Welcome to BneiNoach.org. As you may know, Bnei Noach, in Hebrew, literally means "people of Noach". The orgins of the Bnei Noach come from the famous teaching from the Torah that relates the story of Noach, the flood, and his ark. Bnei Noach believe that at the time after the flood, God established a covenant with the nations of the world that consists of these seven laws. The seven Noachide laws are:
1. Do Not Commit Idolatry.
2. Do Not Commit Murder.
3. Do Not Commit Adultery.
4. Do Not Commit Theft.
5. Do Not Commit Blasphemy.
6. Establish Courts of Justice.
7. Don't Eat the Flesh of a Living Animal.
These laws, when viewed on a somewhat superficial level, seem to consist of seven rules that are pretty straight forward (except perhaps, for the last one!). Although they may seem straightforward at first, within them are concealed the secrets to happiness, the universe, and life itself!
Rules, why do we need rules? Are these laws really necessary? Can't I just be a "good person"? Isn't that enough? The truth of the matter is, rules and laws are a very important and necesarry part of every aspect of out lives. Just think, where would we be without stop signs, air traffic controllers, and policemen? What would we do without the law of gravity? Without these laws, anarchy would unfortunately soon ensue.
Now picture this scenario. We assemble the best basketball players of all time. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan. Lebron James. The greatest of the greats. Those who were born with the potential to shine and be basketball all-stars. Now imagine we gave them a gym, a ball, nets, and hoops. Imagine we gave them everything they needed to realize their potential. Everything except for the rules. What would happen? What would the players do? Maybe some would run around aimlessly. Probably some would get frustrated. Others would probably make up their own rules while others would do whatever they pleased.
In a way, our life is very similar. We're confused and frustrated. We're lost. We're not sure what we came here to do and we're lost.
What the Torah (the five books of Moses) teaches us, is that the Creator endowed each and every one of us with a spark of his divine light. That means that we can all be "all-stars" in our own lives. Each and every one of us have an amazing potential to achieve our goals both spirtual and physical, beyond our wildest imaginations.
This is why we need the rules. The Torah and the seven Noachide laws contained within it is our rule book to life. Concealed within the rules, stories, and teachings found in the Torah we can find the answers to the questions that we are looking for. How can we be happier? How can we realize our potential? What is our true purpose in life?
To find the answers to these questions, we must start at the beginning. We must go the point before the big bang.
Click here to go on to Lesson 1 - Before the Big Bang
