Seven points of light!
Rabbi Chaim Bruk

“Rabbi, Is the Torah just for the Jews?”. That is a question that I am asked all the time. The answer is an unequivocal “no”. There are six-hundred-and-thirteen Mitzvos in the Torah that G-d commanded to the Jew and seven that He commanded to Adam and Noah for all of humankind. Earlier this week, after months of tedious and collaborative editing, we published a beautiful brochure and website to share these seven laws with our fellow Montanans and people around the world eager to learn about these values. I pray that it succeeds and that we merit a world with more holiness, civility and humanity.
In this week’s Torah portion, Beshalach, we read about the Jewish women, led by Miriam the Prophetess, who sang songs accompanied by instruments galore after the splitting of the sea of reeds. Where did they acquire instruments one-week after the exodus? Our sages explain that during the enslavement, despite watching their children, even babies, being abused by the cruel Egyptians, they never gave up hope on the impending redemption. At their core, the bedrock of their existence, was a foundational belief in G-d, in Moses, in a bright future, so they set aside whatever instruments they could get a hold of, so that when they are freed, they’d have a way to express their joy.
On Monday we will commemorate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. who once said, “our capacity to deal creatively with shattered dreams is ultimately determined by our faith in G-d”. He was so right. Each individual, every society, needs a solid foundation on which we can rely to carry us through changing times, even extremely challenging eras. The seven Noahide laws are universal values that have withstood the test of time and are eternal in nature. Miriam and her ensemble of women taught us that with the right values, core beliefs, redemption is not only a possibility or probability, but a reality.
Study these seven and share it with the world!