GEN656 Maimonides rules: “Anyone who accepts the seven [Noahide laws, that is, the minimal laws required of non-Jews: the duty to establish courts of law and the prohibitions of blasphemy, idolatry, incest, murder, robbery, and eating a limb from a live animal] [this verse, Sanhedrin 56a] … is among the pious of the nations of the world and has a portion in the world-to-come…if one accepts them because God has commanded them in the Law…; but if one observed them because of a rational decision, one is … not one of the pious of the nations of the world, but one of their wise.” Law of Kings 8:11 (By Warren Zev Harvey, “Ethical Theories among Medieval Jewish Philosophers”) OXFORD 97

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GEN657 The Tanakh assumes that there is a universal standard of ethical behavior for which God will punish nations other than Israel … the expression “fear of God/the gods” as the equivalent of “common decency” assumes that all nations are capable of behaving according to basic ethical standards. The Psalmist lauds God as one “who will rule the world justly, and its peoples with equity” Psalm 98:9, an idea evident in biblical narrative. God tests Abraham’s worthiness by revealing to him His plan to destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their immorality Genesis 18:17-20, not their presumed idolatry. Jeremiah is appointed as a “prophet to the nations,” and several of the prophetic books include collections of oracles concerning other nations Isaiah 13-23, Jeremiah 46-51, Ezekiel 25-32, Amos 1:3-2:3, Obadiah, Nahum 1-3. Jonah is sent to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, to call its inhabitants to repentance: “Let everyone turn back from his evil ways and from the injustice of which he is guilty” Jonah 3:8. In Genesis 9:1-7, the aftermath of the flood, God gives laws for Noah and his family and authorizes capital punishment for homicide, but even prior to this, Genesis 1-8 presuppose a moral order that all people are expected to recognize and observe without the benefit of specific divine instruction, so that Cain and the generation of the flood can be punished for their misdeeds. Abraham shows keen awareness of this universal standard and holds God accountable to it when He threatens to decimate the Cities of the Plan: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Genesis 18:25. The Bible never explicitly elucidates the origins of this universal ethical consciousness, but it is logical to assume that biblical authors could hardly imagine a basis for it other than God, as noted above regarding “fear of God.” (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible) OXFORD 45

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GEN679 See [[NUM93]] Numbers 11:33 meat OXFORD 419

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GEN712 That humans are “created in God’s image” emphasizes the infinite value of human life… (By Elaine Adler Goodfriend, “Ethical Theory and Practice in the Hebrew Bible) OXFORD 44

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GEN721 The death penalty is first stated in [this verse]. Yet, the Torah does not stop there. It is chock-full of offenses punishable by death. Capital punishment is designated for crimes ranging from intentional murder Exodus 21:12 to sexual offenses Leviticus 20:10-21 to even cursing one’s parents Exodus 21:27; Deuteronomy 21:18-21. It is also prescribed for theological offenses such as idolatry Deuteronomy 5:8, sorcery and witchcraft Leviticus 20:13, and violating the laws of the Sabbath Exodus 31:14. There are at least thirty–six offenses for which the Torah authorizes the death penalty. In modern times it is difficult to countenance such a system. To understand the morality of biblical death penalty law, one must put it in context. In biblical times, there were no prisons. The options for punishment were fairly limited – flogging, execution, or fines. The offenses designated for capital punishment were those that threatened the lives of individuals or the very ethical and religious life of Jewish society. Capital punishment for murder represents the basic ethical principle that each life is valuable. Absent extraordinary circumstances, there is no right to take another person’s life. Executing the offender will not bring back the lost life, but it will reestablish the basic principle that intentional killing is wrong. It will also serve the fundamental practical purpose of preventing blood feuds. Capital punishment for idolatry and certain prohibited sexual offenses serves to save the spiritual life of a community. While one can certain debate which, if any, of the transgressions should still lead to the death penalty today, Judaism recognizes that life serves no purpose unless it is imbued with a fundamental morality. If one wants to be Jewish, one cannot be an idolater. If one wants to be Jewish, one cannot engage in sexual acts that threaten the propagation and moral norms of the Jewish people. Leviticus 20:2. (By Laurie L. Levenson, "Judaism and CriminalJustice" OXFORD 475-6

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GEN731 What ethical failure led to the Flood? Vaguely, the Torah specifies only hamas—ruination, perhaps connected with “heat.” Humanity at large, not a central institution or person, was to blame. The Rabbis usually asserted that the universe is built on “measure for measure”: God’s rewards and punishments fit our actions. So the Rabbis asked, “Since the purging of the earth came through water, what was being wrongly done through water?” And they answered that before the Flood, all the species were mixing the water of their semen with each other. This water washed away all biological boundaries, confounding the clarity of God’s creation; so God sent a Flood of water to wash away all boundaries. Rosh Hashanah 12a: Rav Hisda said: “With hot liquid they sinned, and with hot liquid they were punished. With hot liquid they sinned –namely, with sexual transgressions.” Today we know that few species can mix together and propagate in this way. But we have also invented “genetic recombination,” by which indeed the genes of one species can be introduced inside the DNA of another. Should we take the fantasy of the Rabbis as a warning to explore this new technology with the greatest care, if at all, lest we bring upon ourselves a global disaster? (By Arthur Waskow, "Jewish Environmental Ethics: Intertwining Adam with Adamah") OXFORD 411

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GEN833 A surprising number of biblical figures had fertility problems. Abraham and Sarah, Rebekah and Isaac, Rachel and Jacob, and Elkanah and Hannah (who ultimately bore the prophet Samuel) all had difficulties. [this verse, Genesis 18:1-15; 25:21; 30:1-8, 22-24; 35;16-20; 1 Samuel 1:1-20). No other culture’s sacred scripture focuses so extensively on infertility. What can we learn from this? First, that children are precious. Indeed, the Jewish tradition sees them as a great blessing. In part this is so because of the psychological growth and joy they bring to their parents. In addition, of course, the future of Judaism and the Jewish people depends on procreation. But the very difficulty that so many couples have in conceiving and bearing children is itself a mark of how precious they are when they come. Second, the biblical stories amply indicate that infertility causes immense tensions in a marriage. Infertile couples begin to question who they are individually as a man or woman and what their future together holds. … Some couples break up over this issue, and those whose marriages survive must revise their hopes and dreams of their lives together. (By Elliot N. Dorff) OXFORD 321-2

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GEN944 See [[LEV336]] Leviticus 19:11 falsely OXFORD 434-5

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GEN945 See [[GEN833]] Genesis 15:2 childless OXFORD 321-2

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GEN948 See [[LEV336]] Leviticus 19:11 falsely OXFORD 434-5

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