The Divine Code

Author’s Preface

The Master of the universe commanded Adam, the first man, on the very day he was created, as it is written (Bereshit 2:16): “And God commanded the man (Adam) six laws”:
1) the prohibition of idolatry;
2) the prohibition of blasphemy;
3) the prohibition of murder;
4) the prohibition of adultery;
5) the prohibition of theft;
6) the establishment of justice and the appointment of judges.

To these laws the Creator added one more commandment, which He gave to Noah — not to eat flesh taken from a living animal, as it is written: “And God blessed Noah … but flesh with its soul, its blood, you shall not eat.” These seven laws are called the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah (“Bnei Noach”), meaning the nations of the world, the non-Jewish peoples.

When our teacher Moses ascended Mount Sinai, he received from God the entire Torah: the Written Torah (the Five Books of Moses) and the Oral Torah with its explanations. The Oral Torah expands and clarifies all the commandments that are written in the Five Books in a concise form.

God again conveyed to Moses the seven laws for the Children of Noah, now in an expanded form and accompanied by explanations. Thus, all the nations of the world were forever commanded by God to observe these seven laws, for so the Almighty decreed in the Torah, informing us through our teacher Moses that the descendants of Noah had already been commanded earlier to uphold them.

These seven laws are structured according to certain general principles and are accompanied by interpretations contained in the Oral Torah. Similar interpretations accompany the 613 Jewish commandments (in Hebrew, mitzvot, the plural of mitzvah, meaning “commandment”).
The Jewish sages and recognized rabbinic authorities of every generation are entrusted with the duty of explaining the Torah to the Jewish people. In a similar manner, they are also obligated to clarify for the nations of the world the details of the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah.
In the interpretation of any part of the Torah—whether for Jews or for the nations of the world—one may rely only upon recognized Jewish rabbinic authorities, for they are the disciples of the earlier sages of the Torah who knew how to correctly expound the Oral Torah. (Maimonides refers to the sages of the Talmud as “the pillars of the Oral Torah.”)

In addition to observing the Seven Laws of Noah, with all their details, a member of the nations of the world is instructed to act in accordance with sound reason in his relationship with God, as well as in his conduct toward other people and society.

Even in cases where non-Jews are not given a specific directive regarding the extent of sound judgment, nevertheless God carefully observes and weighs the deeds of every person. There are actions for which an individual or a society deserves punishment, for they are not acceptable for the human race, even if they are not included among the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah.

The moral conduct of society is included in the commandment of “courts” (in Hebrew, dinim), which was given to the nations of the world in order to establish systems of justice and appoint judges who will restrain improper behavior and warn society against such conduct.
God watches over the conduct of every person and judges him according to his deeds, even if he is not under the jurisdiction of any particular court, or if the court cannot administer justice over him, or if the court is unaware of his actions.

The purpose of this book is to present an interpretation of the Seven Laws and the other moral obligations prescribed for the nations of the world in the light of the principles and laws of the Torah; to teach the Children of Noah to walk in the ways of the Creator; to impart to them the knowledge of how to receive reward from the Almighty, how to elevate their spiritual level, and how to become “righteous among the nations of the world.”

Corrections
Page 413, paragraph 8.
Instead of the word “muscles,” it should read “tendons.”