A beraita on Sanhedrin 56 presents the seven Noahide laws that, according to the Torah, apply to all of humanity. They are:
The mitzvah of establishing courts of judgment, and the prohibition against blessing (i.e., cursing) the name of God, the prohibition of idol worship, the prohibition against forbidden sexual relations, the prohibition of bloodshed, the prohibition of robbery and the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal.
Although Jewish law ostensibly has no more requirements incumbent on non-Jews, Rabbi Yohanan makes this serious pronouncement on today’s daf:
A gentile who engages in Torah study is liable to receive the death penalty; as it is stated: “Moses commanded us a law (torah), an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4) — it is an inheritance (morasha) for us, and not for them.
Deuteronomy 33:4 declares that Moses gave the Torah to the Jewish people. Rabbi Yohanan understands this gift to be exclusive — it’s our Torah, not theirs — and so, when non-Jews study Torah and make it their own, they violate this verse and God’s will. But if Torah study was forbidden to non-Jews, objects the Gemara, shouldn’t the prohibition appear on the list of Noahide laws?
Some say that it does: If the Torah is an inheritance that has been passed down to the Jewish people, when others try to take its wisdom for their own, it is robbery — forbidden under the Noahide laws. Others say that it is included in the prohibition against forbidden sexual relations. This comes from a creative midrashic read of Deuteronomy 33:4 which substitutes the word betrothed (me’orasa) for the similar sounding word, morasha (inheritance). This frames the relationship of the Jewish people to Torah in terms of betrothal, and Torah study as an erotic act. In many contexts it’s a beautiful metaphor. In this one, it understands non-Jew who study Torah to be infringing on an exclusive relationship.
Not all rabbis agree with this interpretation. Unlike Rabbi Yohanan, Rabbi Meir not only believes non-Jews may study Torah, he has equally hyperbolic praise for those who do:
Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a high priest? It is derived from that which is stated: “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a man does he shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). The phrase, “which if priests, Levites, and Israelites do they shall live by them,” is not stated, but rather, “a man.” You have therefore learned that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a high priest.
Turning to Leviticus 18:5, Rabbi Meir notes that the verse uses generic language to describe those who live according to the Torah’s ordinances. Where the Torah could have used more restrictive language (priests, Levites and Israelites) to limit access to Jews alone, it chose not too, thereby opening access to all. In this way, a non-Jew who studies Torah is just like the high priest who does the same.
Rabbi Yohanan’s position is understandable, especially in this historical context. If Torah is a unique gift to the Jewish people, why not keep it for ourselves — especially in a world which did not always tolerate Jews and, at times, prohibited them from studying Torah. Yet, as Rabbi Meir suggests, although the Jewish people have a special relationship with Torah, it need not be an exclusive one. The value of the treasure that we have is not lessened when it is shared with others. So, if those who sit outside the community wish to come and learn, says Rabbi Meir, we should not only embrace them, but also give them a royal welcome, as if they were the high priest themselves.
Read all of Sanhedrin 59 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on February 14, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
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