by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Each of the seven Noahide laws possesses an inner dimension. These are the seven principles of faith and Divine service to which we shall now turn our attention.

To begin with, we must take note of a general tenet. The tikun, or "rectification," of the world is dependent upon how the non-Jew relates to the Jew. A non-Jew cannot be a righteous gentile if in his heart he feels no affinity for God's People, multitudes of good deeds and fine character traits notwithstanding. If a non-Jew hates Jews to the extent that he is sworn to destroy them, the Torah considers him part of the nation of Amalek, the archenemy of Israel, whom the Jewish People are commanded to annihilate.

When a non-Jew possesses a sense of affinity towards Jews, he merits inspiration from the source of the soul of Israel. He becomes motivated to be a good person in all relations with his fellow man, and to devote his life to the service of God. The rectification of the non-Jewish world in general depends upon the inspiration and insight it receives from the Jewish People in its role as "a nation of priests."

One can always extract a "spark" of good from evil. For example, the major non-Jewish religion of Western culture believes in an individual Jew, and worships him as God. This is certainly a great transgression of the fourth Noahide commandment. Nonetheless, within this evil context we can perceive an element of good. The true rectification of the non-Jewish world will come when it recognizes the Divinely ordained purpose of every Jew--to enlighten the world and bring about universal peace and prosperity. The non-Jew will then be drawn, in love, to the Jew. With an existential feeling of shiflut ("lowliness") with regard to the Jewish People (who in their own consciousness represent the epitome of lowliness before God and man) the world will acknowledge the yoke of the kingdom of heaven as expounded in the Torah. It will then merit true insight.

The following discussion of the seven spiritual principles of faith and Divine service for the non-Jew will shed light on his dependence on the soul of the Jew for rectification. The initial function of each principle is to elevate the consciousness of the non-Jew to a higher level. Together with the elevation of his consciousness comes a greater ability to express free will.

Each of the seven emotive powers of the soul enumerated above--lovingkindness, might, beauty, victory, splendor, foundation, and kingdom--itself possesses an inner dimension. They are (respectively): love, fear, mercy, trust, sincerity, truth, and humility. We will now see how each of these relates to a state of consciousness, a principle of faith and Divine service.