בס"ד

The Relationship Between Non-Jews and Pesach

The purpose of this class is to explain the relationship, if any, between non-Jews and the holiday of Pesach. This also applies to other holidays, but right now we are going to talk about Pesach.

What can they do? What can they not do? Are they obligated to do anything? And so on.

The sources for this class are actually quoted in the description of the class. Let’s go through a few fundamental Jewish laws for non-Jews.

Law Number One: Resting on Shabbat

A non-Jew cannot rest on the day of Shabbat, meaning the seventh day.

Furthermore, a non-Jew cannot rest on any other day of the week as a religious day. That means you cannot take a day and say: “This is a religious day that I’m going to rest because God created the world in six days and on the seventh He rested.”

So I’m going to rest on Shabbat, or I’m going to rest on Wednesday, or whatever day—that is not allowed according to Jewish law for non-Jews.

Are you tired and want to rest? Okay, go ahead and rest. Rashi actually says you should not do that, but the common understanding is: if you’re tired, you can rest. Just not as a religious observance.

So don’t rest on Shabbat, and don’t choose any other day as a religious resting day. That’s fundamental number one.

Law Number Two: Do Not Create a New Religion

It is not allowed to make a new religion.

מה זה אומר?

If a person chooses to create, invent, or make up a new religious act—for example: “I’m going to eat this particular thing and say I’m doing this for God, this is my offering”—and we don’t find this in Judaism, then you are making up a religion.

Furthermore, if a person keeps a commandment that they are not commanded to do—for instance:

God commanded the Jews to eat matzah on Pesach. Matzah is a specific type of bread that we eat on Pesach.

If a non-Jew says: “I’m going to eat matzah because God told us to eat matzah,” that is incorrect. You are making up a religion, because God did not command non-Jews to eat matzah on Pesach.

Can Non-Jews Do Other Commandments?

Let’s continue with this idea.

If you are not commanded to do something, you are not obligated to do it. And you should not do it as if you are obligated, because you are not.

However, the Rambam (Maimonides) says clearly:

If a non-Jew wants to keep a mitzvah that they were not commanded to do, they פַּחִית do it according to Jewish law—with some exceptions.

The exceptions are:

But the other mitzvot—out of the 613—non-Jews could do them, as long as they understand they are not doing it because they are commanded, but because they want to, possibly to receive reward.

Two Ways to Understand the Rambam

There are two ways of understanding this Rambam:

First way:

A non-Jew can only do rational commandments—things that make sense anyway, even without a command.

Second way:

A non-Jew can do even non-rational commandments, as long as:

Again, this does not apply to:

And some commentaries add that this also does not apply to certain mitzvot like tefillin, mezuzah, and sefer Torah.

The exact details are not the focus right now. The main point is:
A non-Jew may do certain mitzvot, depending on how we understand the Rambam.

What About Pesach?

Pesach has several commandments for Jews, including:

Can Non-Jews Do These?

Point number one:
These commandments are not commanded for non-Jews. They are specifically for Jews, at a specific time and in a specific way.

If a non-Jew wants to do them:

Then they הָיָה יָכוֹל do it.

But:

They must do it properly
They should speak to a rabbi and ask how to do it correctly

Are they obligated?
No, not at all.

Ask Yourself: Why?

If you choose to do these things, ask yourself:

Why do I want to do this?

Do I want to look like a Jew?
Do I want to be a Jew?

If the answer is yes:
Then go convert. Talk to a rabbi and convert properly.

If not, then you need to understand your motivation.

The Lessons of Pesach

This discussion does לֹא apply to the lessons of Pesach.

You can learn any lesson you want from Pesach.

One important lesson:

The word “Mitzrayim” (Egypt) is related to “meitzarim,” which means:

Going out of Egypt is an ongoing process:

Every human being is expected to:

Sometimes the limits come from yourself.
Sometimes from your environment.

Your job is to go beyond them.

Do These Lessons Apply to Non-Jews?

✔ Yes, absolutely.

Many of the lessons of Pesach—and other holidays—apply to non-Jews as well.

Final Words

So, to summarize:

Pesach is very much centered around food:

Closing

The traditional greeting is:

We should have a Pesach:

שיחה מאת הרב טוביה סרבר


האמור לעיל הוא ייצוג של טקסט מדובר שהומר לטקסט כתוב.

מקורות:

Rambam, Laws of Kings, ch. 10, laws 9 y 10

Radvaz, there

Rashi on Sanhedrin 58b

Sefer Sheva Mitzvot Hashem, Fundamentals of faith, ch. 3, laws 2, 3 y 6

Sefer Mitzvot Hashem, p. 432

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