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What is a Righteous Gentile?
"Ben" is son.
"Bas" is daughter.
"Banot" is the plural of "bas."
"Bnot Noah" are Daughters of Noah.
"Banim" are children (plural).
"B'nai" are children of [insert name].
"B'nai Yisroel" are Children of Israel.
"B'nai Noah" are Children of Noah.
"Ben Noach" is a son of Noah.
"Bas Noach" is a daughter of Noah.
"Noach" is Hebrew for Noah.
B'nai Noach are the Gentiles that attend Synagogue
While B'nai Noach have strong links with Torah Observant Jews, they are not Jewish; they are Gentile (non-Jews). While B'nai Noach any Christian who abides by the Seven Laws of Noah are indeed considered Noahides.
Noahide Seven Laws seen in Gen. 9
Noahides observe seven basic commandments. These laws were given to Noah by G-d and are still followed by those Gentiles (non-Jews) looking for a place in Olam Ha'ba (The World To Come or "Afterlife") and wish to attend Synagogue.
The purpose of the fulfillment of the Seven Laws is to establish a moral, just, and honest society. Furthermore, B'nai Noach hope to allow the Jewish people to fulfill the Torah. Therefore, the Gentiles acceptance of these Seven Laws must also contain an awareness of Tanachic validity.
What are the Seven Laws?
1. It is forbidden to blaspheme the name of G-d.
2. It is forbidden to worship idols.
3. It is forbidden to murder a human being.
4. It is forbidden to steal or rob.
5. It is forbidden to commit sexual sins (such as adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality).
6. It is forbidden to eat a limb or any meat that was severed from a live animal.
7. It is obligatory to appoint judges and set up a court of law in order to pronounce just decisions to all mankind.
Where can one find these Laws?
The Noahide Covenant are found throughout the Bible. Please see Genesis 9; Christians, view Acts 15. These laws are binding on all humanity. Throughout Talmudic works, including Rabbi Moses Ben Nachman's Hilchos Melachim (chapter 8, verse 11) you will find these laws. See also, Sanhedrin 59.
Honoring ones parents on the big 7 list
Noahides were not commanded to honor parents, but where they have taken it upon themselves voluntarilty, it is proper to continue doing so. When G-d revealed the Ten Commandments -- including the honoring of one's parents -- only Jews were present. No Gentiles were present when the laws of honoring parents were revealed.
Noahism and Jewish Law
Do B'nai Noach keep kosher?
Jewish dietary laws (Kashrus) are used to make the Jews a righteous and holy people. Most Jews do not eat any products derived from the pig and the shellfish, with obvious exceptions. But, Gentiles deal specifically with the omission of blood in cooked meat. Hence, B'nai Noach cannot eat from a live animal.
Do B'nai Noach worship on Shabbat?
G-d made the world in six days, on the seventh day He rested. That is what the Sabbath service signifies. B'nai Noach are NOT commanded to observe Shabbat, nor are they permitted to keep it as B'nai Yisrael (The Children of Israel; the Jewish people) observe it. They are, however, permitted to keep the Shabbos as long as they desecrate it in some manner (for example, lighting a match before the conclusion of Shabbos). Observance of Shabbat is not a fulfillment of any mitzvot. B'nai Noach can go to shul and join the Jewish people as they worship, but, yet again, they must be careful in the actions taken on shabbat as to not to offend.
Is Yom Kippur ("The Day of Atonement") solely for the Jewish people to observe?
While repentance is for everyone, Yom Kippur is for Jews to atone for their sins. In other words, Yom Kippur is a day when the Creator forgives one for ones sins, but also gives one a "clean slate." Thus, the entire world is judged on Yom Kippur, but the observance is solely for the Jews.
Your Country the United States
Regards the Noahidic Laws
The Noahidic, or Noachide, covenant was established by G-d during the time of Noah. This covenant was not only for Noah and his children, but it was for all humankind, as all people are descendants of Noah and his three sons. And, while this covenant was made, few people in history have actually recognized this covenant. One governmental body which has recognized the Noachide laws is the United States Congress. On March 26, 1990, under the leadership of President George Bush, the Noachide Laws were officially recognized by both houses. March 26, 1990, the birthday of the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was deemed as Education Day USA because of the passing of Public Law 102-114 of the 102nd Congress. In brief, this proclamation stated:
"Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded; Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws; Whereas without these ethical values and principles the edifice of civilization stands in serious peril of returning to chaos; Whereas society is profoundly concerned with the recent weakening of these principles that has resulted in crises that beleaguer and threaten the fabric of civilized society; Whereas the justified preoccupation with these crises must not let the citizens of this Nation lose sight of their responsibility to transmit these historical ethical values from our distinguished past to the generations of the future; Whereas the Lubavitch movement through its over one hundred and fifty centers in the United States and many more the world over has fostered and promoted these ethical values and principles throughout the world; Whereas Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the Lubavitch movement, is universally respected and revered and his eighty-eighth year will be seen as the year of continued 'turn and return', the year in which we continue to turn to an education which will return the world to the moral and ethical values contained in the Seven Noahide Laws; and whereas, this year of 1990 (5750 on the Hebrew calendar) is the 'Fortieth Anniversary' in which the Rebbe enters the fifth decade since his ascension to the world leadership of the Lubavitch movement and spiritual guidance of world Jewry."
Prayer
People have always prayed. However when the Temple was standing, sacrifices were the primary means for communication with G-d. Prayer was secondary. After the Temple was destroyed, prayer became the central medium to connect with G-d. People offered personal, private prayers. At first, most prayers had no fixed formula; each person offered an individual prayer around a prescribed theme. Slowly, as traditions developed and were codified, standard formulas of prayer became common, although differences remained between communities:
At first there was no fixed liturgy, for the prayers were not set down in writing; only the gist of their content was fixed, while the precentor provided their formulation. Public prayer was brief, and when it came to an end, the individual worshiper laid out an individual petition in silence. . . . The ancient prayers could not be lengthy, and their content had to be clear and simple; there was no room for convoluted language or structure. But once these prayers had become entrenched, they were subject to continual unconscious expansion, resulting from the need for innovation, changes in taste, outside influences, and the practice of individual spiritual leaders. These expansions consisted of wordier development of existing themes, the insertion of biblical verses and verse-fragments into the text, and poetic embellishment of the established text.
Even though the liturgy has become increasingly fixed, personal prayer remains essential. Time is specifically set-aside for private prayer at the conclusion of the Amida, the central prayer of every service. Personal prayer is by no means limited to this one part of the service, or even to services at all; we are encouraged to pray whenever and wherever we wish. In recent times, many Jews have composed alternate forms of prayer that they find more compelling than the traditional formulas. Other Jews find strength in retaining the prayers that have been uttered for generations.
Technical details:
There are three prayer services a day:
Shacharit--morning prayers, the longest of the three services
Mincha---afternoon service
Maariv---evening service
On Shabbat and holidays, Orthodox and Conservative Jews add a fourth service, Musaf, which comes immediately after Shacharit and replaces the special Shabbat/holiday offering given in the Temple.
All services center around the Amida or Shâmona Esrei, which consists of nineteen blessings praying for everything from health to forgiveness to return to Israel.
Jewish prayer is meant to be communal as well as individual. In order to recite all of the prayers of a service, ten people (in Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative services) or ten men (in Orthodox and some Conservative services) must be present. (this is called a minyan) Within this communal prayer, there is always time for individual reflection.
Jews are also encouraged to pray individually and to pray at times other than those set by tradition.
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