[Avodah] Bnei Noach

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:
> I opined on Areivim that I thought the 7MbN were not intended to be a
> religion, but a criterion by which we assess adherents of respective
> religions. For example, the assessment that a Moslem (barring the set who are
> violent in non-7MbN ways) is not violating the 7MbN, but a trinitarian Xian,
> may or may not (depending upon whether the trinity is shituf).
> 
> I therefore expressed surprise at someone posting a recollection that Rav
> Moshe in IM prohibited Benei Noach from forming their own rites.
> 
> On Thu, October 26, 2006 2:34 pm, R Zev Sero replied on Areivim:
> : No.  "The rule is: we do not allow them to invent a religion, or to
> : make up their own mitzvot.  Either he becomes a ger tzedek and accepts
> : all the mitzvot, or stay with his law and neither add nor subtract.
> : If he worked in the Torah, or kept Shabbat, or invented something,
> : we beat him and punish him and let him know that he deserves to die
> : for this, but we do not kill him."
> : Hil' Melachim 10:12 (10:9 in the standard editions)
> : http://kodesh.snunit.k12.il/i/e510.htm
> 
> : In other words, Islam is *NOT* permitted... the difference is merely that
> : Xians (at least pre-Reformation ones, at least those who are knowledgeable
> : and devout) are chayavei mita mamash, while Moslems are not.

> I'm not as sure what to make of the Rambam. Note his two examples are from the
> Torah mamash. Mitzvos, not made up mitzvos.

He lists three things that they are not permitted to do: Esek batorah,
keeping Shabbat, and inventing their own religion.  The first two are
certainly not intended as examples of the third.

> I therefore do not think "vela'aso mitzvos le'atzmam mida'atam"
> refers to making up "mitzvos", but picking and choosing amongst
> the real mitzvos.

On the contrary, as he says in the next halacha, they *are* allowed
to choose as many or as few of the other 604 mitzvot, and keep them
voluntarily, and they receive reward for doing so.  Hence the navi
says that in the future they will keep Sukkot (and therefore if a
BN were to ask me about taking on extra mizvot, Sukkot would be
the first one I would recommend).  And the Torah itself refers to
BN bringing korbanot.


> Note also the two examples are mentioned in the gemara as special
> cases, possibly geneivah, possibly akin to eishes ish.

Precisely, which is why these two are exceptions to the rule that
they can pick any mitzvot they like.


> Which leaves me really confused as to the Rambam's point, since
> the general rule as it appears to either RZS or myself is different
> in kind than his two examples.

It seems to me that what they are expected to do is live as Jews
who happen to be peturim from most mitzvot.  I see it by analogy to
women.  Jewish women are peturot from some mitzvot; they can choose
to do them anyway, or they can skip them.  I see a BN as in much
the same situation, except that the petur extends to almost all
the mitzvot.  Just as I am patur from birkat kohanim but may bless
whom I like, and my sister is peturah from tzitzit but may wear
them, my neighbour is patur from most lavin but may keep them.

And just as I am not only patur from eating terumah but actually
assur from doing so, and my sister is not only peturah from limud
hatorah but is also under some ill-defined issur in that regard,
so also my neighbour is not only patur from Shabbat and from Esek
Batorah, but assur in them.

Inventing a new religion, it seems to me, is assur to a BN for the
same reason that it's assur to us; it is a denial of the Torah, and
therefore against the things all humans are required to believe.
This fits in with the fact that BN not only have to actually keep
the 7M, but must do so because Hashem told Moshe Rabbenu that they
must.  This means that they must believe in the truth of Mattan
Torah and of the Torah itself, just as we must.  It therefore
follows that they must believe everything that the Torah says is
true, i.e. all the dinim of emunot vede'ot apply equally to them.
(And therefore they must be allowed to study those parts of Torah,
so that they know what they should believe, just as women are
allowed to study those parts for a similar reason.)

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas