Shalom everyone,
Supporters of Paul often claim that Paul’s teachings provide the ONLY true way for non-Jews to follow Yeshua, without needing to convert to Judaism. So, online, whenever I have the opportunity to talk about Talmidaism, I often mention the subject of Talmidi Noahides.
The modern Talmidi community consists of Talmidi Jews, Talmidi Godfearers, and Talmidi ‘Noahides’. The last two are Gentiles who follow Talmidaism, but have their own personal reasons for not fully converting. All of us have our valued place within the overall Talmidi community.
Now, what I mean by the term ‘Talmidi Noahide’ is a non-Jew who follows the ethical teachings of Yeshua, as well as the values and principles of YHVH in the Hebrew Bible, but who does not follow the Sinai Torah or Jewish culture in any way. A Talmidi Noahide would also value the culture and people of their birth as their primary identity.
However, some smart Alec always pipes in with their two cents, and reminds me of the rabbinic definition of a Noahide: “Hey, but a Noahide is only allowed to follow the 7 laws of Noah; what you’re describing is not a Noahide!”
As a consequence, to avoid any future such headaches, I’ve taken to using the term, ‘Talmidi Yahwist’.
What is a Yahwist?
Here’s something that people don’t often think about: What Bible did Abraham use? What sacred Scriptures did he follow? In contrast to the bible-thumpers who wave a Bible about during their angry preaching, as if it were a certificate of authenticity, Abraham did not have any sacred writings. He followed the values and principles that YHVH, our living God, taught him over the course of his life. An important principle of the Israelite faith was therefore, “Know YHVH” (cf Jer 31:34, 1Chron 22:19, Hos 2:20, 6:3).
Here’s something else that most people don’t think about: Abraham was not the first person to worship YHVH (e.g. as Yahh, El Shaddai etc). There are a number of people mentioned in the pages of the Hebrew Bible, who were not Hebrews, but nevertheless worshipped the same God as Abraham. The Jebusites of Jerusalem, for example, led by the priest Melchizedek, worshipped the same God as Abraham. Jethro did not convert to Yahwism, he was already a Yahwist (he was a priest of Yahh in Midian). His Kenite tribe was the only tribe in the Midianite confederation to do be Yahwists. Then there were the Avvites of Abraham’s and Isaac’s time (Dt 2:23, Josh 13:3), whose king, the Avimelekh, considered his people a righteous people (Gen 20:4), because they worshipped Yahh. And Job was an Aramean, not a Hebrew, and he worshipped El Shadday (‘God of the Holy Mountains’ in proto-Semitic).
The next question is: If all these Gentiles had no Bible, what was it that marked them out as Yahwists, sufficient that Abraham was able to recognise that they worshipped the same God as he did?
Modern religion has made religion so much about what you believe, that it no longer remembers what religion meant to ancient peoples: the ethical values and principles you practised in your daily life. The values you espoused and displayed in your life, were an indication of which god you worshipped (the ancients would have worded it as ’following the laws of their god’). Therefore, all Yahwists had a common set of ethical values that they adhered to, which marked them out and set them apart as Yahwists (and it wasn’t restricted to the 7 laws of Noah)!
I think the beliefs that marked them out was the sole worship of YHVH, who was without any physical form, and that God was not to be worshipped with idols. However, Yahwism was much more than that. I often wonder if the Ten Commandments are a relic of the core system of ethical values that were held by all Yahwists, not just the Jewish people.
What are Yahwist values?
When the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were condemned, we are told that they ‘were sinning exceedingly against YHVH’ (Gen 13:13). This means that they held no ethical values in common with those who followed YHVH. In fact, we can safely assume that their values were in complete and total opposition to those held by Yahwists (see Ezek 16:49-50, Jer 23:14, Isa 1:9, 1:17).
Every value and principle that YHVH stood for, the people of Sodom would have acted in opposition to. By looking at core biblical values, we can therefore assume that their way of life was based on cruelty and material greed. They had no inclination towards social justice, hospitality or kindness; they would have exploited the vulnerable, abused guests and visitors, fleeced people who traded with them, mistreated the poor and the disadvantaged, and they would have had no respect for the elderly; we can also assume that they often withheld the wages of their workers, made fun of the blind, the deaf and the disabled, abused children, ill-treated their animals, abandoned the sick to simply die, were insensitive to the suffering of others, and indulged in promiscuity and rape; also, that the wealthy among them idolised wealth and prestige, gleefully took whatever they wanted from the poor, and abused the lower classes for sport. With one short description, we are meant to imagine that, anything we can think of as bad or undesirable conduct for any human being to have, these are the very things that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah did, as a routine part of their daily lives. Every positive tenet that YHVH represented, was lacking in the morals of the people of Sodom – and what’s more, they would have had no remorse for any of it.
What I’m trying to say by relating all this, is to show that Yahwism is not just a set of beliefs, it is a way of living an ethically-based life which represents the invisible God we worship; it is not restricted to the 7 laws of Noah.
A Gentile Yahwist adheres to the ethical principles of YHVH. A Talmidi Yahwist also follows the ethical teachings of the prophet Yeshua.
The Covenants for Gentile Yahwists
But what Covenant is a Talmidi Yahwist a part of? Paul tried to graft his Gentile Believers onto the one with Israel, not knowing anything about the covenants that Gentiles already had with YHVH. In telling Gentiles that they were part of the Covenant with Abraham, Paul sought to replace the Jewish people with his Believers. But Christians are not part of the Covenant with Abraham; non-Jews have three covenants that they are already part of, which they can value and uphold as their heritage which binds them with YHVH: the Universal Covenant, which is a covenant of the highest, noblest and best values of human conscience; then there is the Adamic Covenant, which tells humanity to be stewards of the Earth and look after it; and the Noahic Covenant, which forms the basis of ethical religion for Gentiles who worship YHVH (how to live a righteous life before God).
Talmidi Yahwism is therefore the alternative to Paul’s Christianity for Gentiles. With Talmidi Yahwism, you can follow the ethical teachings of Yeshua, without having to convert to Judaism. You are not required to follow Hebrew customs or ritual, because your primary cultural identity is the one you were born into – the culture and people of your birth. While Islam seeks to eradicate unique and individual cultures, so that everyone will eventually follow only Arab culture; and while Christianity accompanied empires around the world, eradicating and westernising indigenous cultures, Talmidaism in contrast has a message to all native and indigenous peoples around the world: Your culture is valuable and matters; we want you to preserve your identity, your history and your heritage.
Yes, becoming a Talmidi means leaving behind certain practices (such as worshipping idols and following superstitious beliefs), but Talmidaism wants people to embrace their ancestry and their heritage. You don’t have to be jealous of the Jewish people, because you already have something special with God, which is uniquely your own. Moreover, becoming a Talmidi Yahwist does not mean leaving your family or your people behind. You are who you are, because YHVH put you there. If you are called out from your people to become a Talmidi Yahwist, that is a special calling from God.
The Jewish people have a mission as humanity’s priests; Talmidi Yahwists are the flame of the torch that we carry as a light to the world. Being a Talmidi Yahwist is not restricted to just the seven laws of Noah; it involves studying and embracing the ethical teachings of YHVH, and committing to the ethical teachings of the Prophet Yeshua. You are part of the first three Covenants which God swore with all humanity. You have a divine gift and inheritance just as rich and important as that which the Jewish people have been blest with.
Blessings
Your brother in faith
Shmuliq