בס "ד

Read:

Genesis 2:15–17 — G-d’s commandment to Adam

Genesis 4:8–11 — Cain and Abel

Genesis 6:5–13 — The corruption of the generation of the Flood

Genesis 9:1–7 — G-d’s instructions to Noah

Sanhedrin 56a–b — The Seven Noahide Commandments

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Before there was a Torah given at Sinai, how did human beings know what was right and wrong?

Consider Adam, Cain, and the generation of the Flood. What evidence does Genesis provide that people were morally accountable for their actions?

  1. In Genesis 2:16, G-d commands Adam concerning the trees of the Garden. Why is it significant that the Torah describes G-d commanding a human being long before the existence of the Jewish people?

Chazal derive the foundations of the Noahide commandments from this verse (Sanhedrin 56b). What does this suggest about the relationship between humanity and Divine law?

  1. The generation of the Flood was condemned for corruption and violence (Genesis 6:11–13). What happens to a society when people no longer respect one another’s lives, property, and basic rights?

Can a society survive through individual good intentions alone, or does it require an established system of justice?

  1. Read the Seven Noahide Commandments listed in Sanhedrin 56a. Why do you think these particular areas of human conduct are addressed?

Rather than considering them separately at first, look for what they have in common. What essential aspects of human life do they protect?

  1. One of the Seven Laws prohibits eating flesh taken from a living animal (Genesis 9:4). Why might this commandment belong alongside prohibitions against murder, theft, and idolatry?

What does it suggest about the responsibilities that accompany humanity’s authority over the animal world?

  1. Imagine two societies: one in which the Seven Noahide Laws are widely respected, and another in which they are routinely disregarded. What differences would you expect to see in everyday life?

What does this comparison suggest about the purpose of these commandments?

A Thought to Carry Into the Coming Week

The Seven Noahide Laws are often introduced as a list of things not to do.

What changes when we begin to see them as the foundations of the kind of world G-d wants humanity to build?

Schabbat Schalom

Von Rabbiner Tani Burton

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