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The Noachide Mnemonic
The Sages of the Talmud had a mnemonic for remembering the ‘sheva mitzvot bnei noach’, and its explanation was recorded in the Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 56b and in the Kuzari 3:73, which are quoted below:
From The Kuzari (3:73)The Rabbi said: “Let us present another two possibilities. Either they utilized an esoteric tradition of how to interpret Scripture - using the thirteen methods of derivation - whose methodology is now hidden from us, or they utilized Scripture as an asmachta, meaning that Scripture is used merely as a device to help them remember an oral tradition.*
“They did this, for example, with the verse (Bereishis, 2:16), ‘The Lord G-d commanded man saying, [from all the trees of the garden you may surely eat].’ They explained that this verse is a reminder of the seven Noachide laws:
- ‘Commanded’ refers to establishing courts.
- ‘The Lord’ refers to cursing G-d.
- ‘G-d’ refers to idolatry.
- ‘Man’ refers to murder.
- ‘Saying’ refers to illicit sex.
- ‘From all the trees of the garden’ refers to robbery.
- ‘You may surely eat’ refers to eating [flesh taken] from a living animal.
These laws obviously are very far from the subject of the text, yet our people have a tradition that we may rely on this verse to help us remember the seven commandments.
* Before the advent of the Mishnah, it was prohibited to write down any of the Oral Tradition. To prevent a particular tradition from being forgotten, therefore, the Sages used a verse from the Torah whose words would mnemonically remind them of the halachah, but which really had no direct relation to it.
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Bereshit 2:16
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ויצו יי אלקים על־האדם לאמר מכל עץ־הגן אכל תאכל
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Va'Ytzav Hash-m Elokim Al ha'Adam Leimor Mi'Kol Etz ha'Gan Achol Tochal
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Genesis 2:16
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And the LORD G-d commanded the man, saying: 'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat'
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1
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ויצו
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"Va'Ytzav" - this refers to Dinim, as it says "Asher Yetzaveh Es Banav (...La'asos Tzedakah u'Mishpat)"
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דינין
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2
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יי
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"Hash-m" refers to blasphemy - "V'Nokev Shem Hash-m..."
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ברכת השם
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3
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אלקים
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"Elokim" refers to idolatry - "Lo Yihyeh Lecha Elokim Acherim"
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עבודה זרה
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4
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לאמר
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"Leimor" refers to Arayos - "Leimor Hen Yeshalach Ish Es Ishto...v'Haysah l'Ish Acher"
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גילוי עריות
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5
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על־האדם
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"Al ha'Adam" refers to murder - "Shofech Dam ha'Adam"
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שפיכות דמים
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6
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מכל עץ־הגן
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"Mi'Kol Etz ha'Gan" - not from theft
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גזל
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7
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אכל תאכל
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"Achol Tochal" - not a limb of a living animal
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אבר מן החי
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From the Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 56b (English translation by Soncino)Whence do we know this? R. Johanan answered: The Writ saith: And the Lord G-d commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.[1] And [He] commanded, refers to [the observance of] social laws, and thus it is written, For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.[2] The Lord is [a prohibition against] blasphemy, and thus it is written, and he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death.[3] G-d is [an injunction against] idolatry, and thus it is written, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.[4] The man refers to bloodshed [murder], and thus it is written, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.[5] Saying refers to adultery, and thus it is written, They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and became another man's.[6] Of every tree of the garden but not of robbery.[7] Thou mayest freely eat but not flesh cut from a living animal.[8] Notes:
- Gen. 2:16
- Gen. 18:19. Thus 'command' relates to justice and judgment.
- Lev. 24:16 'The Lord' being used in connection with blasphemy.
- Ex. 20:3.
- Gen. 9: 6.
- Jer. 3:1. Thus 'saying' is used in connection with adultery.
- Since it was necessary to authorize Adam to eat of the trees of the garden, it follows that without such authorisation i.e., when something belongs to another it is forbidden.
- By interpreting thus: Thou mayest eat that which is now ready for eating, but not whilst the animal is alive. It is perhaps remarkable that a verse, the literal meaning of which is obviously permission to enjoy, should be interpreted as a series of prohibitions. Yet it is quite in keeping with the character of the Talmud: freedom to enjoy must be limited by moral and social considerations, and indeed only attains its highest value when so limited. Cf. Ab. VI, 2: No man is free but he who labours in the Torah.
An alternative mnemonic for the noachide laws:
Starting with the first four letters of of the Hebrew alphabet:
- Alef ( א ): Ever Min HaChay ( אבר מן החי ) Eating a limb torn from a live animal
- Bet ( ב ): Birchat HaShem ( ברכת השם ) Blasphemy
- Gimel ( ג ): Gezel ( גזל ) Theft
- Dalet ( ד ): Dinim ( דינים ) Courts system
The final three laws are the three cardinal sins for which a Jew is expected to give his life rather than commit:
- Idolatry: Avodah Zarah ( עבודה זרה )
- Murder: Shefichat Damim ( שפיכות דמים )
- Sexual immorality: Gilui Arayot ( גלוי עריות )
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