THE NOACHIDE LAWS

Of the 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures, there are only seven—the Noachide laws—to which Jews believe that non-Jews should be held accountable.

Sexual orientation is not a concern of the Noachide laws. As we are not Jewish, we feel it would be presumptuous for us to speak for Jews, but we've always been offended that Lon Mabon and the religious right have the nerve to quote just one of the 613 Jewish commandments out of context and abuse it as an excuse for hatred and discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Here's what David C. Gross, a former editor of The Jewish Week, wrote in Judaism: A Religion of Deeds and Ideals:

Judaism is both particularistic—caring deeply about what happens to the Jewish people—and at the same time universalistic, equally involved with the welfare of the world as a whole.

Indeed, rabbinical and talmudic commentators make it plain that the Torah is not meant exclusively for Jews, but is for everyone. At the same time, they note, the obligations of Judaism do not fall on Gentiles. In fact, the rabbis of the Talmud formulated a set of rules—based on passages in Genesis—that enable non-Jews to be regarded as righteous, religious people. These seven mitzvot, or religious commandments, are known as Noachide laws, for Noah was the father of all mankind, after the flood. They are:

1. All people should believe in one God and abstain from idolatry.
2. Everyone should be moral and refrain from adultery and incest.
3. People should be useful members of society and should not commit murder.
4. Everyone should be honest and refrain from stealing.
5. People should respect God and never blaspheme.
6. Law courts should be maintained to settle disputes with justice.
7. People should be kind to animals. (This apparently refers to the pagan practice of tearing the limbs from living animals, and eating them.)

Many other religions besides Judaism stress the importance of social justice, of compassion especially for the needy and downtrodden, of kindness between people. However, Judaism is aware of the fact that there are millions of people who have been brought up with values and ideas that differ from Jewish teaching. Jewish scholars and thinkers harbor a deep-seated tolerance for other peoples' ways of worship and prayer.

David C. Gross, Judaism: A Religion of Deeds and Ideals (New York: Hippocrene Books, 1992), pp. 34–35.