While doing mivtzaim, it happens sometimes that in my outreach to Jews, I encounter non-Jews. I usually just give them a sheva mitzvos card with a picture of the Rebbe. Once in a while, a non-Jew will enter into a discussion about faith, the seven mitzvos, Moshiach, etc. I have met smart non-Jews who have despaired of what their religion has to offer and are looking for an alternative. I have also met those who choose to eat kosher and “observe” Shabbos even though they are not Jewish. I respond to each one according to the circumstances and the question they pose. I usually explain that in Judaism we are not interested in enlisting new candidates and that in their current status they are obligated to observe the Seven Noachide Laws.
When the idea came up of interviewing James Gosnell, a ben Noach who works in the computer field for Tekno Telecom, a telecommunications company, and uses his free time to spread the message of the Noachide Laws, I jumped at the opportunity. I assumed I would learn more about how to approach mivtzaim like these which I wasn’t used to as an Israeli.
RELIGIOUS (SELF) EDUCATION
James was raised as a Catholic in Terre Haute, Indiana in a moderately religious home by typical American parents. He went to church every Sunday where he learned Christianity and read the Bible. When he got up to the Ten Commandments and learned about the prohibition of idol worship, he asked what an idol is. He suddenly realized that in Christianity (Catholicism) there are lots of idols and this revelation resulted in an inner conflict for it contradicted what it said in the Bible. When he was older, his trust in the Christian faith was broken and he decided he had to do more research.
In college, James met some Christians who tried living according to the Bible, but this did not prove satisfying to him. He felt there was something deeper. After studying Christianity more deeply, he realized that it all came from and started with Judaism. When he saw in Judaism the principle that what is hateful to you, don’t do to others, he remembered that he learned this in Christianity. That’s when he realized it is all taken from Judaism.
At a later stage, when he learned the Laws of Kings in the Rambam about Moshiach, he began to understand what Moshiach is supposed to do from the Jewish perspective as opposed to the erroneous Christian notion. He learned about Hashem’s relationship with the world and about Har Sinai where Moshe received the Torah directly from Hashem. The Jews had a direct connection to the G-dly source and this proved to him that Jewish history is correct.
TO REMAIN A BEN NOACH OR CONVERT
“I understood that I am not a Christian but a Ben Noach. I studied basic Hebrew and began doing more research on Judaism and at a certain point also on Chabad, mainly through the Internet. I was living at home in Indiana and the changes I made generated negative feedback. I was in my mid-twenties and had almost completed a degree in the sciences at the University of Southern Indiana when I began to look into the conversion process. I thought of finishing my studies, moving, and converting.”
The inner change was expressed in his speech and actions. At a certain point, he even decided to wear tzitzis, to keep kosher, and to light Shabbos candles, which interfered with his relationships with his parents and friends. At the same time, he studied the sheva mitzvos and what it means to be a Ben Noach. He slowly came to the awareness that G-d wants something other than conversion from him.
“Around 2007, when was I at the university, I realized that if I converted that would be to my personal benefit, but if I got involved in sheva mitzvos as a non-Jew, I could make a far greater impact on the world.”
He began researching the topic in depth with the knowledge that he could always decide to convert. He ultimately decided to focus on his obligations as a Ben Noach. He committed to disseminating the topic and talking to people about observing the Sheva Mitzvos.
James met his wife while in college and convinced her to commit to the Sheva Mitzvos too. After finishing his degree, the couple moved to Chicago where he has an ongoing relationship with Rabbi Eliezer Turen and the Moshiach Center.
“I had finally found someone who could answer my questions about Judaism and faith. We became close, and now every Thursday we have a shiur for B’nei Noach at the Moshiach Center whom I bring from work or mivtzaim.”
When you look at James, you can easily mistake him for a yeshiva bachur. His appearance, with the beard, makes you think he’s Jewish. I asked R’ Turen about the beard and he told me:
“James worked at a gas station and when he began growing a beard, his boss told him to get rid of it. He asked me and I told him that if he would be Jewish, I would know what to tell him (that a beard not only does not harm your parnasa, it helps) but since he is not Jewish, he has no obligation to have a beard. Afterward, he asked someone who is not Chassidic who told him to take off the beard. James figured that since the non-Chassid told him to take it off and I told him that I would tell a Jew to keep it, he was better off keeping it. As for the boss, in the end he stopped bothering him.”
A B’NEI NOACH WEDDING
When the Gosnells decided to marry, the question arose as to how to go about it. As B’nei Noach they could not have a Christian wedding, of course, and a Jewish wedding was not relevant. R’ Turen relates:
“When James met his future wife, it was after he had decided to remain a Ben Noach and to live as one and not a Christian. His wife respected him and his views about being a Ben Noach but it was still strange to her. In order to strengthen her connection to it, he brought her to us so we could explain things beyond what he had already told her.”
Mrs. Tsyrl Turen relates:
“Danielle is a very grounded woman. You can’t talk spiritual talk at her and convince her to make a major change, but after they were our guests and they saw a Chassidic family, she was impressed by the meaning and warmth in Jewish-Chassidic life. This made her want to strengthen the spiritual side of herself as a Bas Noach.”
R’ Turen:
“The wedding took place in 5770 and James flew me to Indiana to officiate at the ceremony for them. There are no rules for a ceremony of this kind, but James saw it as a mivtzaim opportunity and asked me to come up with a wedding document that would express their obligations according to the mitzvos b’nei Noach. I spoke with R’ Emanuel Shochet of Toronto, an expert on this subject.
We finally came up with a “Document of Commitment” under the heading lasheves yetzara, for even a non-Jew is obligated in settling the world. We also wrote something that includes the sheva mitzvos. The commitment was then produced as a beautifully designed document. They had a sort of chuppa where I took the opportunity to give a talk about the sheva mitzvos. Sheva mitzvos cards with the Rebbe’s picture were put on the tables for the guests. People were impressed and it was a big Kiddush Hashem.”
HOW DO YOU GET A CHRISTIAN TO REALIZE HE IS A BEN NOACH?
James’ work in explaining the Noachide laws to gentiles is challenging:
“It is hard to convince b’nei Noach to learn about this in depth but they do more or less keep the seven mitzvos. When you tell them that they are okay if they observe them, even without changing their religion, they are relieved and feel validated.
“There are b’nei Noach like myself who through a deep search arrived at the awareness of their identities as b’nei Noach. For those who did not go through this process, there are usually two reactions: 1) considering the seven mitzvos as moral laws that are proper to observe, and 2) considering them as part of Toras Moshe. Of course, the second approach is preferable. Otherwise, if it is only a moral code, tomorrow he can decide to be less moral.
“My goal is to provide them with a foundation and to educate them about Judaism, to counter the lies they heard in church. I give them a background for the Mishna Torah of the Rambam and explain that there is a Written Torah and an Oral Torah. This leads to talking to them about the Sheva Mitzvos which is part of the Oral Torah. I quote to them from the Torah where Moshe gives authority to the Elders to teach Torah, and how this went from generation to generation, and how we must observe it.
“It is hard for people to understand this. Sometimes I need to use the knowledge that I have in order to explain it to them. I give them examples from circumcision, kashrus, etc. and show them that Jews have laws that were transmitted over the generations about how to observe the Written Torah. Christians believe in the Torah and in Moshe and the goal is to help them acquire the belief that the Rambam is also part of Toras Moshe; otherwise, they think you are making things up. When the Oral Torah’s authority is established, you can talk with them further and explain that a Jew must observe all the laws while a Ben Noach is obligated only in seven.”
SHATTERING THE CHRISTIAN MESSIANIC MYTH
I asked James how he deals with the mistaken messianic ideas of the people he encounters and he said:
“The mistaken Christian belief about the Messiah has both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that they are open to discussing faith and connecting to G-d. The problem begins when they associate this with their messiah. They translate what I say and my good feelings about Judaism into their terms and Christian mindset and it is very hard to break this association.
“The strategy is to provide them with an alternative, to explain that they will still have a warm relationship with G-d but in a more correct manner. The problem is we don’t have a substitute to offer them for the social framework and emotional support that the Christian community provides them.”
I saw we had touched on a sore point and I asked James to expand on this:
“They have emotional support from their community, from their family, and from friends who share their faith and it is hard to go against all this; it is emotional suicide for them. I want to move them away from Christianity to the awareness that they are B’nei Noach and they have a role as a Ben Noach, but a Ben Noach has no community and it’s very hard. This is really the question, what can be done to establish B’nei Noach communities so that it will be possible to draw them in, as an alternative to the support systems that they have in Christianity.
“Generally, those who really connect to their identities as B’nei Noach are those who studied and researched it as part of a journey of self-knowledge. There are those who are agreeable to going along with the ideas but when it comes to discarding the mistaken messianic idea and leaving the church, they feel it’s beyond them.”
REACHING OUT TO JEWS
As someone connected with Beis Moshiach of Chicago, who has a bearded-Jewish appearance and speaks about Judaism and the seven mitzvos with non-Jews, James also encounters Jews who are not yet observant and he tries to influence them as well.
“There is a Jewish man who works with me and we never spoke much. He is not religiously observant. When did he start talking to me? When, one day, he heard me talking with non-Jews about Judaism and he get involved in the conversation. When he heard things against Judaism from the Christians I spoke to, and how I defended Judaism, he suddenly displayed Jewish pride and began defending Judaism too. This definitely brought him closer to his traditions and strengthened his faith. Perhaps one day a Lubavitcher will ask him to put on t’fillin and he will agree because I warmed him up to it with the conversations he heard from me. I notice that when I talk about galus and Geula in the proximity of Jews, this also wakes them up.”
KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THE RAMBAM
A gentile once asked James how the world will look in the time of Moshiach. James quoted to him the description at the end of Hilchos Melachim in the Rambam’s last section, Seifer Shoftim. On another occasion, a gentile asked him to define Moshiach and wanted to know why he did not believe in Yoshka. James explained that the Rambam sets forth criteria by which to identify Moshiach and not only does Yoshka not meet them, but he acted contrary to what is expected of Moshiach (as Rambam states in 11:10 in the uncensored edition).
James also quotes to gentiles from the verses that deal directly with the seven mitzvos to show them how authentic it is.
Another topic that James tells non-Jews from the Rambam is the introduction to the Yad HaChazaka where the Rambam lists the chain of the Oral Torah transmission from generation to generation, starting with Moshe Rabbeinu. With this, James emphasizes the Oral Torah’s veracity to gentiles and proves that it is also part of Toras Moshe.
I asked him about his knowledge of Rambam:
“It’s a fundamental work which contains all the relevant information for a Ben Noach. You need to be knowledgeable when you speak to them. It’s hard to argue with the Rambam because he is factual and very logical. I think every Jew needs to know by heart the laws in the Rambam regarding the Seven Noachide Laws, the criteria for establishing Moshiach’s identity and, of course, to be able to quote the end of the Rambam about what will happen in the Days of Moshiach, no jealousy, no competition, etc. The topic of how the world will look in messianic times often comes up on mivtzaim and we need to be able to quote the end of Maimonides about no jealousy, no competition, etc.”
FEMININE SUPPORT
In order to examine the subject from all angles, we spoke with Mrs. Turen for the feminine perspective and then with James’ wife, Danielle.
Mrs. Turen, beyond her family responsibilities and the running of B’nos Rabbeinu high school, gives three weekly shiurim.
“On Mondays, the shiur is for beginners and we learn Tanya in a way of avoda. James’ wife, Danielle, attends this class. On Tuesdays, there is a shiur in Tanya for those who are more advanced. This shiur began in Sivan 5750 because of the Rebbe’s request/horaa to start shiurim. There is also a phone shiur on inyanei Moshiach and Geula every Thursday which is a conference call listened to by women all over the world.”
I asked whether the Monday shiur is for B’nos Noach or Jewish women and how Danielle fits in. Mrs. Turen said:
“It’s a shiur for intellectual women who are just beginning to learn about Judaism. The shiur is focused on avoda so if Tanya is talking about iskafia or the mind ruling the heart, they will have homework on this and at the next shiur they will report how they did with the assignment. Danielle takes this very seriously. She is always one of the first to do the homework I assigned and to internalize what we learned. She takes home what we learned and implements it in her life and also davens with it and I see a special seriousness in her and significant progress.”
I asked Danielle to elaborate a bit, from her perspective, about her background and what she thinks of all this. She said:
“I was raised in a modern Christian home without any religious trappings in a small town with no Jews. I believed there is a G-d but did not think about it much. When I went to college and met James, he told me his thoughts about conversion and his connection to Judaism and his status as a Ben Noach.
“Now too, he teaches me something new every day. I don’t know whether I want to convert, but Judaism seems logical and more correct than Christianity. I learned about being a Bas Noach and about the seven mitzvos that I am obligated in, and I began taking an interest in this because of my husband.
“When we were living in Chicago and I met the Turens, my connection became much stronger because of being hosted in a Jewish home. I was amazed by it. It is one of the nicest, most incredible homes I’ve ever seen. Everyone is focused on educating their children and on religion and this is so different from the way I grew up. I hope my home will be like that.”
I asked her about learning Tanya with Mrs. Turen and she said:
“I cannot explain in words how much I learn from and appreciate the book of Tanya and the special studying we do with Mrs. Turen. It is a very spiritual and practical path for me to connect with G-dliness. I learn Tanya and pray with it. The topic of the mind ruling the heart helps me a lot in life and with my relationship with G-d. Now I know that you cannot allow emotions to rule because then it’s a life of chaos. Also, the topic that everything is actually G-dliness (the unity of G-d), is something I hadn’t thought of until I began learning Tanya and it changed my way of thinking. Lots of people, I think, observe the seven mitzvos without being aware of it, but with us it is coming from a place of awareness combined with love and fear in the service of G-d.”
James tells how he does mivtzaim, giving out sheva mitzvos cards and starting conversations about faith and religion at work or wherever he is. He is in the planning stages of starting a website on the subject and wants to generate awareness about the great need for a community of likeminded Noachides. He also tells of Christians who don’t like him and who think he is damned or confused.
He concludes:
“It’s really important for Jews to spread the information and to be knowledgeable in Rambam. People listen to you. I can tell you that if you commit to observing the seven mitzvos, you become a better person, more calm, and you live more in harmony with your environment, especially if it’s with the awareness that this is the teaching of Moshe as commanded by Hashem. It’s very important to give people this foundation.
“We are really lacking a community; Noachides have a hard time finding one another. I have a friend, a Noachide like me, who due to the research he did on Christian symbolism, came to the conclusion that the spiritual foundation of Christianity is shaky. He did research on Chabad websites and realized he is a Noachide. Today he is estranged from the Christian community and their displacement theology, but in general, I don’t have many friends who can be called Noachides.
“The Rebbe made a significant step forward by asking his Chassidim to spread the subject. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have anything and we would all be lost on the subject.”
Danielle also talks about the lack of a community:
“My husband and I talk a lot about starting a community for Noachides. There are blogs and websites but we don’t have an actual community and it’s hard. I don’t have a single friend who considers herself a Bas Noach. We are open to ideas about this and are willing to help in building a community of Noachides.”
As for Geula, she adds:
“You first have to explain what Judaism is, because there is a lot of ignorance in the non-Jewish world about this. I believe that the Messiah is on his way and we need to prepare for his coming by Jews doing their mitzvos and we doing ours. We have a picture of the Rebbe at home and the Turens tell us more and more about him; we also write to him through the Rebbe’s letters. Mrs. Turen recently gave us a video in which the Rebbe talks about the seven mitzvos and it’s amazing to hear how much the Rebbe pushed this issue.
“I thank Mrs. Turen for the education she is giving me. I would not have a connection with G-d if not for her, and I thank the Rebbe who urged you to spread this message; otherwise, I would not know anything and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.”
WHAT THE REBBE SAID ABOUT SPREADING THE SHEVA MITZVOS B’NEI NOACH
“In previous generations, any attempt to influence the nations of the world in matters of faith entailed danger to one’s life and therefore it was not possible to fulfill this command. In our generation, however, not only is there no danger involved, on the contrary, this increases the honor of the Jewish people in the eyes of all the nations when they see that the Jewish people care not only about themselves but also about the civilization of the entire world by people behaving according to righteous and just ways.”
As proof, the Rebbe referred to the enthusiastic endorsement of the President of the United States at the time, Ronald Reagan, to announce to all citizens of the US to unite around the fulfillment of the Seven Noachide Laws, as well as the declaration of both the Congress and the Senate that the seven laws should be upheld.
From this, the Rebbe concludes, “The very fact that the President publicly made an announcement about the fulfillment of the Sheva Mitzvos B’nei Noach ought to greatly increase the efforts of Jews in this regard on all people of the world.”
BEIS MOSHIACH IN CHICAGO – A SOURCE OF LIGHT
Beis Moshiach of Chicago, which is run by R’ Eliezer Turen, has minyanim every day, shiurim on Moshiach and Geula, and does widespread hafatza in the area. There is also a morning kollel for the study of Chassidus led by R’ Dovid Feldman. The Moshiach Center is located in a religious neighborhood and in the window there is a picture of the Rebbe with the p’sak din about his being Moshiach. There is also work done with Israelis which is called Ohr Ha’Geula, led by one of the shluchim, R’ Yossi Kleiman.
There are also activities for women run by Mrs. Turen. She regularly gives shiurim for women including a Tanya class for beginners, as related in the article. Every Thursday night there is a shiur for B’nei Noach at the center given by R’ Turen.