Noach-2015

· The Mabel, flood was very frightening – wiping out almost the entire world, except for the 8 members of Noach’s family and the animals on the Tayvah, the ark

· This catastrophe filled the Bnei Noach with the ‘fear of the Almighty’

· As a result they tried to do Tshuva to make sure Hashem’s wrath didn’t flare up threateningly again

· They mekabled upon themselves the sheva mitzvoth (7 mitzvas) bnei noach.

· According to another Chesbhon it consisted of 30 pratim, individual mitzvot, in 7 categories.

· This is all outlined on the website http://noahide.net/ and specifically http://noahide.net/html/30_commandments.html

· The Gemorah in Chulin refers to the 30 mitzvot.

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· Chulin 92a, buttom of page – “Ula says, There were 30 Mitzvot that the Bnei Noach mekabled on themselves, and they now they only keep 3 of them. 

o They “mekabdim et ha Torah” – honor the Torah.

o They don’t sell human flesh in the marketplace

o They don’t write Kesubot for Zechorim

· These mitzvot were meant to be a kind system of dikes, like they have in Holland, to protect themselves against another flood.

· The dikes consisted of 30 kinds of protection, each corresponding to a different mitzva.

· However after about 1600 years (1500 years ago), Ula said that only 3 kinds of protection remained – 27 of the kinds of protection were gone.

· Let’s see how we are doing today with regard to these last 3 holdout mitzvot.

HONORING THE TORAH

· I asked a Rabbi what this means, and he answered, “Throughout history until 200 years ago, all people believed that Hashem wrote the Torah, and what is in it is true.  But then people started to become increasingly skeptical.  Recently this skepticism has increased dramatically.” 

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· From 1990 to 2012, the percentage of Americans 18-34 who categorize themselves as agnostic or atheist  increased from 10% to 30%

SELLING HUMAN FLESH IN THE MARKETPLACE - Black Market for Selling Organs

· In the last several decades, ILLEGAL organ trafficking has increased tremendously

· This became possible when drugs that prevent organ rejection were introduced

· Today the market for the illegal buying and selling of organs is about a billion dollars a year.

· Most are kidney or liver transplants.

· Some call it the ‘red market’, in contrast to the black market.

· China gets organs from executed prisoners, where permission to donate is questionable

· 1984 US passed a law that prohibits buying and selling organs (donating is allowed)

· In Iran, the only country where buying and selling organs is legal, the legal price of a kidney is $4,000, while in the black market it is $160,000

KETUBOT ZECHARIM

· In 2001 the first country to recognize it was the Netherlands

· Now 16 countries recognize it.

· First state was Massachusetts in 2004

· 32 of the 50 states recognize it.

· June 2013 the Supreme Court of the US ruled it unconstitutional to interfere with States making their laws regarding this issue

· On June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court said that it is considered actual marriage.

STATUS OF THE 3 HOLDOUT MITZVOT

· What’s going on? What are we to make of this?

· There seems to be a sea change going on here, no pun intended.

· The Bnei Noach accepted on themselves 30 mitzvot, and in 1600 years threw away 27 of them, but there were 3 mitzvot that remained sacrosanct.

· All of a sudden in the last 20 years, these last 3 mitzvot are on a plummeting downhill slide.

· The defense of the dikes is almost gone.

· What does this mean?

· Sotah 49b – “In the Ikvot de Mashiach, insolence will increase, and honor dwindle.”

· It also says: “The people who dwell on the border (of Israel) will go begging for compassion from place to place, but no one will take pity on them.”

· Does this sound like Gush Katif?

· Bamidbar 17:11 – Parshat Korach - When the people complained after the incident of Korach – “Anger has come forth from Hashem, the plague has begun…. Aharon put the incense in the firepans and he atoned for the people.  He stood between the dead and the between the living and the plague was halted.”

· Something is going on – we should be careful.

· Our minds and hearts should be turning toward Tshuva