Noahide Fellowship

Parshat Shelach: Respecting the Creator

Parshat Shelach (Numbers 15:30-31) discusses the severe transgression of blasphemy, specifically cursing G-d's name: "And the soul that acts with a high hand, whether he be a native or a stranger, he blasphemes the L-rd; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people." Rashi explains that "with a high hand" means acting intentionally, a willful act of rebellion against G-d rooted in arrogance and defiance, rather than an accidental slip of the tongue. G-d's "word" creates and sustains the world; to despise that word is an attempt to undermine the very foundation of existence and the source of all good.

A core belief for Noahides is that our universe is a new creation. G-d, the sole Creator, formed everything from absolute nothingness before time even began. Every part of existence, both spiritual and physical, comes solely from His true Being. G-d is…

Behaalotecha: Awakening the Divine Spark

Our Torah portion, Behaalotecha, takes its name from the commandment to light the Menorah. The candles of the Menorah symbolize the souls of Israel. The priest who performed the lighting of the candles in the Temple fulfilled a commandment specifically incumbent upon him, but the deeper spiritual meaning of the commandment is to awaken and ignite the potential inherent in all souls so that they can fulfill their inner mission.

King Solomon's in the Book of Proverbs states: "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidism, delves into this metaphor. He finds that the physical Menorah, with its seven branches, represents the human soul. The flame of the Menorah's lights rises upwards, yearning to merge back into its source. Yet, immediately after this upward movement, the flame's natural inclination is also downwards, to continue…

Parshat Nasso: The Spiritual Ascent Through Torah Study

The Torah portion of Parshat Nasso is usually read on the Shabbat immediately following the holiday of Shavuot. Its very name, "Nasso," which means "to lift up" or "to elevate," perfectly expresses the incredible spiritual height that Torah study imparts to a person, leading to profound upliftment and elevation. The Talmud tells a story about Rabbi Yosef, who would hold a festive meal on Shavuot. He'd say, "If not for this day, there would be many Yosefs in the marketplace." Rashi, the prominent commentator, explains this to mean: "If not for this day, through which I studied Torah and became elevated, I would be just one of many people named Yosef in the marketplace. What makes me different from them?"

The special quality of Torah study, especially for Noahides within the framework of the Seven Noahide Commandments, is that it creates a…