ARE NOAHIDES SECOND-CLASS HUMANS? · Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach

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Short Summary: “Why Be Second Class When You Can Convert?”

This is a short summary of a shiur that responds to a painful comment in a video:

“Why be second class when you can convert and be first class?”

It may sound like trolling, but behind it is a deeper wound:
Am I less? Do I truly belong? Does G-d want me, or only someone else?

Here is an honest Torah answer—without slogans, platitudes, or internet rage.

1. G-d Created Humanity, Not Just Jews

Genesis 1:27:

“And G-d created the human being in His image…”

The Torah does not say only Jews are created in G-d’s image.
Every human being is created in the divine image.

This idea is emphasized by:

Mussar: Alter of Slabodka, “Gadlut Ha-Adam”
Pirkei Avot 3:14 – “Beloved is man…”
Tosafot Yom-Tov on Pirkei Avot 3:14

2. Noahides Are Not “Second-Class” Humans

The Torah shows that G-d held humanity morally accountable before Sinai:

Genesis 6:11–13 — The world is judged for violence and corruption.
Genesis 9:6 — “In the image of G-d He made man.”

This demonstrates that human dignity and moral responsibility are universal, not conditional on Jewish identity.

3. Non-Jews Are Treated as Moral Adults

The story of Avimelech (Genesis 20):

Genesis 20:3–6 — G-d speaks to Avimelech in a dream.
Rashi on Genesis 20:3 — Notes that Bnei Noach already have the prohibition regarding another man’s wife.

Avimelech speaks with moral reasoning, and G-d affirms his innocence.

4. Entire Civilizations Are Accountable

The story of Nineveh:

Jonah 3:10 — “G-d saw their deeds… and relented.”
Jonah 1:2 — Jonah’s mission is to proclaim moral wrongdoing, not ritual failure.
Talmud, Sanhedrin 56a — Noahide laws are listed as universal commandments.

Nineveh is judged on ethical behavior, showing that universal morality applies to all nations.

5. There Is No Punishment Without Prior Warning

A foundational principle in Tanach and Chazal:

“No punishment without warning” (אין עונשין אלא על דבר שביקשו) — found in Midrash and Talmudic sources.
Noach and the Ark — Noah builds the ark openly for 120 years (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah).
Egypt and the plagues — repeated warnings and escalation.
Jonah to Nineveh — explicit warning before judgment.

This shows that G-d’s justice is not arbitrary, but moral and pedagogical.

6. The Talmud Did Not Invent the Laws

The Talmud organizes what the Torah already assumes:

Sanhedrin 56a — The seven Noahide laws are enumerated.
Tosefta, Sanhedrin 9:4 — Earlier articulation of the universal commandments.

The Talmud clarifies and codifies, not invents.

7. Rambam: Noahides Are Not “Almost Jews”

The Rambam is explicit:

Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 8:11 — “Anyone who accepts and observes the seven laws is among the righteous of the nations and has a share in the world to come.”
Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 9–10 — Bnei Noach have their own legal system and courts; they are not dependent on Jewish courts.

This makes it clear: Bnei Noach are not “incomplete Jews.” They are full covenantal partners with their own responsibilities.

8. Conversion Is Not an “Upgrade”

Conversion is not a promotion.

It is a change of covenant, a change of obligation and destiny.

The Torah itself recognizes internal distinctions:

Cohen, Levi, Israel (Roles within Judaism)

No one calls a non-Cohen Jew “second-class.”

Different roles do not equal different worth.

9. Israel’s Role Is Unique, But Not Superior

Micah 4:2 — “For from Zion shall go forth Torah…”
Zechariah 8:23 — Nations will seek Israel for guidance.
Zechariah 13 — Described by commentators like Mesudat David as purification, not universal conversion.

Israel teaches; the nations learn. Both serve G-d.

Conclusion: Noahides Are Not Second Class

No. The Torah never speaks that way.

The Alter of Slabodka taught Gadlut Ha-Adam — the greatness of the human being.

Before a person is Jewish or non-Jewish, a human stands before G-d as a bearer of the divine image.

That dignity is real, not symbolic.
It is a demand.

G-d addresses both Jews and Noahides as morally serious beings—capable of responsibility, repentance, and growth.

Human worth comes from being created in G-d’s image.

Israel has one mission.
The nations have another.
Both stand before the same G-d and are accountable to the truth they received.

Conversion is a calling only for those who are truly called.

Belonging to Torah is not about status.
It is about responsibility to G-d.

Note

This is a short summary of the shiur.
The full lesson is highly recommended for a deeper and more complete understanding.

Von Rabbiner Tani Burton

Weitere Schiurim von Rabbi Tani Burton

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