Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge

[Noachide]

It is proper for the repentant person to cry out before God in supplication on a regular basis when he prays, and to give proper charity to the best of his capability. He should distance himself from the temptation or the situation of the sin he commited. He should strive to change his actions to be always good, and to walk in the correct path (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 151).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

It is proper for the repentant person to cry out before God in supplication on a regular basis when he prays, and to give proper charity to the best of his capability. He should distance himself from the temptation or the situation of the sin he commited. He should strive to change his actions to be always good, and to walk in the correct path (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 151).

May HaShem be more merciful than we deserve.

[Noachide]

May HaShem be more merciful than we deserve.

Amen!

[Noachide]

A righteous complete person unifies his thoughts and views, to think about God and comprehend His existence, and he will always be aware of God – as King David declared “I have placed God before me constantly.” He should strengthen the direction of his thoughts towards God until he conquers the feelings of his heart, that they should be compelled to follow the direction of his intelect. This unification of his intelect and emotions will bring him to a thirst for God and a yearning to come close to Him. Therefore – from fear of being separated from God – he will restrict his speech and actions to befit this yearning. In this mode of service, he will be focused all day on God, no matter what mundane activity he needs to be involved with out of necessity at any given time. He will also be looking out for opportunities to do actions that will draw him closer to God, such as deeds of goodness and kindness, and praises of God will be quick to come from his lips in full sincerity. At the same time, he will distance himself, as something that is truly evil in his own eyes, from doing, speaking, or thinking anything that is against God’s will or that will be detrimental to his closeness to God. This is the way of a person who is complete in his piety.

When a person becomes upright and complete in this way, and his heart’s desire is only to be close to God, his attitudes will align with this. He will acknowledge that this is the ultimate good for him, and he will not be embarrassed or affected by people who ridicule and scoff at him for choosing these pious ways. In spite of them, he will do the things that he knows are consistent with God’s truth and God’s will, without fear or doubts (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 37).

[Noachide]

Free will is granted to all people. If one desires to turn to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. This is the intent of the Torah’s statement: ”Behold, man has become like the Unique One among us, knowing good and bad.”(Genesis 3:22) This teaches that humankind was made singular in the world, in that a person can, on his own initiative, objectively think about and know what is good and what is bad, and then choose to act according to his own will (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 165).

[Noachide]

It is one of the foundations of faith to know that God gives prophecy to humans. Why is this fact so fundamental?

Prophecy from God, which He bestows upon chosen persons, is his connection to mankind. A person who excels in his service and closeness to God, after cleansing his intellect and heart from the follies and lies of the world, can become a fitting vessel to receive the assistance God wishes to give him to illuminate his path with a higher awareness.

Since God created the world with an intended plan, and it is impossible for a person on his own to know his plan, God’s revealing it to mankind is a fundamental imperative. This is the concept of prophecy – a connection of God to mankind by revealing Himself and His ways, through granting knowledge of the Divine (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 41).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Therefore – from fear of being separated from God – he will restrict his speech and actions to befit this yearning.

I had a discussion with Rav Schulman. He agreed that a person can have a propensity to either love or fear of G-d, even with an admixture of the other emotion. I find that fear is the strongest emotion of mankind. I cannot describe how much I fear HaShem. What about you? Do you fear G-d more than you love Him? Do you love G-d more than you fear Him? Do you love and fear Him equally?

[Noachide]

I had a discussion with Rav Schulman. He agreed that a person can have a propensity to either love or fear of G-d, even with an admixture of the other emotion. I find that fear is the strongest emotion of mankind. I cannot describe how much I fear HaShem. What about you? Do you fear G-d more than you love Him? Do you love G-d more than you fear Him? Do you love and fear Him equally?

I agree with you that fear is strongest emotion of mankind. Fear of G-d could be similar to fear that kid has from his strict father. I would definitely like to  fear HaShem more. Perhaps for me the stronger emotion for now is love. But I think that these emotions go one with other.

Regarding fear I could say that I fear what will be with my family and me in the future. I often think about afterlife and will I earn portion in the future World to come.

[Noachide]

It is natural for a person’s character and actions to be influenced by friends and associates, and to follow the local norms of behavior. Therefore, one should associate with righteous and wise people, and be constantly in their company, in order to learn from their behavior and good deeds. Conversely, one should keep away from bad people who follow bad ways, so as not to learn from their deeds. About this, Solomon said: “ One who walks with the wise will become wise, while one who associates with fools will suffer.”(Proverbs 13:20) Similary, it is stated, “Happy is the man who has not followed the advice of the wicked.”(Psalms 1:1) (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 108).

[Noachide]

Every person is obligated to frequently recall and examine his actions, and make an honest accounting with his soul as to whether he has been acting in a correct and befitting manner in God’s eyes. If a person finds that he has transgressed God’s will in any of the universal Seven Commandments that he is obligated to fulfill, or that he has erred in his behavior or in any other matters which one is logically and morally bound to fulfill, he should sincerely regret this, and correct his path and behavior. He should accept upon himself that in the future, he will act only in an upright and correct manner, and not transgress any of God’s Seven Commandments that He gave to mankind.

In this spirit, a penitent person is one who makes changes in his ways, to begin or return to serving God properly. In this process, he should sincerely ask God to forgive him for his past errors. This aspect of turning, or returning, to the path of righteousness in one’s life is called repentance. In Hebrew, this is teshuva, which means return (to God) (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 146).

[Noachide]

It is the mandated service of a person to be close to the truth – to be close to God, may He be blessed, the Creator of all, in all his actions and ways. This is the character of upright and righteous people who walk before God: at all times and in any situation, when one is in his house or out pursuing his daily activities, he knows that the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, stands over him and watches all his actions, and searches his heart and his thoughts – as it says: “Can a person hide in secret places so that I will not see him? says God! Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says God.”(Jeremiah 23:24)

A person should contemplate in this fashion during all his endeavors, consciously recognizing that God’s watchful eye is stationed over him, and that with this omniscience, God is remembering and judging all his actions. With this mental effort, a person will come to the blessing of fearing God (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 33).

[Noachide]

Prayer is service of God coming from one’s soul. Through prayer to God, a person connects his speech, his requests for his needs, and his heartfelt pleas to the Almighty, blessed be He. It is from God that each individual receives his abilities and his accomplishments, and prayer provides the means for a person to strengthen himself in the correctness of his faith and his ways in life.

The main point of prayer is the service of the heart. This refers to the intention in the thoughts and emotions that motivate the person’s prayer. In explaining the verse, “serve Him with all your heart,” (Deuteronomy 11:13) the sages said, “What is this ‘service of the heart’? This is prayer.”

The basic foundation of prayer is that a person needs to explicitly recognize that the One God is the Director of the world and is watching over him, and over everything in the entire creation. Therefore it follows that a person should ask God to grant him all his needs, and thank God for all the kindness and blessings He has bestowed upon him, and also praise Him eloquently, according to his capability (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 85).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says God.

This shows that G-d does not have a body or any form. A body cannot be in two places at the same time.

[Noachide]

This shows that G-d does not have a body or any form. A body cannot be in two places at the same time.

Good point! I wish I have Tanakh memorised so I could use it to prove people truths of Torah.

[Noachide]

The classical realms of physical existence are the inanimate objects, the vegetation, and the living animals. Torah teaches that the fourth and most important realm in the physical creation is that of mankind, which is referred to as “the speaker” - those who are gifted by God with the power of human speech and human communication. More so, this human ability is a reflection of the realm of Godliness that we refer to as God’s “speech”, and it reveals the unique connection between mankind and God.

When a person actualizes his power of speech, it serves to unify him, for it is the bridge between the conceptual and the practical dimensions of his existence. This is why spoken prayer connects the deeper parts of one’s soul (the inner thoughts and desires) to one’s external self, which is involved in the physical action of speaking. It is therefore very important that a person should say his prayers audibly before God, and not suffice with just thoughts of his heart (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 89).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Good point! I wish I have Tanakh memorised so I could use it to prove people truths of Torah.

See Deuteronomy 4:12, "You heard the sound of the words, but saw no image, just a voice."

Deuteronomy 4:15, "For you did not see any image on the day that the L-rd spoke to you..."

Deuteronomy 4:39, "The L-rd He is G-d in heaven above, and upon the earth below; there is none else."

https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9968/jewish/Chapter-4.htm

[Noachide]

See Deuteronomy 4:12, "You heard the sound of the words, but saw no image, just a voice."

Deuteronomy 4:15, "For you did not see any image on the day that the L-rd spoke to you..."

Deuteronomy 4:39, "The L-rd He is G-d in heaven above, and upon the earth below; there is none else."

https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9968/jewish/Chapter-4.htm

Great excerpts!

[Noachide]

A person has the ability to change for the better and repent for the duration of his life. This is an ongoing process, even step by step, and through this, God will forgive the person’s sins. At the same time, it is important to know that there are many levels in the sincerity and truthfulness of a person’s repentance, and in the degree to which his repentance under any given circumstances is accepted before God. Just as one who does a greater good deed will receive a greater reward than one who does a lesser good deed (as judged in God’s eyes), so too, one whose repentance is greater and more completely truthful reaches a greater spiritual level in this respect than one who makes a repentance that is more limited, less complete or less truthful (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 149).

[Noachide]

God judges all the speech and actions of a person, and thoughts can be included as well. This judgment is constant during one’s life in the physical world, and when the physical lifetime ends, there is a summary judgment of the soul itself. At an eventual time in the future Messianic Era, the souls will be returned to their bodies for resurrection, to stand for their final judgment on the Judgment Day.

After one’s passing, his soul is brought to the Heavenly Court in the spiritual realm, to be judged for each thing he did, and for the overall verdict on his entire life. All the person’s thoughts, speech and actions are considered. God considers all the person’s merits, but He only considers the sins that are unrepented. In His perfect judgment, God bestows reward for meritorious faith and good deeds, and decrees punishment for unrepented sins. This occurs both for the person during his physical life, and for his soul after he passes away. There are many levels of these rewards and punishments, both for the person in this world and for his soul in the next world (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 153).

[Noachide]

Although it is moral to respect all people, including strangers, there are specific people whom one must respect more than usual, either due to their need for more care and friendship because of their unfortunate situation, or due to one’s greater obligation to them, such as parents, teachers, close friends, or one who has done the person a favor.

A wise or pious person who sees an unfortunate person or invalid should make certain to help and encourage the person in any way possible, whether monetarily, with good advice, or uplifting the afflicted person’s broken spirit with caring words and attention, more so than one would normally help the average person (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 120).

[Noachide]

A person’s duty to love and fear the Creator is an intellectual obligation. For when he contemplates that the Creator made the universe for the purpose of establishing the human race, for reasons that came from His Essence, and that the entire creation is nullified before Him and has no separate existence apart from Him, he will recognize that he has been put into existence to be a servant of God. Therefore, a person’s greatest advantage and achievement is in fulfilling this mission.

However, since it is not in the nature of a person to love or fear something if he does not appreciate its character, it is therefore an obligation for every person to utilize his power of knowledge to contemplate in awe upon the greatness of the Creator, and in humility upon his own lowliness. This is the correct meditation that will bring one to a truthful recognition of God, and this awareness will necessarily arouse feelings that reflect this understanding. In this way, a person draws himself into love and fear of God. As a reward for this service, God will respond and draw the person to Him, and the person will indeed perceive that God’s love and awesomeness is being revealed to him from Above, and from within his own mind and heart (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 63-64).

[Noachide]

There are two eras that are available in the afterlife for people’s souls. The first era occurs after one’s life in the physical world, when one’s soul ascends to its spiritual paradise in the heavenly realms. (If it merits, this may happen immediately after the person dies, or if not, it may happen after a period of suffering in Gehinom, which brings about the purification of the soul from its unrepented sins.) In the spiritual paradise, there is no body or physical form. There is only the souls of the righteous alone, without body, similar to the ministering angels. Since there is no physical form, there is neither eating, drinking, nor any of the other bodily functions of the physical world.

Do not think lightly of this good, by imagining that the heavenly reward for a person’s observing his commandments and following the paths of God’s Truth is for him to eat and drink good foods, have intercourse with beautiful forms, wear garments of linen and lace, dwell in ivory palaces, use utensils of gold and silver, or other similar ideas, as conceived by those who are foolish (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 173).

[Hrvatski Noahid]

In the spiritual paradise, there is no body or physical form. There is only the souls of the righteous alone, without body, similar to the ministering angels.

Nevertheless, spiritual creations have a limited spiritual body and form. 

[Noachide]

In the beginning of God’s creating the physical realm, there was a shroud of darkness. There was an absence of physical light, and there was also an inner spiritual darkness – the absence of God’s Self-revelation. Mankind’s service, starting from the time of God’s creation of Adam, the first human being, has been to help prepare the world for the Divine light that will shine in the immanent Messianic Era. In each generation, the efforts in this direction have produced fitting “vessels” (kelim) through which righteous people will be able to experience the open revelation of God’s Presence in the physical world (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 11).

[Noachide]

We make the world into a place that is fitting for the revelation of God’s Presence through two paths, which correspond in a general way to the verse in Psalms, “Turn away from evil and do good , seek peace and pursue it”(Psalms 34:15):

(1) Establishing societies that are based upon, and operate with, justice and righteousness. This can be achieved through correct partnerships between people, as the prophet proclaimed: “For so says God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth – He is E’lohim, the Designer of the Earth and its Maker; He established it. Not for naught was it created , but rather it was formed to be settled; I am God, and there is no other.”

(2) Transforming the world into a more spiritually suitable place by performing acts of goodness and kindness, and by encouraging others to do the same. Each good deed and each kind act serves as a “vessel” (keli) in which God’s Presence can dwell in the world.

Therefore, every person, and especially a pious person, should know that by working to perfect and spiritually elevate himself and the world around him, he will follow in the footsteps of Abraham, who called out to all people to recognize God’s Name and to fulfill His will through righteous living (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 11-12).