Two Roads One Path to God

Two Roads One Path to God

Last week, as I waited to board a plane from Los Angeles back to the East Coast, I sat near a woman who was talking loudly on her phone. She was oblivious to the disruption she was causing, and her speech was full of profanity. Families with children were offended and moved away.

I was disillusioned by her behavior and wondered if it represented a systemic descent of values among young people.
Hi, I am Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, founder of Jews for Judaism and its Jerusalem director.

As I boarded the plane, I prayed that this woman would not be seated near me. Imagine my relief when a 6-foot-2 young adult took the seat next to me. While in the air, we struck up a conversation.

William was polite, educated, and worked in marketing. I commented on his pleasant demeanor, and he attributed it to his faith. Although Christian, he did not believe in proselytizing and described his best friend as Jewish. In fact, he was encouraging his friend to visit Israel.

We spoke about Birthright, and he asked which program I would recommend. I gave a few recommendations, emphasizing that whatever group his friend joins, it should focus on both the recent and ancient biblical history of Israel, such as the Mayanot program.

William was totally respectful toward Judaism and was of the opinion that we could both serve God in our respective ways.

I asked him if he had heard of the Noahide covenant, which is the Torah path for non-Jews to live a moral life and serve God. I explained that in the first nine chapters of Genesis, we find seven fundamental commandments given to mankind.

Based on the belief in God, they include the prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, immorality, and cruelty toward animals, as well as the requirement to establish courts of justice.

Collectively, they are referred to as the Seven Laws of Noah and are alluded to in the seven colors of the rainbow, which was the sign of the covenant given to Noah in Genesis 9:13.

William was thrilled to hear about this covenant and promised to share it with his non-Jewish friends who are disillusioned with dogmatic religions but want to believe in God and live a moral life.

God, in His infinite wisdom, provided Jews and non-Jews with two paths to one God so we can live together in harmony and respect while maintaining our specific missions, thereby transforming the world into a dwelling place for God.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz

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