The Role of Gentiles in Creation

The natural state of humankind is to be a Ben Noach. A gentile who observes the laws God gave Adam and Noah. The first 20 generations of humanity had no Jew among them. God made people the way He wanted them to be. But then He added a different role, that of the Jew later on. But if it wasn’t broke, why fix it?  How do we understand this?

Before Sinai, people kept making bad choices that precluded spirituality in a world without Torah. But the Torah demanded going beyond the normal service expected from humans. God gave Noah seven categories of commandments, approximately 60 laws in total. But the Torah has 613 commandments. The Torah was an upgrade to a world that in some ways was not ready for it. Yet, God knew most nations would not accept the Torah. Therefore, it was not God’s intention to make the spirituality of regular humans depend on those 613 commands directly. Rather the Torah commandments were to make a special people, to be an example for regular humans, to compare notes with and then continue on their progression in spiritual self improvement. But that people is the exception not the rule. Jews are an essential spiritual vitamin to the world, but not the norm that God desired to create this world for.

That explains the emphasis on “The World to Come” for Jews in the Talmud. This world is not and cannot fully be theirs. They must help this current world progress, but await a world more akin to their spiritual nature later on. To enjoy this world a Jew must “elevate it” such as by saying a blessing prior to a meal. For a Jew this is a solemn duty for which there is a spiritual consequence if it is not met. Thus only if they bring a taste of the World to Come to this world can a Jew enjoy this world without risk of forsaking their natural world for a world that was created for normal humans. Jews are not a natural part of this world from the moment after accepting the Torah on Sinai or after a kosher conversion to Judaism. Yet to love God, one must love the world He created. So the students of the prophets, the holy Rabbis of the Talmud, began the Talmud with the laws of blessings, to strengthen the practice of loving God by loving the world and it’s gifts.

How then are gentiles more natural to God’s plan for this world than the Jews?

“Olam chesed yiboneh, God created the world for chesed (the performance of kindness),” (Tehillim/Psalms, 89:3)  therefore He made most of the spiritual workers on the planet, those people who could potentially pursue God’s work 24/7. These are the gentiles. But they need spiritual representatives to pray for them and guide them, but those representatives must rest from their projects a full day of the week, whether they like it or not, so they can maintain that lofty role. Those are the Jews. Yet they cannot work one whole day of the week. Yet, “Adam leamal yulad, man was made to work,” (Iyov/Job, 5:7) and clearly in this context, the most adaptable pool of workers for God’s honor are the gentiles.

While Jews have an extra spiritually intense role featuring 10 times the commandments that regular people have. They are people who joined a spiritual “thinktank” as it were, and it can only be expected that they have some elevated knowledge level, in this case, capacity for spiritual guidance, more than the average person. A knowledge that can help humanity in its progression towards eternity. But as far as long term projects of civilization, Jews must perforce be cloistered away from normative society, especially on the sabbath day and on festivals in order to preserve the lofty spiritual state required to keep up that heavy spiritual workload, with joy. If you feel you are missing out on what normal people enjoy, it’s hard to serve God with joy. The Jews MUST accept their extra burden with joy, lest the light for the nations dim. But what is the light for? What is the role of the nations?

While a Jew is in prayer on the Sabbath, a gentile can be performing an act of kindness by tending the ill at a hospital. Whereas a Jew must stop helping someone with their broken car, or pause their arguments online against an idolatrous missionary, as the Sabbath begins, the gentile can simply complete the task right then and there. While Jews are compelled to be in a festival prayer service, a gentile astronaut at that very moment can repair a weather satellite in outer space to help protect island residents from the consequences of tropical storms. The spiritual task at hand is the gentile’s main priority, not the prayer service at Synagogue, because God created that spiritual flexibility as an intrinsic power in normative humans. But He substituted that for a different role for Jews.

The Jew must interrupt for the Sabbath, but the Gentile continues the current good deed that is before him or her. The kindness? Done. The defense of God’s honor, NO delays necessary, thank you!  They do not have the priestly constraints that a Jew has as a member of mamleches cohanim, the priestly nation.

God knew EXACTLY what He was doing when he made most people gentiles.  By making most people gentiles, God was preparing a pool of talent for perpetual kindness to occur in the world. That is only possible, when gentiles try to be the best gentile they can be, the best natural human they can be, in order to fulfill the goals of the Blessed Creator.

Rather than seeking to convert to Judaism, gentiles should first attempt to be happy in their portion. There is no need to convert to Judaism to fulfil the ideals that God has for a person. Conversion is only for individuals who feel they were meant for the ten times more difficult spiritual workload of the Jews, that separates them from the natural freedom God intended for humankind. Whereas Jews must trust in the Divine wisdom of and be grateful for their roles as well.

The Torah says, “Declare liberty throughout the land.” (Leviticus 25:10)  A person does not, must not, give up liberty for just any reason. If a person can serve God without a change of spiritual category, from gentile to Jew, then they are doing EXACTLY what God wants of them.

But Jews are God’s servants (ibid. 25:42,55), blessedly constrained from the freedom granted regular people. Only those select few gentiles who feel Jewish and constrained without the 613 commandments should seriously consider conversion.

For the Divine plan to work, people must try to find happiness in their portions. Gentiles must try to do so just as they are, before they can consider any alternatives. Jews must realize they are not gentiles and accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven that is upon them.

Every human being has an important role in God’s world. It is free for the taking. One need only choose the path that God intended for you, and follow it with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your means. May it soon be so for all humanity, by the grace of God.