Many years ago the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the King Messiah, began urging the Jewish people to publicize the universal moral code to the gentiles known as the 7 Noahide Laws. These laws are the basis for a just and decent world. However, like all of G-d's laws, the 7 Laws have to be observed not because they make sense rationally but because they were given by G-d. Acknowledging G-d's rulership as the Creator of the world is key. Today the Noahide movement is growing. In the story below, from Rabbi Lazer Brody's blog, "Lazer Beams," a U.S. army chaplin, responsible for an army base with nearly 70,000 personnel, affirms that he is a Noahide.
"...having your own intimate relationship with G-d brought me to reevaluate everything I’ve been taught from childhood and Divinity School on up. So I tried personal prayer. Today I can’t live without it. As a result, I left Christianity and became a Noahide.”
| - Major Jimmy W., Head Chaplin, Fort Sill |
Righteous Warrior
Outside, it was 103F in the shade. The car was speeding down and the arrow-straight highway from Oklahoma City to Dallas, where Breslev Israel’s general director Yosef Nechama, our program director David Reckles and I were on our way to spend the July 4th weekend as guests of the World Noahide Conference in Irving Texas.
Our host in Oklahoma, Lazer Green, looked at his watch: “We have plenty of time before Shabbat. The base clergymen at Fort Sill asked me several times to stop by the base on the way to Dallas.”
Yosef Nechama said, “Tell them we’re on the way.”
Fort Sill received us like visiting royalty. Captain (Rabbi) Boaz, a former paratrooper in Iraq who is now on his way to Afghanistan, ushered us to a table (in Fort Sill!) with his wife’s home-baked challas, glatt-kosher milk products, and loads of fruits and veggies, just what Israelis like to eat. After hearing about the spiritual life of American Jewish soldiers from Rabbi Boaz, another officer arrived: Major Jimmy, the head chaplain at Fort Sill.
Our host in Oklahoma, Lazer Green, looked at his watch: “We have plenty of time before Shabbat. The base clergymen at Fort Sill asked me several times to stop by the base on the way to Dallas.”
Yosef Nechama said, “Tell them we’re on the way.”
Fort Sill received us like visiting royalty. Captain (Rabbi) Boaz, a former paratrooper in Iraq who is now on his way to Afghanistan, ushered us to a table (in Fort Sill!) with his wife’s home-baked challas, glatt-kosher milk products, and loads of fruits and veggies, just what Israelis like to eat. After hearing about the spiritual life of American Jewish soldiers from Rabbi Boaz, another officer arrived: Major Jimmy, the head chaplain at Fort Sill.
From left: Captain Boaz V., Jewish chaplain at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Rabbi Lazer Brody; Major Jimmy W., head chaplain, Fort Sill
Major Jimmy and his wife Elizabeth surprised us with their amazing knowledge of all our emuna books and CDs. Together, they’ve been on a spiritual journey that has brought them in the lap of “Moses’s Torah, with no new additions,” as Major Jimmy says.
“We’ve become complete Noahides, and then some. We’ve taken upon ourselves to refrain from eating forbidden foods – if it’s healthy for a Jewish soul, it’s certainly beneficial for us too.”
Major Jimmy then told us about the frightening day several months ago when killer tornadoes were ripping through Oklahoma. “One was heading straight for our house. Elizabeth and I wanted to do something fast – we decided that it’d be a good idea to get all the pork out of our house. We did – and fast. The tornado ripped our town apart but when it got our street, it took a sharp turn to the right. We didn’t even lose a shingle on the roof.”
I asked Major Jimmy what started his spiritual rethinking.
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