by Petr Chylek (March 2026)
For a long time, I was disturbed by the so-called Laws of Noah. These laws describe what a group of rabbis tried to prescribe for all non-Jews. I felt that this put non-Jews on a second-class footing on earth. I admit that most Jews would not share this attitude.
Some Jews believe that the Torah contains teachings meaningful to all of humanity, while others believe it is for Jews only. The Torah was given to the Jews, but it is not meant for Jews alone. It is one of the scriptures that contains teachings suitable for all of humanity. The Torah is not a history. It uses legends to present stories that demonstrate the laws that should apply to all nations of the world.
The basic rules of ethical monotheism are summarized in the Ten Commandments, which were communicated to Moses and through him to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai. The rabbi who considered the Torah to be for Jews only developed in the Talmud [1] the set of rules known as the seven laws of Noah, which are required of non-Jews. According to tradition, the rules were given to Adam and later completed by a revelation to Noah. The seven Noah’s laws include (1) the prohibition against worshiping idols, (2) the prohibition against murdering, (3) the prohibition against stealing, (4) the prohibition against engaging in sexual immorality, and (5) the prohibition against blaspheming. They also include (6) establishing courts of justice and (7) not eating meat cut from a living animal. A non-Jew who keeps these seven commandments is supposed to share the World to Come, however it is defined, with Jews.
The seven Noah’s laws are not stated in the Torah. They were deduced by the rabbis of the Talmud during the first few hundred years of the CE as their interpretation of the Torah. If Noah’s laws are presented as the beliefs people held thousands of years ago, that is fine. If, however, Noah’s laws are something non-Jews are supposed to fulfill today, I think that is not the best approach. Here is what I believe is a better choice.
You have ten commandments. Delete the first three, which are specifically religious. The remaining seven are suitable for all people, including atheists and agnostics, to govern their ethical behavior: (1) keep one day of the week free of work, (2) honor your parents, (3) don’t kill, (4) don’t steal, (5) don’t bear false witness, (6) don’t commit adultery, and (7) don’t envy. These seven commandments cover people’s physical behavior (1-4 and 6), their speech (5), and their thoughts and emotions (7). They show that each of us is responsible for our actions, speech, and emotions, even when those emotions do not result in action. I think these seven commandments are much superior to Noah’s seven laws. They are part of the Ten Commandments, which almost everyone remembers. The rabbis deduced 613 commandments from the teaching of the whole Torah. Who can remember the 613 commandments?
Is there any reason non-Jews should not stop working one day a week? Is there any reason they should not honor their parents? Why should they not be truthful witnesses? Why should they not control their thoughts and emotions? All these exceptions for non-Jews would make them less valuable citizens.
Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, in his book “Credo of a Modern Kabbalist,” addresses the question of conversion to Judaism. He writes [2]:
The spiritual person comes and asks if he/she should become a Jew. First, I would want to ask whether she/he feels there would be any qualitative change in the relationship with God by becoming a Jew. Second, I would acknowledge that if this person already meditates and prays, already has a dialogue of the soul with God, that on that esoteric level, there is no need for anyone to become a Jew. On the esoteric level of the hidden and mystical, every being is already “there,” and there is no need for a person to change identities or allegiances.
I suspect that most current rabbis would not agree with Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi’s opinion. The reason is that they have to deal not only with esoteric states but also with exoteric reality.
There are many people of all colors nowadays telling you that all is love and that God is love, but no one tells you what love is. Most people consider strong emotions to be love when they want something for themselves.
In current stories about the near-death experience (NDE), we hear how much love they all felt and how much they all received during the NDE. Unfortunately, this is all about them. They received love, and everything was rosy. As long as receiving love is most important to people, they care mostly about themselves. They hardly learn what love of your neighbor is.
Remember the story of Abram going to Egypt? Abram came out of Egypt laden with silver and gold (Genesis 13:2). Have you noticed that no one gave him gold or silver? Pharaoh gave him only cattle, tents, male servants, and female servants (Genesis 12:10). Abram’s nephew, Lot, who went with him to Egypt, left Egypt without any gold or silver; he had only possessions of cattle and tents (Genesis 13:5). How did Abram get the gold and silver? Did he get into the mining business? Not at all. Thus, what is gold and silver? In Scripture, gold and silver symbolize two opposite qualities: wealth or spiritual qualities, such as love of God (gold) and love of your neighbor (silver).
Gold means the love of God, imitating God’s forgiveness by forgiving all who wronged you. If you don’t forgive others, do you still expect God to forgive you? Silver is the love of your neighbor. Treat your neighbor with love and kindness, without superiority or anger. That is what Abram learned in Egypt. That is how he was able to leave Egypt laden with livestock, silver, and gold (Genesis 13:2). Remember that in Exodus (Ex. 11:2), the Hebrews asked the Egyptians for gold and silver vessels before they left Egypt? The Egyptians kindly gave them to the Hebrews.
Thus, rejoice, even if you are not a Jew. You still have ten commandments, or at least seven if you are an atheist or an agnostic.
[1] There are two Talmuds, developed by Jewish rabbis in today’s Israel around 350 CE (Jerusalem Talmud), and in Babylonia around 500 CE (Babylonian Talmud). The Talmud is the second most important text in Judaism, after the Torah.
[2] Z. Schachter-Shalomi, Credo of Modern Kabbalist, Trafford Publishing, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2005.
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Petr Chylek is a theoretical physicist. He was a professor of physics and atmospheric science at several US and Canadian universities. He has authored over 150 publications in scientific journals. He thanks Lily A. Chylek for her support of his writing.
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