A Shulchan Aruch For Non Jews?

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel archives. This week's parsha is Noach, and this reminds me how the Rebbe was very passionate about Sheva Mitzvos, the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah. As a matter of fact, I'm going to read you soon just a small paragraph that the Rebbe wrote in his own handwriting, that if the world would keep the Sheva Mitzvos we wouldn't have had a Holocaust.

In other words, the Rebbe was passionate about many, many things, and we never spoke about a lot of them. He spent time on Russian Jews, he spent time on Mihu Yehudi — Who Is a Jew. Also, after the Six Day War, [unclear] about the liberated lands — that's what he called it. He didn't call it Shtachim, he called it liberated lands. Also praying in public schools, moment of silence, and also, the last thing, also about Eretz Yisrael. So everything in this world had to be done before [unclear] — not only, as we once said, not only Eretz Yisrael — he was, he was concerned for the whole world. So the Rebbe had to cover the universe.

So, about Sheva Mitzvos — in the past we already spoke about the Shulchan Aruch that the Rebbe asked Rabbi Mindel [to write]. When he went there [to the Rebbe], the Rebbe asked him to make sure [to write it] — I'm not sure of the details. So Rabbi Mindel told him that he has no time, he pushed it off — no time. First of all, his wife [my mother-in-law] was very sick, and he had to take care of her. The Rebbe gave him then a lot of [assignments] — he went to different countries. And you know, when he wrote books, he wrote Talks and Tales, he wrote on Igeret HaKodesh, he wrote in English — he had a lot of work, he was very busy, and he's only a human being, so he had to [decline], he just didn't have time. So [the Rebbe] never said that he should ask someone else [to do it] in his place.

So yesterday I mentioned that a couple called from England, and they started to do this. They based it — there was a big rav in Williamsburg, his name was [heard as "Revolution" — unclear]. I think they started to write this, I think they based it on him. I'm not sure exactly how it went, but I have it right here — what he wrote and what they wrote.

So what happened: they gave it to the Rebbe. The Rebbe was holding it in his room for a long time, and then he gave it to Rabbi Mindel. That's it — I didn't hear anything from Rabbi Mindel about that. I just found it in my archives, from Rabbi Mindel. I have no instructions regarding Rabbi Mindel, and I don't know what we should do — whether we should give it out, whether we should print it, or we should not print it. I don't know. But let it be now — what is the doubt, why am I [hesitant]? The doubt is whether we should print this or not.

So I'll tell you, there was another [letter], and I'm going to read you some of what he wrote. He started to write, and he wrote to Rabbi Mindel, and Rabbi Mindel showed this letter to the Rebbe. I'll read you his letter, but first let me read what the Rebbe answered him. So the Rebbe answered him like this about printing: "[Hebrew/Yiddish phrase not transcribed] — time is sensitive, a family issue, [a committee] would show us a crank adversary for sure is calling, and also communal leaders — it's a big responsibility to do it." So he got this answer.

And I'll read you soon what he wrote. Before that — the Rebbe gave the answer; then he wrote not only one, but quite a few, and it was a little different answer. The Rebbe answered them: "If we can find [someone with] experience who can do it in a way that it shouldn't antagonize, then maybe — maybe it's better not to give it out — a good place, or in Chicago, something like that." So that answer is not a positive answer. So I don't know — even though the non-Chabad [person] who started to write the letter gave a more positive answer, this didn't [go forward]. I don't know what to do. Of course, if there would be somebody here who knew — I mean, I should have asked Rabbi Groner, he would have probably answered me and told me exactly what it means. But I don't know who to ask today. So it's just lying here, and I didn't do anything with it.

So let me just read what this person wrote to Rabbi Mindel — the one the Rebbe never directly answered on this. This letter goes like this: "Dear Rabbi Mindel, [Hebrew/Yiddish phrase not transcribed]. As you know, [the Rebbe] has instructed me to consult with rabbonim, as I just read, in connection with my work. [The Rebbe] persists in reminding me that, as far as he's concerned, if this means single individuals who are both rabbonim and poskim, then he was referring above all to you — meaning that the only one the Rebbe ever meant is that Rabbi Mindel is the one you have to consult with. In any case, the Rebbe, Shlita, insists that I should do nothing in this area without first consulting with you. [Unclear], after having met with you in Long Beach this past [unclear], I'm convinced that the man who gave this advice is, as usual, correct."

So he consulted with Rabbi Mindel, and according to this, Rabbi Mindel would have answered something — but he never told me anything like that. So I just found this. That's all — he then writes a whole letter about how to proceed with it, and then he finishes off: "I might mention here that it is hoped that, at the conclusion of the Noahide legal [project], it will be possible, with Hashem's help, much later, to proceed with the preparation of a Shulchan Aruch or a Kitzur [Shulchan Aruch] [Hebrew/Yiddish phrase not transcribed]. However, both of these last-mentioned projects require a team of researchers, and consequently cannot get underway until there are more adequate financial resources." He writes more about it, but that's not [relevant] now.

So there is a safek — a doubt — whether, I don't know whether, the Rebbe said that you must discuss it with Rabbi Mindel. So that's number one I wanted to tell you this week. I thought I would mention that to you now.

I want to read to you another letter — there are quite a few letters, but I chose one to read, that the Rebbe got from a Catholic priest from England:

"Dear Rabbi Schneerson, it was indeed an honor and pleasure to receive your letter of 17 November, in the midst of your intensely busy life. It was most gracious of you to reply to me. In your letter you mentioned the promotion amongst the Catholic students of the Seven Laws divinely given to Noah. Although in Catholic moral teaching these laws are not mentioned by name, the content and implications certainly form part of the corpus of our moral teaching. More explicit emphasis is given to the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses; obedience to these laws and their implications forms the basis of our ethical teaching and preaching. I thank you for your concern in mentioning this matter. I enclose a small gift of 10 pounds sterling, and respectfully request that this be used to help relieve the poverty of Jews who have come from Russia. This gift comes to you with my best wishes for your birthday."

This was before [unclear — possibly a reference to Yud Alef Nissan, the Rebbe's birthday]. So this is a letter that was written to the Rebbe, that the Rebbe answered.

Now, before I read that answer, I just want to read a paragraph that I mentioned before — there are many, many letters that the Rebbe wrote to people, but this is just one paragraph. Before I read the letter — the answer that the Rebbe answered to this Catholic priest — [here is the paragraph]: "There is, of course, no need to emphasize to you the importance of promoting these Seven Noahide Commandments among gentiles in our day and age. It does not require much imagination to realize that, by way of example, had these Divine Commandments been observed and adhered to by all the Children of Noah — namely, the nations of the world, individually and collectively — there would not have been any possibility, in the natural order of things, for such a thing as the Holocaust."

And then the Rebbe goes into the whole thing, and we have no time to read it all — it's amazing what he writes, he writes more. But I want to read to you what the Rebbe answered:

"This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter, in which you introduce yourself as a Catholic Christian and outline the high points of your life and public services. Knowing that you have a strong desire to continue to utilize your capacities to make an important contribution in certain areas of public [life] — to a person of your background, it is [liberating] — there is no need to emphasize at length the importance for every person to realize his or her potential, especially one who has been endowed with special talent and capacities and has used them successfully. There is an ancient Talmudic saying which is both timeless and universal: nothing stands in the way of the will — coupled with the assurance that if one makes the proper effort, one will succeed. In view of your experience in the past and your determination for the future, I am confident that you will find the proper ways and means to achieve your goals — all the more so since in such a case one receives aid from Above.

At the same time, I would like to call attention to a point which is really self-evident, but because of its importance cannot be overemphasized. I refer to the divinely ordained seven categories of moral laws and principles which have been given to Noah and his descendants by the Creator and Master of the World, for all humanity. These include such fundamental precepts as the prohibition of idolatry, robbery, the laws of justice, and more. Although common sense dictates that these laws are indispensable as the