The Noahide Nations Magazine LEARNING GEORGEGEORGE TORAH WITH RABBI AVINER BROCKBROCK CONFRONTING PEOPLE WITH KIRUV TORAH AN ESSENTIAL FOR THE GROWING NOAHIDE MOVMENT OPERATION N.O.AH. The 2008 Noahide Nations World Conference! PHOTOS REVIEW AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Confrontational Torah George Brock brings his vast experi- ence as a teacher and martial artist to explain hot to talk to sosmeone about Torah. page 4 Devar Torah Rabbi Aviner shares with us secrets from the Torah and the unity of God. page 6 N.O.A.H.’s Neighborhood A place for parents and kids to come learn with one another. Kristine and Elisa Jay introduce themselves. page 9 Bubbie’s Kosher Kitchen Darla shares Kosher Kitchen Knowl- edge collected for the benefi t of Noahides. page 12 Kiruv Russell Kirk introduces the concept of Noahide Kiruv and why it’s so important to the future of B’nei Noah page 14 On the Cover: Rabbis Richman, Hollander, and Bakst form a special Beit Din at the First World Conference of Noahide Nations. Overr half of those attending the conference chose Coming together Individually to take a pledge declaring their committment to keeping the Seven Laws of Noah. Photo by Jim Long Jim Long reviews the Conference. page 15 Fellowship and Unity Abounds Russell Kirk discusses the World Conference. page 18 Hebrew Calendar A Hebrew Calendar for use trough Noahide Nations...In the the month. page 22 Beginning Layout and Editing Editor Ray Pettersen reveals the mystical Adam Penrod Debbie January beginnings of the Noahide Nations project. page 20 Get your DVD copies of speakers at the historic World Conference check site for details CONNECTIONS Confrontational Torah George Brock Part I of IV: Methods Confrontational Torah is confronting people with the Torah without becoming confrontational. Most Noahides came out of Christendom (which is worshipping creation as the Creator). The divorce was not easy for most. This can be compared to a bamboo rod that is bent. If you bend the rod until it is straight, it will return to its fallen state. You must bend the rod the same distance the other way to straighten the rod. This becomes the premise for the way we confront people with the Torah. Confrontational Torah uses a four step process: Identify, fi nd the opposite, use the opposite to overcome, and then learn how to balance the two opposites. Before we can consider the fi rst step, we need to remember that the Talmud teaches that you must accept the King before you can receive the Kingdom. People must know who God is, 4 NOAHIDE NATIONS who man is, and know the difference or they will just substitute their created god for the one true Creator. Identify can be compared to a map, you have to know where someone is before you can help them get to where they need to go. The answer to every question and every problem is: it depends. What does it depend on? It depends on where you are looking from. This becomes the fi rst step of identify. The fi rst thing we teach a person is to identify where they are. We start this process with an aphorism, “It is not what you are looking at, but where you are looking from.” The second thing we need to know is where they are in their thinking. Levels of thought can be described in human terms -- an “adult” (someone who is led by reason and logic), a “child” (someone who is led by emotion), or an “infant” (someone you cannot communicate with). Humor is the third way a person can be taught to identify. Example: Two intellects are at a river, one on one side, the other on the other side. One looks both directions and, seeing no bridge, shouts across to the other, “How do you get to the other side?” The other looks both directions and says, “You are on the other side!” Again, it is not what you are looking at, but where you are looking from. The fourth way we teach the importance of identifying the situation is through a parable. Example: Parable – Why WitnessWhy Witness This is Thisthe story is the of story the twoof the greatest two greatest archers archers in in all of Japan.all of Japan.They grew They up grew together up together and were and were best friends.best friends. Because Because both were both equal, were aequal, rivalry a rivalry began andbegan resulted and resulted in a great in aamount great amount of wages of wages bet as tobet which as to wouldwhich bewould the bewinner the winnerin actual in actual combat.combat. One day, One one day, was one coming was coming down adown a mountainmountain while thewhile other the was other going was up:going they up: they were bothwere aware both ofaware each of other. each other.Then, withoutThen, without any notice,any notice,the one the coming one coming up the upmountain the mountain hit his knee,hit his pulled knee, anpulled arrow an andarrow shot and right shot at right at his friend.his friend. His friend His wentfriend into went a combatinto a combat roll, roll, drew, anddrew, shot and an shot arrow an rightarrow through right through his best his best friend’sfriend’s heart. heart.He thought, He thought, “How “Howfoolish foolish of of him to attackhim to me. attack He me. should He shouldhave known have knownI was I was aware ofaware him.” of Abouthim.” thatAbout time, that a time,tiger afell tiger to fell to his deathhis with death an with arrow an rightarrow through right through its heart. its heart. He hadHe just had killed just hiskilled best his friend best whofriend had who just had just saved his life. saved his life. One of the lessons to be learned here is that sometimes things are the opposite of what they seem. Noahides are trying Concluded p13 5 CONNECTIONS Devar Torah Rabbi Dr. Z Aviner The historical search for ELOKIM HaSheM then walked’ in Eden and was calling: in Nature “Adam, where are you?” The Torah presents ELoKiM in an awesome way, Of course, ELoKiM knew well where Adam and mentioning His Name 32 times in just a few verses Eve were. Yet He called them, to let them know of the Story of Genesis. The number 32 hints that that He was searching for them. ELoKiM is the ‘heart’ of Nature (the word heart in Hebrew, Lev, carries a numerical value of 32.) Hence ELoKiM did not create the Universe and It reminds me playing hide and seek with my young left it to its fate. ELoKiM, rather, is inside every daughters. They hid behind a door, and I used to leaf and stone and in every atom in our body. ‘search’ for them. I knew, of course, where they We can’t see Him, for He is ‘hiding’ like a ‘heart’ were, having heard their sweet giggling behind the inside everything. And like a heart, He sustains the door, but I would continue my ‘search’ everywhere, Universe. but behind that door. I would climb the attic, go outside, go backside, So when Man seeks his CREATOR, the fi rst calling loudly Naama, Chani, Yifat, where are place Man would look is at the world around you? him, at Nature. Man looks hard, but all he could see in nature is a mask “Over My Face,” as HasheM warns Moses in the Second of the Ten Commandment. Nature therefore can be a trap In the same token HaShem is described as of idolatry, whereby Man who genuinely seeks his ‘walking’ in the Garden and searching for His CREATOR may be fooled into worshipping the children, Adam and Eve. “Where are you, mask, Nature, rather than Nature’s CREATOR. Adam?” (Adam here is generic term for Mankind.) So when later Adam and Eve were driven out A Chassidic tale explains it vividly as follows: of Eden to live on Earth, so goes the story, the When Adam and Eve sinned in Eden, they role reversed. Henceforth it would be Adam who hid in shame inside a bush. The verse would search for the hiding PATERNT, ELoKiM. 6 NOAHIDE NATIONS In the same token HaShem is described as Archeology reveals how they used to depict their ‘walking’ in the Garden and searching for His gods with bird’s faces. children, Adam and Eve. “Where are you, Adam?” (Adam here is generic term for Mankind.) And Adam would look at other things created on the FIFTH DAY, like Fish, and worship them too in lieu So when later Adam and Eve were driven out of of his true CREATOR. The Philistines for instance Eden to live on Earth, so goes the story, the role worshipped the ‘Dagon’ which had a face of a fi sh. reversed. Henceforth it would be Adam who would Others, like the ancient Chinese, worshipped Sea search for the hiding PATERNT, ELoKiM. The Dragons, Wales and the Leviathan. Adam would CREATOR would call from Nature: “Adam, come worship these things for a while, but he would looking for me! I am here!” And Adam would try soon discover that ELoKim is not there. “Where hard to follow the lead and fi nd his CREATOR. are you, Adam?” ELoKiM would keep calling him, “search for me, I am here! At fi rst Adam would seek ELoKiM in things created close to him, on the Sixth Creational Day. Now Adam would look for his CREATOR in Adam would look for ELoKiM in the Cattle: is the things made on the Fourth Creational Day.