Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge

[Noachide]

From the deer, which is renowned for its swiftness, a person should learn to always be swift and zealous to do good deeds and stay far away from sins. As soon as an opportunity to do a good deed presents itself, a person should swiftly accomplish it and not procrastinate – as the sage Ben Azzai said, “Run to [do even] an easy mitzvah (a commandment or good deed), and flee from transgression, for one mitzvah brings about another, and one transgression brings about another;”¹⁵⁴ and as the sage Hillel said, “Do not say, ‘When I have free time, I will study [Torah],’ for you may never have free time.”¹⁵⁵ The long-term goal of this contemplation is to habituate oneself to run after good deeds, even pushing oneself to do so, until it becomes second nature. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 71)



¹⁵⁴ Ethics of the Fathers 4:2

¹⁵⁵ Ethics of the Fathers 2:4

[Noachide]

From the lion, which has great strength and is not afraid of any creature, a person should learn to have strength of heart and not be afraid of any opposition in the world – not those who oppose God’s Laws and the ways of justice and goodness, nor one’s own evil inclination which does the same – when he truly knows what God desires from him in any situation. So too, Rabbi Eliezer taught his young son, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, “My dearest son, … never fear anyone or anything except the Holy One, blessed be He!” (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 71)

[Noachide]

It is a principle in Torah that “from the positive, one can infer the negative.” Just as one can learn good traits from some animals to use in serving God, He put other traits into animals that should be viewed as negative and far below the dignity of any human being. A person can apply those standards as well, in both his private and social ways. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 71)

[Noachide]

Almost all of the Seven Noahide Laws are negative commandments (things not to do), with the exception of one that is a positive commandment (something to do): Establishing Courts of Justice (Dinim in Hebrew). This is in contrast to the Torah Law for Jews, which includes many positive commandments. Even the one positive Noahide Law to establish courts of justice is not a specific physical action, since it is mainly focused on the overall formation of a just society, establishment of just laws, and the prevention of wrong-doing. It is mainly a societal norm, rather than spelling out the actions that are required to fulfill the obligation (although there are offshoots of the commandment of Dinim that include actions, such as giving children a good education, etc.) In general, the Noahide Laws do not include the same type of positive commandments as those in which Jews are obligated (for which the obligation itself has specific criteria, such as wearing tzitzit fringes, putting on tefillin, blowing a shofar, etc.) (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 82)

[Hrvatski Noahid]

Almost all of the Seven Noahide Laws are negative commandments (things not to do), with the exception of one that is a positive commandment (something to do).

They are given as prohibitions, but each Noahide Commandment has a positive aspect. The positive aspects include some of the most important Noahide commands: the command to recognize and know G-d, the command to fear G-d and so on.     

[Noachide]

Yes and no. They are given as prohibitions, but each Noahide Commandment has a positive aspect. The positive aspects include some of the most important Noahide commands: the command to recognize and know G-d, the command to fear G-d and so on.   

This is true. In fact I have seen on some sites where Seven Commandments are presented through list of positive aspects, like: respect the sanctity of marriage, respect for the sanctity of human life, be kind to animals, respect other people property etc.

[Noachide]

For Jews, since they are commanded by God to pray to Him on a daily basis, it is possible that the action of praying is the most important part of the requirement (and even a lack of intention while praying does not constitute a complete deficiency). But for Gentiles, it is clear that the action of praying to God is not the main part of the requirement, since there is no specific commandment that a Gentile must perform it. Rather, the main component in God’s eyes is the Gentile’s intention in his prayer. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 82)

[Noachide]

For a Gentile, there is no actual holiness in one’s action, in and of itself. Rather, the value of the action in God’s eyes is based on the intention of the person who does it for a specific purpose, such as for the honor of the Creator, for the benefit of others, for the benefit of his own wellbeing, or for some moral purpose. Nevertheless, every person should accustom himself to habitually do good deeds and act in good ways. Even if good actions are done by rote, or out of habit, they are still considered good actions! This is because the person maintains an overall general intention to do good in his life, even if he doesn’t bring a thought about this to the forefront of his mind at the time that he is doing the good deed. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 83-84)

[Noachide]

The way to avoid slipping into performing actions without proper feelings or intentions is to apply the following practices on a constant basis, or as much as possible: make an effort to be alert to opportunities for doing good deeds; become accustomed to good behavior, and constantly be mindful of your actions and examine them thoroughly, while making sure the intentions behind them are good. By doing so, the person becomes complete in his actions, his emotions, and his ways of thinking. All his faculties thereby become unified in the kind, beneficial actions that he desires to be involved with, as much as possible. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 84)

[Noachide]

This positive personal completion and unification brings one to a higher level, which is experiencing and maintaining happiness in the service of God.

It is a general principle that when a person experiences happiness, at that time he is personally unified with his situation. (For example: even if he is in the midst of doing something he does not enjoy or care about, and then he suddenly receives very good news, he will temporarily separate from the activity that he doesn’t enjoy, and unify his attention with thinking about the good news. Then for as long as he maintains that unity, he will be in a state of happiness.) The opposite is also true. If a person is unhappy, it is clear that his heart and thoughts are not unified with the thing that is occupying his attention. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 84)

[Noachide]

Thus, even if a person is piously doing good deeds in the service of God, he may be fully dedicated to this but not experiencing happiness. When he realizes and contemplates that what he is involved with is truly for his own good, he will become more personally unified with his service, and the proof of this will be seen in his greater happiness.

The same result can be achieved with an alternative approach. When a person accustoms himself to performing good actions and good behaviors with happiness, his happiness has the effect of bringing him to be inwardly unified with his feelings and intentions for serving God. This is higher nature of a person: the ability to accustom oneself to doing good actions as a matter of habit, until he is complete and unified with them to the point that they become his second nature. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 84)

[Noachide]

One should be attentive to the cleanliness of his body before he begins to pray, which most importantly means that one should not pray while having the urge to relieve himself. Rather, one should first take note and relieve oneself if he needs to do so, then wash his hands, and only then pray afterwards. In fact, every time a person prays, he should first clean his hands by washing them with water (or at least by wiping them with a cloth, if no water is available), whether or not he has relieved himself just beforehand.

One should not pray in an unrespectable place – not in an area of filth, or in a bathhouse, or near a garbage dump, or in an area with a foul smell – and should not be facing such an area when he prays. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 86)

[Noachide]

It is fitting for a person to establish a set place for praying (even in his own home, to make private place for prayer), and this area should be respectable. It is even more fitting to pray in an area that has been set aside for the public to pray, if it is nondenominational or consistent with the Torah’s principles. (But if a person happens to be in a house of idol worship, it is forbidden to pray there, and one should be careful not to use prayers that were composed by idol worshipers for their liturgies.) (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 86)

[Noachide]

A person should not pray in messy clothes or while he is lacking clothing. If the people in that area would not appear before an eminent person without wearing shoes, he should not pray barefoot. For both men and women, it is not proper to pray with bare arms or legs, as that is immodest; instead, one should be clothed respectably, and surely should not pray while naked or nearly so. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 86-87)

[Noachide]

It is befitting that every Noahide set time aside for prayer, but there does not have to be any specific time for the prayers. Rather, it is dependent on the current feelings and capability of the person. There are those who feel the need to pray several times a day, during the daytime and at night, and therefore they should. There are others who can suffice with praying once a day. For some, even that is more than they need, and they are not able to have enough concentration if they pray that often, so they find it sufficient to pray once a week.

It is a pious practice (if a person can conform to this) to have a set time dedicated for prayer, once every day. If one is not able to set a time for prayer on a daily basis, then he should set a time for prayer on the less frequent schedule which he can observe, such as once or twice a week. The time which is most fitting for this regular prayer is in the morning, at the beginning of one’s day. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 87)

[Noachide]

It is better to pray with a group of people who are coming together for worship to the One God, if that is available (unless one finds that it makes it more difficult for him to concentrate), because their collective merit assists each person’s prayers to be more readily acceptable to God. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 88)

[Noachide]

Therefore, a person should be very careful with speech, and should cultivate restraint in speaking, except with regard to matters of knowledge or things that are necessary for his physical welfare.

On this point, the sage Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said, “I did not find anything better for one’s person than silence; … and whoever engages in excessive talk brings on sin.”

Similarly, when speaking about matters of knowledge, one’s words should be brief, but rich in content and focused. In contrast, if one’s words are many and the content scant, that is foolishness, about which it is stated, “The dream comes with a multitude of subjects, and the voice of the fool with a multitude of words.” Likewise, Rabbi Akiva said, “Silence is a safeguard for wisdom.”

Therefore, one should not hasten to answer, nor speak at length. If he is a teacher, he should teach his students in calm and tranquility, without shouting or wordiness. This is what Solomon stated: “The words of the wise are heard in tranquility.” (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 98)

[Noachide]

A person is forbidden to act in a smooth-tongued and luring manner. He should not speak one thing outwardly and think otherwise in his heart. Rather, his inner self should be like the way he presents himself to the world. What he feels in his heart should be the same as the words on his lips. Therefore, it is forbidden to deceive people. For example, one should not press his colleague to share meal with him when he knows that his colleague will not accept the invitation, nor should he push presents upon him when he knows that his colleague will not accept them. He should not open honorable drinks supposedly for his colleague, which he is opening anyway for his own purposes, in order to deceive his colleague into thinking that they have been opened in his honor. The same applies with all matters of this sort. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 98-99)

[Noachide]

One should neither be constantly laughing and a jester, nor sad and depressed. Instead, one should be happy with his lot in life. Our sages declared, “Jesting and frivolity accustom on to lewdness.” They also directed that a man should not laugh without control, nor be sad and mournful, but receive everyone in a friendly manner. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 99)

[Noachide]

A person might say, “Since envy, lust, the pursuit of honor, and the like, are wrong path and drive a person from the world, I shall separate from them to a very great degree and move away from them to the opposite extreme.” For example, he will not eat meat, nor drink wine, nor live in a pleasant home, nor wear fine clothing, but, rather, wear sackcloth and coarse wool and the like – just as the pagan priests do. This, too, is a bad path, and it is forbidden to go in that way. Whoever follows this path is called a sinner. Therefore, our sages directed that a person should abstain only from those things which the Torah denies him, and should not forbid himself from partaking of permitted things by making vows and oaths of abstinence. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 99)

[Israel Chai]

A person might say, “Since envy, lust, the pursuit of honor, and the like, are wrong path and drive a person from the world, I shall separate from them to a very great degree and move away from them to the opposite extreme.” For example, he will not eat meat, nor drink wine, nor live in a pleasant home, nor wear fine clothing, but, rather, wear sackcloth and coarse wool and the like – just as the pagan priests do. This, too, is a bad path, and it is forbidden to go in that way. Whoever follows this path is called a sinner. Therefore, our sages directed that a person should abstain only from those things which the Torah denies him, and should not forbid himself from partaking of permitted things by making vows and oaths of abstinence. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 99)

The Alter Rebbe saw a Chassid back when doing this kinda self torture thing they though was lovely back then, and he asked him "why are you robbing Hashem of his food". Hashem [doesn't not] enjoy when you enjoy.

[Noachide]

The Alter Rebbe saw a Chassid back when doing this kinda self torture thing they though was lovely back then, and he asked him "why are you robbing Hashem of his food". Hashem [doesn't not] enjoy when you enjoy.

This is good example. I think that self torture could be seen more in xtianity, it is not a Jewish thing. Altough I have heard that even religious Jews sometimes do this.

[Noachide]

Just as there are specific boundaries that were instituted by the sages to distance the general public from certain sins, they also taught that one should observe personal boundaries for himself individually. For example, most people naturally desire to attain monetary wealth, to the point of actively contemplating whether to steal something which belongs to another person. One who feels drawn to this trait should set personal boundaries for himself, so as not to be involved in theft.

Similarly, if one feels a desire to eat flesh from a living animal, he should not even eat the blood of a living animal, or he should eat less meat, in order to lessen the desire. He should continue in this way to train himself to become distant from this lust. This is comparable to someone who is genetically susceptible to alcoholism, and who enjoys alcoholic drinks, who should limit himself so as not to get drunk. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 102)

[Noachide]

The Torah’s standard of modest dressing for women is that the torso would be completely covered with a high neckline, with the arms covered past the elbows, and the legs covered past the knees. These are requirements for Jewish women, but only guidelines (i.e. not strictly required) for Gentile women. Where it is an accepted local custom, a Gentile woman is permitted to wear pants if they at least cover the knees (even when she is sitting down), and they are not immodest. For example, they should not be tight-fitting or otherwise enticing. It is especially pious for a Gentile woman to wear a dress or skirt outfit that is modest above and below. (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 105)

[Noachide]

As part of being modest in one’s involvements, one must acquire the trait of being satisfied with his lot, and should only desire for himself that which is necessary for the needs of his body and soul. One should not covet the possessions of those who are more wealthy, which are not necessary for him. A person who does so will have a happy and good life, whereas one who desires excesses will not have peace or happiness, because he is always desiring more than he has. The sages have said, “One who has a hundred wants two hundred, and one who has two hundred wants four hundred.” The result will be that such a person will never have any satisfaction, because he is constantly chasing after more wealth and possessions than what he has already attained.

Included in this is that one should not chase after honor. The sages warned against this, and declared that “envy,lust and honor-seeking drive a person from the world.” (Seven Gates of Righteous Knowledge by Rabbi Moshe Weiner and Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah International, 2017, p 105-106)