematic.

Thus, while Rambam certainly engaged in layered interpretation, the sources do not present him as a proponent of the slogan “70 Faces” as a blanket license for any and all readings. His method was disciplined by reason and a commitment to the text’s plain sense in legal matters.

In short: Rambam practiced contextual, rational interpretation, but the specific “70 Faces” formulation is a later, broader concept that the provided sources do not directly attribute to him.

20/09/2026

FATE / FATALISM

Rambam (Maimonides) unequivocally rejects the concept of fate (mazal/astrological determinism) and affirms radical human free will. He teaches that God does not decree whether a person will be righteous or wicked, and that astrology has no power to determine human destiny.

📜 Free Will vs. Fatalism

In the Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance (Hilchot Teshuvah), Chapter 5, Rambam states that every person has complete freedom to choose their path:

“Permission is given to every person: if he wished to incline himself to a good path and to be righteous, the permission is in his hand; and if he wished to incline himself to a bad path and to be wicked, the permission is in his hand.”

He explicitly rejects the idea that God preordains a person’s moral character:

“Do not let arise in your thought what the fools of the nations say, and most of the unformed of the children of Israel, that the Holy One, blessed be He, decrees upon a person from the beginning of his creation to be righteous or wicked. The matter is not so, but every person is fit to be righteous like Moses our teacher or wicked like Jeroboam…”

Rambam calls this principle “a great one, and it is a pillar of the Torah and the commandment”. He concludes that since our choices are in our own hands, we alone are responsible for our actions and should repent.

🔭 Rejection of Astrology and Mazal

Rambam’s opposition to astrological fate is codified in the Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry (Hilchot Avodah Zarah), Chapter 11. He forbids soothsaying and acting based on astrological predictions:

“Who is a soothsayer—these are those who assign times, who say by astrology that such-and-such a day is bad, such-and-such a day is good… It is forbidden to practice soothsaying… And anyone who does an act because of astrology, and directed his work or his going at that time that the astrologers fixed—behold he receives lashes.”

He dismisses astrological claims as “lies that the fools imagine are words of truth”.

📖 Historical and Rationalist Context

The blog Rationalist Judaism elaborates on Rambam’s worldview. In the post “Rambam’s Mechanism of Reward and Punishment,” Rabbi Natan Slifkin explains that Rambam held there is “no such thing as arbitrary reward and punishment” inserted by God into the world. Instead, reward and punishment are the natural consequences of one’s actions: following the mitzvot leads to intellectual, moral, and societal perfection, while transgressions detract from it.

The same post cites Rambam’s Letter on Astrology, where he blames the destruction of the Temple on the Jewish people’s pursuit of astrology: they neglected the art of war and governance, imagining astrological studies would help them, and were therefore called “fools and dolts” by the prophets. A comment on the blog quotes the letter directly: “This kind of involvement in false astrological works whose notions are essentially pagan led to the loss of our kingdom… Our ancestors sinned and disappeared… ascribing to them purposeful ends, while neglecting the arts of martial defense and government.”

💎 Summary

For Rambam, fate is an illusion. God does not preordain moral choices, and astrology has no causal power over human destiny. The only “fate” a person faces is the natural consequence of their own freely chosen actions.

16/09/2026

IS IT RECOMMENDED FOR A NOACHIDE TO STUDY RAMBAM?

Yes — I would recommend that a Noachide can study Rambam, especially if your goal is to understand Judaism and the Noahide path from a rationalist, non-mystical perspective.

But there is an important distinction between “recommended for study” and “every part of Rambam is equally appropriate for a Noachide beginner.”

# # # 1. Rambam is highly valuable for a Noachide

Rambam's Mishneh Torah systematically explains Jewish law and also discusses the Seven Noahide Laws and the theological foundations behind them.

Mechon-Mamre itself describes its Mishneh Torah project as being intended for the Torah-learning public, “both Jewish and Gentile.” [1]

Rambam's Hilchot Avodah Zarah is also particularly valuable because its opening chapters explain the development of humanity's understanding of God and how Abraham arrived at recognition of the One God through reason and investigation. [2]

That is very consistent with the rationalist orientation you've been asking about.

# # # 2. Which Rambam books would I recommend?

For a Noachide, I'd prioritize:

① Mishneh Torah — selected sections

Especially:

- Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah — knowledge of God, God's unity, creation, prophecy
- Hilchot De'ot — character development and ethical behavior
- Hilchot Avodah Zarah — idolatry and rational understanding of God
- Hilchot Teshuvah — repentance, free will, reward and punishment
- Hilchot Melakhim — Noahide laws and the Messiah

Mechon-Mamre has the Hebrew Mishneh Torah and is still working on its English translation; only the Preface has been released in its Hebrew-English project at present, so I will not give you nonexistent English chapter links again.

② Guide for the Perplexed

This can be extremely valuable for a philosophically minded Noachide, particularly for understanding:

- God's unity and incorporeality
- prophecy
- creation
- divine providence
- angels
- biblical language
- the rational interpretation of apparently supernatural passages.

But it is considerably more difficult than the Mishneh Torah. Mechon-Mamre itself describes the Guide as intended for people who already have substantial Torah knowledge and knowledge of sciences and philosophy. [3]

# # # 3. One important caution

Don't assume that because Rambam wrote something, every halachic obligation he discusses applies to a Noachide.

For example, Rambam's Hilchot De'ot contains many laws specifically applicable to Jews. A Noachide can study them for ethical and philosophical understanding, but shouldn't automatically convert every Jewish commandment into a Noahide obligation.

This is especially important in your studies of:

→ lashon hara
→ Shabbat
→ festivals
→ dietary laws, etc.

# # # 4. What about mystical books?

If your goal is specifically to understand Rambam's rationalist approach, I would recommend becoming comfortable with Rambam before diving deeply into Kabbalistic literature.

That doesn't mean mystical literature has no historical or religious value. It means you should first establish:

> What does Rambam actually say?

Then you can compare it with:

> What do later mystical traditions say?

That prevents the two systems from being mixed together.

# # # 5. My recommendation for you specifically

Given your interest in Rambam vs. The Divine Code, I would suggest this order:

Mishneh Torah → Guide for the Perplexed → Rationalist Judaism → comparison with The Divine Code

And whenever we discuss a subject, I can keep making the distinction:

🟦 Rambam explicitly says
🟩 Rationalist Judaism's interpretation
🟨 Later mystical interpretation
🟥 My analysis

That way you can see exactly where Rambam ends and later interpretation begins.

So, yes: a Noachide can benefit greatly from studying Rambam—and for someone interested in a rationalist understanding of Judaism, I would consider Rambam one of the most important authors to study. [1][3]

Citations:
1. mechon-mamre.org: www.mechon-mamre.org/p/
2. Mechon Mamre: www.mechon-mamre.org/i/en/1401.htm
3. Mechon Mamre: mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/sages.htm

Information about Jewish sages and scholars, including Hillel, Shammai, Rabbi Akiba, Judah Ha-Nasi, Rashi, and Maimonides.

14/09/2026

IF FELLOW NOACHIDE REPEATEDLY SPREADING LASHON HARA?

If a Noachide is dealing with a fellow Noachide who is repeatedly spreading lashon hara, the Rambam's principles give a very practical approach—but we should be careful not to claim that Rambam explicitly codifies a Noahide-specific procedure for lashon hara.

# # # 1. Recommendation

1. Speak to him privately first.

Rambam says that when one sees another person going on a bad path, one should try to bring him back to the good, and that the rebuke should initially be private, gentle, and respectful, explaining that the purpose is his good. [1]

So you could say something like:

> “Brother, I respect you, but I think what we're saying about this person is unnecessarily harmful. Let's stop spreading it unless there is a genuine reason to warn someone.”

Don't attack or humiliate him.

# # # 2. Don't answer lashon hara with more lashon hara

This is particularly important.

Don't respond:

> “He's a terrible person because he spreads gossip!”

while then telling everyone else what he has been saying.

That simply creates another cycle of harmful speech.

Rambam says that lashon hara can cause enormous damage and describes it as “killing” three people—the speaker, the listener, and the person discussed. [2]

# # # 3. If he refuses, create distance

This is actually quite striking in Rambam.

After describing the seriousness of lashon hara, Rambam says:

> “All these are masters of evil speech, in whose neighborhood it is forbidden to dwell, and all the more so to sit with them and to hear their words.”

Although this particular halachic formulation is addressed to Jews, it gives a very strong ethical principle for a Noachide as well:

You don't have to participate in someone's gossip.

You can simply say:

> “I'm sorry, but I don't want to discuss this person.”

and walk away.

# # # 4. If someone is actually being endangered, intervene

This is where it becomes much more serious.

If the speech is not merely gossip but is causing someone serious harm, such as false accusations leading to violence, physical danger, financial destruction, or persecution, don't simply remain silent.

Rambam's treatment of lo ta'amod al dam re'echa and bloodshed emphasizes the responsibility not to stand by while another person is endangered. [3]

In such a case, protecting the victim takes priority over worrying that your intervention might be called “lashon hara.”

Rationalist Judaism also makes this distinction: negative information can be appropriate when communicating it is genuinely beneficial or necessary to prevent harm. [4]

# # # 5. Don't publicly shame the person

This is another important Rambam principle.

Even when correcting someone, Rambam says the initial rebuke should not be harsh enough to embarrass him, and he strongly condemns public humiliation.

So avoid:

- publicly exposing him;
- humiliating him;
- creating a social-media campaign against him;
- insulting him;
- retaliating with gossip.

# # # For a Noachide, my practical formula would be:

→ Private correction
→ gentle warning
→ don't participate
→ distance yourself if necessary
→ intervene if someone is genuinely being harmed.

And if the person sincerely recognizes what he has done, encourage him to stop, correct the misinformation where possible, and make peace with anyone he harmed.

# # # One important distinction from The Divine Code

Because you brought up The Divine Code earlier, I would distinguish the two frameworks:

Rambam: explicitly discusses lashon hara as a serious Jewish prohibition in Hilchot De'ot 7, while it is not separately enumerated among Rambam's Seven Noahide commandments.

The Divine Code: may classify certain harmful speech under broader Noahide prohibitions, including bloodshed, depending upon the nature and consequences of the speech.

So for a Noachide, I would not automatically say, “He committed the Noahide sin of murder merely because he gossiped.” The circumstances matter enormously.

But if his speech is actually being used to cause serious physical danger or death, that is a very different matter.

The safest Rambam-oriented principle is:

→ Don't participate in destructive speech;
→ correct it privately and respectfully;
→ protect people from genuine harm;
→ and don't respond to evil speech with more evil speech.

Citations:
1. mechon-mamre.org: mechon-mamre.org/i/en/1206.htm
2. Mechon Mamre: www.mechon-mamre.org/i/en/1207.htm
3. Mechon Mamre: mechon-mamre.org/i/b500.htm
4. rationalistjudaism.com: www.rationalistjudaism.com/p/isnt-it-lashon-hara-do-i-have-noble