“Then those who fear Hashem spoke to one another, and Hashem listened and heard”.
Ruth was a Moabite woman who left her homeland and came to the Land of Israel as a convert to Judaism. There she lived in adject poverty, searching for food for herself and her widowed,elderly mother-in-law. Subsequently she became the wife of Boaz, which, according to the Talmudic tradition, was another name for Ibzan, one of the Judges of Israel. Ruth and Boaz were an unlikely match. She was a Moabite princess who had fallen from honor and wealth to contempt and poverty. Boaz was the Judge, the leader of the Jewish nation, venerable, wealthy, and revered. Much more the hostile border seperated Ruth and Boaz. He was two generations her senior. In background they were even furthur apart. Yet the two came together under the most implausible circumstances, to become the forbearers of the royal family of Israel. The Talmud calls Ruth the mother of royalty, because her progeny includes King David, King Solomon, and the future King Messiah.
As the Midrash put it, had Boaz only known that the Holy One, Blessed is He, would consider his generosity to Ruth important enough to inscribe in Scripture, he would have given her a sumptuous banquet meal of stuffed calves!
It is true in times past, a person would perform a commandment and a prophet would inscribe it for eternity in Scripture, but now that the sacred Books are written and sealed, how will our worthy deeds be inscribed and remembered? The Midrash responds that the prophet Elijah inscribes them and the King Messiah and the Holy One. Blessed is He, affix their signatures to them, as it is written: “Then those who fear Hashem spoke to one another, and Hashem listened and heard”(Malachi 3:16)
What a remarkable and inspiring teaching! No deed is ignored. Not act is forgotten. Hashem wants us to know that the deeds of mortals can become part of His plan. Ruth’s story of triumph over adversity remains a historic teaching of man’s potential for greatness.
Micah 6:6-7:- You ask:- With what shall I approach Hashem, humble yourself before God on high?
Shall I approach Him with burnt-offerings, or with calves in their first year? Will Hashem be appeased by thousands of rams or with tens of thousands of streams of oil?Shall I give over my firstborn to atone for my transgression, or the fruit of my belly for the sin of my soul?
Micah 6:8:- “He told you, O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”
For God recompenses man with kindness according to their deeds but places evil on the wicked according to their wickedness. Job37:7:- God seals a judgment with the hand of every man, so that all people He has made may know.Job38:12-13:- Good reasons direct its movement, cunningly it pursues its tasks, according to man’s deeds; however He commands them, upon the inhabited surface of the earth. Whether for punishment or for the benefit of His land, or for kindness, He may supply it.
What do you mean by, “Then those who fear Hashem……” In the eyes of Hashem, you are either a Jew or a Noahide. If you are a Jew, you are obligated to follow the 613 laws of the Torah.
If you are a gentile(Noahide), you are obligated to follow the 7 laws of Noah.
The question now is:- “Are you observant whether as being a Jew that ought to behave or
as being a Noahide that you ought to behave?
I believe the word “Observant” is related to this phrase “Then those who fear Hashem………….”
When you fear Hashem, then you will respect his laws respectively whether as a Jew or a Noahide.
Let us look back at the stories related to the book of Ruth. It started with the name of a man called Elimelech, the name of his wife is Naomi, and the name of his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. They came to the field of Moab and there they remained. Ruth 1:2.
Verse 3 to 5:- Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabites woman, the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the second Ruth, and they lived there about ten years. The two of them, Mahlon and Chilion, also died; and the woman was left of her two children and of her husband.
According to (Rashi), Elimelech was very wealthy and did not want every impoverished person to knock at his door for help. For this reason, he was punished. He and his two sons were met with untimely deaths.
Psalm 41:2-14:- Praiseworthy is he who comtemplates the needy, on the day of evil Hashem will deliver him. . Hashem will preserve him and restore him to life, and he will be happy on earth, and You will not give him over to the desire of his foes. Hashem will fortify him on the bed of misery, even when You have upset all his restfulness by his illness. As for me when I am sick, I said, “O Hashem, show me favour! Heal my soul for I have sinned against You!” My foes speak evil of me, “When will he die and his name perish?” And if one comes to visit, insincerely does he speak, his heart gathers iniquity for himself; upon going out he speaks it. Together, all my enemies whisper against me, against me they devise my harm saying, “The result of his lawlessness is poured over him; and now that he lies ill, he will rise no more!” Even my ally in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has raised his heel to trample me. But as for You, Hashem, show me favour and raise me up, then I shall repay them. By this I shall know that You desire me; that You will not let my foe shout gleefully over me. And I , because of my integrity You have supported me, and You have stood me erect before You forever. Blessed is Hashem, God of Israel, from all times past to all times to come, Amen and Amen.
By comtemplating the experiences of the poor and the sick and be charitable, one becomes aware of God’s loving closeness to the man that is charitable, even in most hopeless circumstances.
After the death of her husband and subsequently the deaths of her two sons.
In verse 1:8:- That Naomi encouraged the two young widows to return to their idolatrous families suggests that they had never converted to Judaism; otherwise, how could she have sent them to, in effect, renounce their Jewish faith? Indeed, according to Rabbi Meir, they had not converted(Ruth Rabbah 1:4)
According to Zohar Chadash, they did convert when they married the brothers. Such conversions, however, involved a degree of coercion, since the parents of the brides had arrange the marriages, and the women of that society would not be free to refuse. Therefore, it would be only future fidelity to Judaism that could prove the conversions to habe been sincere. Orpah, by leaving Naomi, showed that her conversion had never been valid. Ruth, however, gave the most eloquent proof that she was a Jewess of the highest order.
From here, we see that that Orpah was non observant, and not in the category of those who fear Hashem. On the other hand, Ruth was observant and those in the category who fear Hashem.
Noahidism is a teaching from Judaism that gentiles who are pursuing righteousness to fear and please Hashem, are only obligated to adhere to the 7 Laws of Noah. But a gentile who want to seek a higher level of righteousness, we encourage them to do so, by seeking conversion to become a Jew. Then we will direct him to see the Rabbi, he will then be under the guidance of the Rabbi on how to observe the 613 Jewish Laws. Whether a gentile want to remain as a Noahide or to seek conversion to become a Jew, we are encouraging them to be observant, either a observant Noahide or a observant Jew. This is what it count to please Hashem,……..
to be counted as “those who fear Hashem” that we may merit a place in the “World-to-Come” for the righteous community only worshipping the Creator God Hashem A righteous gentiles will finally walk the path of the 7 laws of Noah, after going through the process of uprooting, smashing, destroying, overthrowing and then finally to build and to plant as was being prophesied by Jeremiah 1: 9-10:- “Then Hashem extended His hand and touched my mouth, and Hashem said to me, ‘Behold I have placed My words in your mouth. See,I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms(gentiles people), to uproot and to smash, and to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’
What are there to uproot, to smash, to destroy and to overthrow? you may ask?…….
all gentiles either come from either one of this, whether you are formerly a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist or Toaist or any other religions will have to uproot, smash, destroy and overthrow their respective religious fasehood that gentiles ancestors inherited.
This is affirm in Jeremiah 16:19:- Hashem, my Strength, my Stronghold and my Refuge on the day of distress! To You nations will come from the ends of the earth and say: “It was all falsehood that our ancestors inherited, futility that has no purpose. Can a man make gods for himself?—- they are not gods!”
Psalm 96 is a Psalm addressing to the whole world. ….Sing to Hashem a new song; sing to Hashem, everyone on earth. Sing to Hashem, bless His Name; announce His salvation daily. Relate His glory among the nations; among all peoples, His wonders: That Hashem is great and exceedingly lauded; awesome is He above all the heavenly powers. For all the gods of the peoples are nothings — but Hashem made heaven! Glory and majesty are before Him, might and splendor in His Sanctuary. Render unto Hashem, O families of the peoples, render unto Hashem honor and might. Render unto Hashem honor worthy of His Name; take an offering and come to His courtyards. Prostrate yourselves before Hashem in His intensely holy place; tremble before Him everyone on earth. Declare among the nations, ” Hashem has reigned!” Indeed, the world is fixed so that it cannot falter. He will judge the peoples with fairness. The heavens will be glad and the earth will rejoice, the sea and its fullness will roar; the field and everything in it will exult; then all the trees of the forest will sing with joy — before Hashem, for He will have arrived, He will have arrived to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and peoples with His truth.”
Infact, I recite this Psalm 96 prayerfully and joyfully everyday without failed.
Verse 5 of Psalm 96 tells us that “For all the gods of the peoples are nothings— but Hashem made heaven!”
The Jewish are the only people that worship the Creator God and they are the custodian of God’s Words. They are the chosen people to bring light to the whole world by observant of the 613 Torah if you are a Jews, 7 Laws of Noah if you are a gentiles.
It is re-affirm again in Zechariah 8:23:- “Thus said Hashem, Master of Legions: in those days it will happen that ten men, of all the different languages of the nations, will take hold, they will take hold of the corner of the garment of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you!’
Another verse to support is Isaiah 14:1:- “For Hashem will show mercy to Jacob. He will choose Israel again and grant them rest upon the land. The proselyte will join them and be attached to the House of Jacob.”
Most of the Jews you speak to today at the synagogue, majority of them from the tribe of Judah, minority from the tribe of Benjamin and the Levites. The rest of the tribes are unknown, only Hashem knows.
In Hosea12:1:- “Ephraim has surrounded Me with falsehood, and the House of Israel(the 10 lost tribes) with deceit, but Judah still ruled with God and was faithful with the Holy One.”
As Noahides, when we go to the synagogue to have Torah lesson and learn from the Jewish peoples, pertaining to morals and ethical laws(7Noahide Laws of Noah), we are learning from the Jews who are from the tribe of Judah that have truth and wisdom of Hashem.
As created being created by our Creator God, we as Noahide join in with the Jewish people to praise, to give thanks and worship the only one Creator God whom we address as “Hashem”.
Isaiah 43:3:- For I am Hashem your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior…..
Isaiah 43:11:- I, only I, am Hashem, and there is no deliverer aside from Me.
Isaiah 45:18-23:- For thus said Hashem, Creator of the Heavens; He is the God, the One Who fashioned the earth and its Maker; He established it; He did not create it for emptiness; He fashioned it to be inhabited: I am Hashem and ther is no other. I did not speak in secrecy, some place in a land of darkness; l did not tell the descendants of Jacob to seek Me for nothing; I am Hashem Who speak righteousness, who declare upright things. Gather yourselves, come and approach together, O survivors of the nations, who do not know, who carry about the wood of their graven image, and pray to a god who cannot save. Proclaim and approach; even let your leaders take counsel together: Who let this be heard from aforetimes, or related it from of old? Is it not I, Hashem? There is no other god besides Me; Turn to Me and be saved, all the end of the earth(everyone on earth), for I am God and there is no other. I swear by Myself, righteousness has gone forth from My mouth, a word that will not be rescinded: that to me shall every knee kneel and every tongue swear.(whether Jewish tongue or gentiles tongue)
So we have Creator God as our savior, we do not need another savior that was created by men putting up contradicting accounts that was found in the confusing new testament. All these we have to uproot, smash, destroy and to overthrow them out of our mind. And then start anew on the path towards building and planting our faith and deeds for our Creator God. See you at the “World-to-Come” for “those who fear Hashem” and perform His respective Laws be it Jewish Laws or Noahide Laws.
Before You, Hashem, our God, we declare and we will bend our knees and cast ourselves down, and to the glory of Your Name we will render homage, and we will all accept upon ourselves the yoke of Your Kingship that You may reign over us soon for all eternity. For the Kingdom is Yours and You will reign for all eternity in glory, as it is written in Your Torah: “Hashem shall reign for all eternity”. And it is said:”Hashem will be King over all the World — on that day, Hashem will be One and His Name will be One”. Zechariah 14:15.