The Divine Code Daily Dose

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Therefore, a Gentile needs to serve God in his thought and emotions, to motivate himself often to love and fear God. How does one serve God? By arousing his will to focus his mind and heart, to direct his thoughts and opinions so that his actions will be in accordance with the will of his Creator. This will bring pleasure and satisfaction to God (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Included in the obligation to believe in and recognize the Creator of the universe is the trust that a person must place in God. With this trust, a person must have faith that God is surely concerned about him, and about all of His other creations, and that everything God does is for the ultimate good of the person, since God is the ultimate good. One aspect of this trust is that each of God's commandments will in truth be for the good of the person who is so commanded, and for the good of the entire world (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

The main part of this service of the heart and mind is prayer.¹¹² Therefore one should always pray before God, to make requests to Him for all of his needs, and he should thank and praise Him always according to his ability. Another goal of this prayer and contemplation is to bring the person to know that there is nothing worthy of complete trust except the One God, Who is King of the universe.

¹¹² Based on Rambam, Laws of Prayer 1:1. See Kol Bo'ai HaOlam, p. 45 (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Prayer, blessings and praise to God, even though they are not strictly required for Gentiles because they were not commanded explicitly in the Noahide Code to observe these things, are nevertheless an intellectual obligation, as explained in Chapter 3 (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

When a person prays, he should clearly express his words to God with his lips in speech if possible, and not only in his thoughts¹¹³ (and this is a good deed). In a situation when a person is not able to speak for some reason, or the location is not a fitting place for prayer, he may pray in the concentration of his thought.

¹¹³ Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orah Hayim vol. 2, ch. 25 (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

If he prays to God even in his thoughts alone, he has a reward for this as well, because he is fulfilling the obligation to believe in God. But from the outset, it is obviously better for a person to vocalize the words of his prayer (at least to the level at which the person himself can hear what he is saying) (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 80).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

A person can pray at any time of day, and in any fitting words that he chooses, but he should be careful not to use prayers that idol worshipers composed for their liturgies, because their intention for the prayer was surely to serve their idol. Even though one might recite the prayer for the sake of God alone, nevertheless, the liturgy of idol worshipers is an abomination to God.¹¹⁴ For the same reason, a person should not pray to God if he is in a house of idol worship.

¹¹⁴ Igrot Moshe ibid. He compares it to the abomination of an animal brought as a sacrifice to God, after it was used for a sin (e.g., bestial relations, designation for idol worship, etc.) (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 81).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

It is permissible for a Gentile to prostrate to God, whether he is doing so in prayer or not. If he prostrates to God when he is not praying, he should do it in a manner of honor and awe. And when he bows down to God, he should not include in this prostration any words other than prayer, thanks, or praise to God (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 81).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

When a person prays before God, and likewise when he wants to bless and thank God - for example, to thank Him for his food, for his life, for his recovered health, or for a miracle that was done for him - he should direct his mind and his speech to say verses from the Hebrew Bible, or he should praise God in a way of honoring His blessed Name. Through this manner of prayer, the Name of God will be glorified. On the other hand, a person should not mention God while he is distracted or without thinking about what he is saying, for that would be degrading to the honor of God (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 81).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Even though there is no commandment for a Gentile to recite blessings for food or other things, it is nevertheless an intellectual obligation for one to thank God for the kindness that He has given him (see Tractate Sotah 10b.) (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 81).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Therefore it was Abraham's custom to teach all the people of the world that it is proper to thank and bless God's great Name, and not to assign this level of honor to any other presumed power or any created being, as it says, "and there he (Abraham) proclaimed the Name of God, God of the universe."¹¹⁶ This means that Abraham caused the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be called out to by all those who passed by, and he taught everyone to praise the Name of God.<sup>117

116</sup> Genesis 21:33.

¹¹⁷ Tractate Sotah 10b and Rashi there (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 81).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Likewise Joseph acted in this manner, as it says,¹¹⁸ "God was with Joseph, and he became a successful man ... his master perceived that God was with him, and in everything he did, God caused his hand to be successful." How did Joseph's master see that God was with him? Because the praise of God was always found in Joseph's mouth, and through this he would explain his success and publicize the Name of the blessed God to everyone. Likewise, Joseph told Pharaoh,¹¹⁹ "It is God Who will respond to Pharaoh's welfare."

¹¹⁸ Genesis 39:2-3 and Rashi there.

¹¹⁹ Genesis 41:16 (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 82).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

One's prayers should be said honorably, in order to honor God (even if God's Name is not mentioned). Therefore, it is meritorious to pray in honorable clothing. One should not pray in filthy clothing, or with genitals uncovered, or in the presence of others who have their genitals uncovered. One should not pray where there is a bad smell or in a lavatory or bathing room, or within about 6 feet (1.8 meters) of excrement (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 82).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

If one has no choice and has no other opportunity to pray, and he must make a request to God, and he is standing in a place where other people are unclothed, he should turn his body (or at least his head) in order not to see them, and then pray. If this is impossible as well (for example, one who is in a restroom and cannot exit), it is better to pray in his heart, and not utter God's Name in such a place (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 82).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Similarly, one of the ways of serving God is to frequently mention His praise, and to bless and thank Him for all the good that He bestows on a person. Even though a Gentile is not commanded to bless God for the food that he eats, not before he eats and not after he eats, it is obvious by intellectual reasoning¹²⁰ that a person should thank and bless God for giving him his food, and likewise for giving him all his needs for existence.

¹²⁰ See Tractate Berahot 35, on the logical requirement to bless God for benefit one receives from that which He bestows to the world. This was decreed by the Sages upon Jews, with liturgy and rules for reciting blessings (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 82).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

How does one do this? Before he eats, it is proper to make a request to God that He please give him enough sustenance, and he should say words of praise and thanks for that which God gave him. It is permissible for him to bless with the blessing in the version that the Sages instituted for the traditional Jewish liturgy, as follows:

Traditional Blessings Before Eating or Drinking<sup>121

121</sup> One may answer "Amen" to blessings recited by a righteous Gentile, if said according to the versions instituted by the Sages, so it is permitted for a Gentile to say these blessings in these translated forms. See our booklet Prayers, Blessings, Principles of Faith, and Divine Service for Noahides, which has also been published in French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 82-83).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Six blessings¹²² correspond to the various categories of food. They belong to the type of blessing called "blessings for pleasures." We are reminded through these blessings to acknowledge God's kindness.

i. Before eating bread:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

Examples: leavened/unleavened bread, bagels, pita bread or rolls, if the flour is wheat, barley, rye, oats or spelt, and water is the main liquid.

ii. Before eating other cooked foods made from grain flour, or rice:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates various kinds of sustenance.

Examples: cakes, cereals, cookies, pastries, pasta, cream of wheat, and cooked rice or rice cakes (and unleavened bread if eaten as a snack).

iii. Before drinking grape wine or grape juice:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

¹²² Explanations and basic traditional rules are included in the next few pages (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 83).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

iv. Before eating fruit of a tree:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.

Examples: fruit (including dried fruit) of perennial trees, bushes, cacti and woody vines - such as apples, oranges, avocados, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, kiwi fruit, and nuts (except peanut, which is a root).

v. Before eating other edible plant produce:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the earth.

Examples: edible roots, leafy greens, vegetables - e.g. tomato, legumes; annual or perennial herbaceous fruit (e.g. melons, artichokes, bananas).

vi. Before any other type of food or beverage:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, by Whose word all things came to be.

Examples: cheese, eggs, meats, mushrooms, fully processed foods (e.g. smooth peanut butter, tofu, candy), drinks (except grape wine or juice); any other food. Use this blessing if in doubt as to which one applies (the Divine Code by Rabbi Moshe Weiner, Ask Noah International, 2018, p 83-84).