Our Last Generation?
Let’s be realistic: if Orthodox rabbis guide Gentiles towards the Seven Commandments in lieu of conversion, there must be a proper framework for Noahides…
A pulpit rabbi once told me that when a rabbi walks into a synagogue and sees only elderly folks, he knows that something is amiss. Of course he is happy to see anyone there. Of course! But if the synagogue has no children in it, Jews are in trouble. I am very concerned about the fact that I know almost no Bnei Noach who have small children. And of the Bnei Noach I do know, or at least know of, the options for raising children with Torah that is appropriate for Gentiles are very limited, to put it mildly. How are Bnei Noach going to pass our beliefs to our children? Without immediate action in this area the growing numbers of Bnei Noach – I am assuming that we are growing – could be merely a flash in the pan.
Within Orthodoxy there is an emphasis on separateness. I’m not saying that Orthodox Jews are of one mind on this issue, or any for that matter. Anyone with even a minimal amount of contact with the Orthodox world sees that debates are never ending on just about any issue there is. Interestingly, there is great diversity even within Orthodoxy, part of its beauty and power. But as a rabbi I know put it, the debate within Orthodoxy about separateness seems to be not so much about whether or not it’s a good thing, but how much or how little there should be – it’s about degree. Let’s assume for a moment that he is correct in his assessment. Clearly that poses a problem for Bnei Noach. We need to be together to some degree to collaborate, as we are on Breslov World. And we need to be together to some degree to remain on the correct path and not let Bnei Noach fall off our foundation.
Is it fair to say that Orthodox rabbis are more likely to guide non-Jews towards the Seven Universal Commandments, to the Bnei Noach movement as it were, than Conservative, Reform, or Reconstructionist rabbis? I think it is. If that is the case, I think that Orthodox institutions need to really step up to the plate and help believing non-Jews to have access to the things that we need, to develop the things that we need, to allow for a Torah-centered way of life that is appropriate for non-Jews to be passed down to our next generation. We need lots of help and we need it fast.
The more this is left up to the few incredibly hard-working and wonderful non-Jews who are willing to put in mountains of effort to tackle these huge problems, the greater the risk we will stray further away from the strengths of Orthodoxy. I contend that there needs to be a strong presence from the Orthodox Jewish community who are willing to go there, who are willing to collaborate with believing Gentiles. I don’t know a single Ben or Bat Noach who wouldn’t be thrilled to collaborate with and to learn from terrific, bridge building, educated Jews.
Let us be very realistic. If Orthodox rabbis guide Gentiles towards the Seven Commandments in lieu of conversion, there must be something to which they are being guided. What is the destination? Even if the destination is rewarding for adults, how will they pass it on to their children? It doesn’t take long for interested adults to see that there is almost nothing for us in this area. If the potential Ben/Bat Noach has kids and are not the sort of mavericks who want to build religious institutions from the ground up, which is understandable, where will they end up? There are people who are trying to help Bnei Noach home-schoolers. That is about it. Home schooling can be terrific, but it is not an option for many people for practical reasons. And it is an approach that puts the educating largely in the hands of parents who need to be educated themselves. We need options that are accessible to your average person, visible to your average person. We need options that are rooted in and continually redirected back towards solid, legitimate Torah values that only well-educated rabbis who live and breathe Torah can provide.
I come from a secular, Enlightenment oriented background. Naturally, my biases come through in my teachings to my son. My background informs and biases my spiritual journey. Many Bnei Noach come from Christian backgrounds. It would be only natural for that background to consciously or unconsciously influence their spiritual lives as well. I contend that it is unavoidable. I think the only way for us to overcome these biases is to be surrounded by people who do not have them. We are in many ways similar to converts. People who convert to Judaism learn from people who have been Jewish generation after generation. A community solely comprised of converts could easily end up in left field. We need to learn from those folks who learned from their parents, going back through time, generation after generation, or, God forbid, this could be our last generation.
6/23/2009
You have a valid concern! We are learning from these Orthodox here and on other sites, as well as from Messianics. We are not in 100% agreement with anyone we have found yet, but we learn from them all. But we have noticed that about 75% of those in the Messianic circles seem to be from about age 50 – 70…VERY few young people!! We wonder if perhaps that might have to do with how close we are to the Messiah’s arrival. We did not know this path in time to raise our children thus, and have none on the path, sadly so.
6/23/2009
We are learning from these Orthodox here and on other sites, as well as from Messianics. We are not in 100% agreement with anyone we have found yet, but we learn from them all. But we have noticed that about 75% of those in the Messianic circles seem to be from about age 50 – 70…VERY few young people!! We wonder if perhaps that might have to do with how close we are to the Messiah’s arrival. We did not know this path in time to raise our children thus, and have none on the path, sadly so.