THE KARAITE NOAHIDE ASSOCIATION OF THE STUDY OF SPIRITUAL PARADIGMS

AN ASSEMBLY OF FAITH (AOF) OF THE ADVANCING NOAH MOVEMENT

Contents:

The Rainbow Torah

The Paradigms

The Rainbow Torah

I

Creation

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. But the earth was empty and unoccupied, and darknesses were over the face of the abyss; and so the Spirit of God was brought over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light.” And light became. And God saw the light, that it was good; and so he divided the light from the darknesses. And he called the light, ‘Day,’ and the darknesses, ‘Night.’ And it became evening and morning, one day.

God also said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide waters from waters.” And God made a firmament, and he divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament. And so it became. And God called the firmament ‘Heaven.’ And it became evening and morning, the second day.

Truly God said: “Let the waters that are under heaven be gathered together into one place; and let the dry land appear.” And so it became. And God called the dry land, ‘Earth,’ and he called the gathering of the waters, ‘Seas.’ And God saw that it was good. And he said, “Let the land spring forth green plants, both those producing seed, and fruit-bearing trees, producing fruit according to their kind, whose seed is within itself, over all the earth.” And so it became. And the land brought forth green plants, both those producing seed, according to their kind, and trees producing fruit, with each having its own way of sowing, according to its species. And God saw that it was good. And it became evening and the morning, the third day.

Then God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven. And let them divide day from night, and let them become signs, both of the seasons, and of the days and years. Let them shine in the firmament of heaven and illuminate the earth.” And so it became. And God made two great lights: a greater light, to rule over the day, and a lesser light, to rule over the night, along with the stars. And he set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light over all the earth, and to rule over the day as well as the night, and to divide light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And it became evening and morning, the fourth day.

And then God said, “Let the waters produce animals with a living soul, and flying creatures above the earth, under the firmament of heaven.” And God created the great sea creatures, and everything with a living soul and the ability to move that the waters produced, according to their species, and all the flying creatures, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. And he blessed them, saying: “Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea. And let the birds be multiplied above the land.” And it became evening and morning, the fifth day.

God also said, “Let the land produce living souls in their kind: cattle, and animals, and wild beasts of the earth, according to their species.” And so it became. And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their species, and the cattle, and every animal on the land, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And he said: “Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth.” And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them. And God blessed them, and he said, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” And God said: “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant upon the earth, and all the trees that have in themselves the ability to sow their own kind, to be food for you, and for all the animals of the land, and for all the flying things of the air, and for everything that moves upon the earth and in which there is a living soul, so that they may have these on which to feed.” And so it became. And God saw everything that he had made. And they were very good. And it became evening and morning, the sixth day.

And so the heavens and the earth were completed, with all their adornment. And on the seventh day, God fulfilled his work, which he had made. And on the seventh day he rested from all his work, which he had accomplished. And he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. For in it, he had ceased from all his work: the work whereby God created whatever he should make.

II

Adam and Eve

These are the generations of heaven and earth, when they were created, in the day when the Lord God made heaven and earth, and every sapling of the field, before it would rise up in the land, and every wild plant, before it would germinate. For the Lord God had not brought rain upon the earth, and there was no man to work the land. But a fountain ascended from the earth, irrigating the entire surface of the land.

And then the Lord God formed man from the clay of the earth, and he breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Now the Lord God had planted a Paradise of enjoyment from the beginning. In it, he placed the man whom he had formed. And from the soil the Lord God produced every tree that was beautiful to behold and pleasant to eat. And even the tree of life was in the midst of Paradise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And a river went forth from the place of enjoyment so as to irrigate Paradise, which is divided from there into four heads. The name of one is the Phison; it is that which runs through all the land of Hevilath, where gold is born; and the gold of that land is the finest. In that place is found bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is the Gehon; it is that which runs through all the land of Kush. Truly, the name of the third river is the Tigris; it advances opposite the Assyrians. But the fourth river, it is the Euphrates.

Thus, the Lord God brought the man, and put him into the Paradise of enjoyment, so that it would be attended and preserved by him. And he instructed him, saying: “From every tree of Paradise, you shall eat. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For in whatever day you will eat from it, you will die a death.” The Lord God also said: “It is not good for the man to be alone. Let us make a helper for him similar to himself.” Therefore, the Lord God, having formed from the soil all the animals of the earth and all the flying creatures of the air, brought them to Adam, in order to see what he would call them. For whatever Adam would call any living creature, that would be its name. And Adam called each of the living things by their names: all the flying creatures of the air, and all the wild beasts of the land. Yet truly, for Adam, there was not found a helper similar to himself. And so the Lord God sent a deep sleep upon Adam. And when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and he completed it with flesh for it. And the Lord God built up the rib, which he took from Adam, into a woman. And he led her to Adam. And Adam said: “Now this is bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh. This one shall be called woman, because she was taken from man.” For this reason, a man shall leave behind his father and mother, and he shall cling to his wife; and the two shall be as one flesh. Now they were both naked: Adam, of course, and his wife. And they were not ashamed.

III

The Temptation

However, the serpent was more crafty than any of the creatures of the earth that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Why has God instructed you, that you should not eat from every tree of Paradise?” The woman responded to him: “From the fruit of the trees which are in Paradise, we eat. Yet truly, from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, God has instructed us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we may die.” Then the serpent said to the woman: “By no means will you die a death. For God knows that, on whatever day you will eat from it, your eyes will be opened; and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” And so the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and beautiful to the eyes, and delightful to consider. And she took from its fruit, and she ate. And she gave to her husband, who ate. And the eyes of them both were opened. And when they realized themselves to be naked, they joined together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves. And when they had heard the voice of the Lord God taking a walk in Paradise in the afternoon breeze, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of Paradise. And the Lord God called Adam and said to him: “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard your voice in Paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and so I hid myself.” He said to him, “Then who told you that you were naked, if you have not eaten of the tree from which I instructed you that you should not eat?” And Adam said, “The woman, whom you gave to me as a companion, gave to me from the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “Why have you done this?” And she responded, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed among all living things, even the wild beasts of the earth. Upon your breast shall you travel, and the ground shall you eat, all the days of your life. I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. She will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel.” To the woman, he also said: “I will multiply your labors and your conceptions. In pain shall you give birth to sons, and you shall be under your husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over you.” Yet truly, to Adam, he said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, from which I instructed you that you should not eat, cursed is the land that you work. In hardship shall you eat from it, all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it produce for you, and you shall eat the plants of the earth. By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For dust you are, and unto dust you shall return.” And Adam called the name of his wife, ‘Eve,’ because she was the mother of all the living. The Lord God also made for Adam and his wife garments from skins, and he clothed them. And he said: “Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Therefore, now perhaps he may put forth his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live in eternity.” And so the Lord God sent him away from the Paradise of enjoyment, in order to work the earth from which he was taken. And he cast out Adam. And in front of the Paradise of enjoyment, he placed the Cherubim with a flaming sword, turning together, to guard the way to the tree of life.

IV

Cain and Abel

Truly, Adam knew his wife Eve, who conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have obtained a man through God.” And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. But Abel was a pastor of sheep, and Cain was a farmer.

Then it happened, after many days, that Cain offered gifts to the Lord, from the fruits of the earth. Abel likewise offered from the firstborn of his flock, and from their fat. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his gifts. Yet in truth, he did not look with favor on Cain and his gifts. And Cain was vehemently angry, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said to him: “Why are you angry? And why is your face fallen? If you behave well, will you not receive? But if you behave badly, will not sin at once be present at the door? And so its desire will be within you, and you will be dominated by it.” And Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go outside.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and he put him to death. And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he responded: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” And he said to him: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the land. Now, therefore, you will be cursed upon the land, which opened its mouth and received the blood of your brother at your hand. When you work it, it will not give you its fruit; a vagrant and a fugitive shall you be upon the land.” And Cain said to the Lord: “My iniquity is too great to deserve kindness. Behold, you have cast me out this day before the face of the earth, and from your face I will be hidden; and I will be a vagrant and a fugitive on the earth. Therefore, anyone who finds me will kill me.” And the Lord said to him: “By no means will it be so; rather, whoever would kill Cain, will be punished sevenfold.” And the Lord placed a seal upon Cain, so that anyone who found him would not put him to death.

And so Cain, departing from the face of the Lord, lived as a fugitive on the earth, toward the eastern region of Eden. Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city, and he called its name by the name of his son, Enoch.

Thereafter, Enoch conceived Irad, and Irad conceived Mahujael, and Mahujael conceived Mathusael, and Mathusael conceived Lamech. Lamech took two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. And Adah conceived Jabel, who was the father of those who live in tents and are shepherds. And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the father of those who sing to the harp and the organ. Zillah also conceived Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artisan in every work of brass and iron. In fact, the sister of Tubalcain was Noema. And Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah: “Listen to my voice, you wives of Lamech, pay attention to my speech. For I have killed a man to my own harm, and an adolescent to my own bruising. Sevenfold vengeance will be given for Cain, but for Lamech, seventy-seven times.” Adam also knew his wife again, and she gave birth to a son, and she called his name Seth, saying, “God has given me another offspring, in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos. This one began to invoke the name of the Lord.

V

The First Genealogy

This is the book of the lineage of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him to the likeness of God. He created them, male and female; and he blessed them. And he called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. Then Adam lived for one hundred and thirty years. And then he conceived a son in his own image and likeness, and he called his name Seth. And after he conceived Seth, the days of Adam that passed were eight hundred years. And he conceived sons and daughters. And all the time that passed while Adam lived was nine hundred and thirty years, and then he died. Seth likewise lived for one hundred and five years, and then he conceived Enos. And after he conceived Enos, Seth lived for eight hundred and seven years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth that passed were nine hundred and twelve years, and then he died. In truth, Enos lived ninety years, and then he conceived Cainan. After his birth, he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos that passed were nine hundred and five years, and then he died. Likewise, Cainan lived seventy years, and then he conceived Mahalalel. And after he conceived Mahalalel, Cainan lived for eight hundred and forty years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Cainan that passed were nine hundred and ten years, and then he died. And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and then he conceived Jared. And after he conceived Jared, Mahalalel lived for eight hundred and thirty years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Mahalalel that passed were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and then he died. And Jared lived for one hundred and sixty-two years, and then he conceived Enoch. And after he conceived Enoch, Jared lived for eight hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared that passed were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and then he died. Now Enoch lived for sixty-five years, and then he conceived Methuselah. And Enoch walked with God. And after he conceived Methuselah, he lived for three hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Enoch that passed were three hundred and sixty-five years. And he walked with God, and then he was seen no more, because God took him. Likewise, Methuselah lived for one hundred and eighty-seven years, and then he conceived Lamech. And after he conceived Lamech, Methuselah lived for seven hundred and eighty-two years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah that passed were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and then he died. Then Lamech lived for one hundred and eighty-two years, and he conceived a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will console us from the works and hardships of our hands, in the land that the Lord has cursed.” And after he conceived Noah, Lamech lived for five hundred and ninety-five years, and he conceived sons and daughters. And all the days of Lamech that passed were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and then he died. In truth, when Noah was five hundred years old, he conceived Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

VI

The Sons of God

And when men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God, seeing that the daughters of men were beautiful, took to themselves wives from all whom they chose. And God said: “My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh. And so his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they conceived, these became the powerful ones of ancient times, men of renown. Then God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great upon the earth and that every thought of their heart was intent upon evil at all times, repented that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with a sorrow of heart, he said, “I will eliminate man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man to other living things, from animals even to the flying things of the air. For it grieves me that I have made them.” Yet truly, Noah found grace before the Lord.

VII

Noah

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, and yet he was predominate among his generations, for he walked with God. And he conceived three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Yet the earth was corrupted before the eyes of God, and it was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth had been corrupted, (indeed, all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth) he said to Noah: “The end of all flesh has arrived in my sight. The earth has been filled with iniquity by their presence, and I will destroy them, along with the earth. Make yourself an ark from smoothed wood. You shall make little dwelling places in the ark, and you shall smear pitch on the interior and exterior. And thus shall you make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall complete it within a cubit of the top. Then you shall set the door of the ark at its side. You shall make in it: a lower part, upper rooms, and a third level. Behold, I shall bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, so as to put to death all flesh in which there is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are on the earth shall be consumed. And I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons, your wife and the wives of your sons with you. And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female, from birds, according to their kind, and from beasts, in their kind, and from among all animals on earth, according to their kind; pairs from each shall enter with you, so that they may be able to live. Therefore, you shall take with you from all the foods that are able to be eaten, and you shall carry these with you. And these shall be used as food, some for you, and the rest for them.” And so Noah did all things just as God had instructed him.

VIII

The Flood

And the Lord said to him: “Enter the ark, you and all your house. For I have seen you to be just in my sight, within this generation. From all the clean animals, take seven and seven, the male and the female. Yet truly, from animals that are unclean, take two and two, the male and the female. But also from the birds of the air, take seven and seven, the male and the female, so that offspring may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For from that point, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will wipe away every substance that I have made, from the surface of the earth.” Therefore, Noah did all things just as the Lord had commanded him. And he was six hundred years old when the waters of the great flood inundated the earth. And Noah entered into the ark, and his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons with him, because of the waters of the great flood. And from the animals both clean and unclean, and from the birds, and from everything that moves upon the earth, two by two they were brought into the ark to Noah, male and female, just as the Lord had instructed Noah. And when seven days had passed, the waters of the great flood inundated the earth. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great abyss were released, and the floodgates of heaven were opened. And rain came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day, Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. They and every animal according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and everything that moves upon the earth in their kind, and every flying thing according to its kind, all the birds and all that can fly, entered the ark to Noah, two by two out of all that is flesh, in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered went in male and female, from all that is flesh, just as God had instructed him. And then the Lord closed him in from the outside. And the great flood occurred for forty days upon the earth. And the waters were increased, and they lifted the ark high above the land. For they overflowed greatly, and they filled everything on the surface of the earth. And then the ark was carried across the waters. And the waters prevailed beyond measure across the earth. And all the lofty mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered. And all flesh was consumed which moved upon the earth: flying things, animals, wild beasts, and all moving things that crawl upon the ground. And all men, and everything in which there is the breath of life on earth, died. And he wiped away all substance that was upon the earth, from man to animal, the crawling things just as much as the flying things of the air. And they were wiped away from the earth. But only Noah remained, and those who were with him in the ark. And the waters possessed the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

IX

Redemption

Then God remembered Noah, and all living things, and all the cattle, which were with him in the ark, and he brought a wind across the earth, and the waters were diminished. And the fountains of the abyss and the floodgates of heaven were closed. And the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters were restored to their coming and going from the earth. And they began to diminish after one hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia. Yet in truth, the waters were departing and decreasing until the tenth month. For in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tips of the mountains appeared. And when forty days had passed, Noah, opening the window that he had made in the ark, sent forth a raven, which went forth and did not return, until the waters were dried up across the earth. Likewise, he sent forth a dove after him, in order to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. But when she did not find a place where her foot might rest, she returned to him in the ark. For the waters were upon the whole earth. And he extended his hand and caught her, and he brought her into the ark. And then, having waited a further seven days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening, carrying in her mouth an olive branch with green leaves. Noah then understood that the waters had ceased upon the earth. And nevertheless, he waited another seven days. And he sent forth the dove, which no longer returned to him. Therefore, in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were diminished upon the earth. And Noah, opening the cover of the ark, gazed out and saw that the surface of the earth had become dry. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was made dry. Then God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, your sons and the wives of your sons with you. Bring out with you all the living things that are with you, all that is flesh: as with the birds, so also with the wild beasts and all the animals that move upon the earth. And enter upon the land: increase and multiply upon it.” And so Noah and his sons went out, and his wife and the wives of his sons with him. Then also all living things, and the cattle, and the animals that move upon the earth, according to their kinds, departed from the ark.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. And, taking from each of the cattle and birds that were clean, he offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled the sweet odor and said: “I will no longer curse the earth because of man. For the feelings and thoughts of the heart of man are prone to evil from his youth. Therefore, I will no longer pierce every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, will not cease.”

And God blessed Noah and his sons. And he said to them: “Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth. And let the fear and trembling of you be upon all the animals of the earth, and upon all the birds of the air, along with all that moves across the earth. All the fish of the sea have been delivered into your hand. And everything that moves and lives will be food for you. Just as with the edible plants, I have delivered them all to you, except that flesh with blood you shall not eat. For I will examine the blood of your lives at the hand of every beast. So also, at the hand of mankind, at the hand of each man and his brother, I will examine the life of mankind. Whoever will shed human blood, his blood will be poured out. For man was indeed made to the image of God. But as for you: increase and multiply, and go forth upon the earth and fulfill it.”

X

The Covenant

To Noah and to his sons with him, God also said this: “Behold, I will establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you, and with every living soul that is with you: as much with the birds as with the cattle and all the animals of the earth that have gone forth from the ark, and with all the wild beasts of the earth. I will establish my covenant with you, and no longer will all that is flesh be put to death by the waters of a great flood, and, henceforth, there will not be a great flood to utterly destroy the earth.”

And God said: “This is the sign of the pact that I grant between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will place my arc in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the pact between myself and the earth. And when I obscure the sky with clouds, my arc will appear in the clouds. And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that enlivens flesh. And there will no longer be waters from a great flood to wipe away all that is flesh. And the arc will be in the clouds, and I will see it, and I will remember the everlasting covenant that was enacted between God and every living soul of all that is flesh upon the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This will be the sign of the covenant that I have established between myself and all that is flesh upon the earth.”

And so the sons of Noah, who came out of the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now Ham himself is the father of Canaan. These three are the sons of Noah. And from these all the family of mankind was spread over the whole earth.

XI

Drunkenness

And Noah, a good farmer, began to cultivate the land, and he planted a vineyard. And by drinking its wine, he became inebriated and was naked in his tent. Because of this, when Ham, the father of Canaan, had indeed seen the privates of his father to be naked, he reported it to his two brothers outside. And truly, Shem and Japheth put a cloak upon their arms, and, advancing backwards, covered the privates of their father. And their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father’s manhood. Then Noah, awaking from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants will he be to his brothers.” And he said: “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he live in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” And after the great flood, Noah lived for three hundred and fifty years. And all his days were completed in nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.

XII

The Second Genealogy

These are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and of the sons who were born to them after the great flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And then the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan were Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. The islands of the Gentiles were divided by these into their regions, each one according to his tongue, and their families in their nations.

And the Sons of Ham were Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush were Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dadan. And then Cush conceived Nimrod; he began to be powerful on the earth. And he was an able hunter before the Lord. From this, a proverb came forth: ‘Just like Nimrod, an able hunter before the Lord.’ And so, the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, and Erech, and Accad, and Chalanne, in the land of Shinar. From that land, Assur came forth, and he built Nineveh, and the streets of the city, and Calah, and also Resen, between Nineveh and Calah. This is a great city. And truly, Mizraim conceived Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, Naphtuhim, and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, from whom came forth the Philistines and the Caphtorim. Then Canaan conceived Sidon his firstborn, the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, the Girgashite,
the Hivite, and the Arkite: the Sinite, and the Arvadian, the Samarite, and the Hamathite. And after this, the peoples of the Canaanites became widespread. And the borders of Chanaan went, as one travels, from Sidon to Gerar, even to Gaza, until one enters Sodom and Gomorrah, and from Admah and Zeboiim, even to Lesa. These are the sons of Ham in their kindred, and tongues, and generations, and lands, and nations.

Likewise, from Shem, the father of all the sons of Heber, the elder brother of Japheth, sons were born. The sons of Shem were Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram were Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. But truly, Arphaxad conceived Shelah, from whom was born Eber. And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth became divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan. This Joktan conceived Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, Jerah and Hadoram, and Uzal and Diklah, and Obal and Abimael, Sheba and Ophir, and Havilah and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And their habitation extended from Messa, as one sojourns, even to Sephar, a mountain in the east. These are the sons of Shem according to their kindred, and tongues, and the regions within their nations. These are the families of Noah, according to their peoples and nations. The nations became divided according to these, on the earth after the great flood.

XIII

The Tower of Babel

Now the earth was of one language and of the same speech. And when they were advancing from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them with fire.” And they had bricks instead of stones, and pitch instead of mortar. And they said: “Come, let us make a city and a tower, so that its height may reach to heaven. And let us make our name famous before we are divided into all the lands.” Then the Lord descended to see the city and the tower, which the sons of Adam were building. And he said: “Behold, the people are united, and all have one tongue. And since they have begun to do this, they will not desist from their plans, until they have completed their work.} Therefore, come, let us descend, and in that place confound their tongue, so that they may not listen, each one to the voice of his neighbor.” And so the Lord divided them from that place into all the lands, and they ceased to build the city. And for this reason, its name was called ‘Babel,’ because in that place the language of the whole earth became confused. And from then on, the Lord scattered them across the face of every region.

The End

THE PARADIGMS

Paradigm of Patience

You have to wait. You have to wait, sometimes, quite a long while. And to do this waiting, it is very difficult if your mind is all cluttered up with nonsense beliefs. If you have a well worked out system of theology, which remains true and doesn't change its core elements once established, your mind will usually resolve itself. If you are lost in carnal behaviours contrary to sound religion, it can be difficult to have patience and wait, because you can change your mind a lot and give up on what needed to be achieved in your desires by being patient.

Paradigm of Peace

You need to stop fighting and acting aggressively. Violence, aggression and war are the opposite of peace. Peace is a spiritual concept, because God teaches to make peace and not war. When he justifies war, it is only against those who are concentrating on bringing a dictatorial type of empire as their aim, even if they don't really know it, and overthrowing such beasts legitimizes carefully controlled and calmly fought war, were the result of peaceful and spiritual rule is the ideal. And peace in your life and heart is found spiritually, were the Rainbow Torah especially makes perfect sense as the ideal foundation to achieve a lot of peace of mind and heart.

Paradigm of Perfection

Faithfully obey God. Do his will. Seek his counsel. Obey the Rainbow Torah rules. Perhaps there are indeed levels of perfection, and perhaps we continue to grow in holiness according to whatever knowledge of holiness we have available to us. So being perfect takes time, but is worth the struggle. How perfect can we be? I would say God is in control of that reality in our lives, but we should seek out this ideal, and perfect our lives with lawful and decent and godly behaviour. In some translations Noah was called perfect in his generations. Perhaps, indeed, a state of life which can and should be achieved by a faithful Noahide.

Paradigm of Purity

Like perfection in many ways, being pure is being without grimy and dirty realities associated with our lives. Funnilly enough, a pure dress code and clean body say a lot about a person a lot of the time, but the heart of the matter is definitely in how pure and consistent and kind and decent your moral standards are. Don't lie, don't blaspheme, don't worship idols, keep yourself pure unto God, are all ideals of purity. Having decent sexual morals is another core idea. And, in purity, you attain a good conscience and feel better about yourself. Got sin in there? Repent of it. Walk with God and seek his forgiveness. In a way, when we confess our sins, he purifies us and makes us holy. And confessing and repenting and in appropriate ways atoning for our sins makes a happier and wholesome life, and is an ideal paradigm to focus upon in our spiritual life.

Paradigm of Purpose

Have something to do in life. Fill it with some sort of plan or purpose to occupy your time. Being bored is never a good thing, and having a purpose fills in your time. Yet, if that purpose has spirituality in it, and is motivated by spirituality to a reasonable degree, you will find the purposes of the heart which emanate from your desire can be far better and greater than perhaps you were willing to admit before you tasted and saw the goodness of God.

Paradigm of Privacy

….and then the forbidden fruit is eaten, and they know they have private parts. And God tells Adam and Eve, in so many words, through making skins and providing for them, that they are indeed private parts. Thus we know with surety that life has the paradigm of privacy associated with it. Things in our lives which we are sensitive about and can be embarrassed about. I must say it that we can be sensitive about our sins, and we often lie to cover them. We know we've sinned. But this is a privacy you must confess to God, if you have not the strength to come clean with the world. It is said to keep it in the closet, and sometimes people would 'rather not know' about your secret sins. Years later, when you have the strength, and can tell people will understand a bit now, you might hopefully be able to confess, and have a good laugh about your former stupidity. But you are sensitive about some of your history, aren't you? We're all like that – we all have skeletons in our closet. And we often live private lives because of it. But our home is private also, our little sanctuary away from the world. You have a right to your sanctuary, and a right to your privacy. We have sensitive bits, so don't worry – God understands your sensitive bits, and even your secret sins, and while he expects you to get over you secret sins and repent, he is not the kind of God to embarrass you. He cares for you and has mercy.

Paradigm of Personality

Exuberant personalities. Happy personalities. Sullen personalities. Joyful personalities. Sharp personalities. Charismatic personalities. Grouchy personalities. Wise personalities. Humble personalities. And the list goes on, doesn't it. We all communicate to the world our own personality – who and what we are – but what we say and what we do all day long. You can't fool other people – they often know more about you than you know yourself because they have an honest objective view of your life and see all your good deeds and all your shortcomings. You might hide behing a mask, but people can often see through it no matter how well shielded you are. You can't hide a lot of your own quirks from others – it's displayed in everything you do. But the message is that whatever personality you have, it can be coloured up in life to something your inner heart desires. And that is in the choices we make each day. What information to study, those people we talk to and associate with, the attitude we choose to represent and all the decisions of life we make. If we feed on a particular type of knowledge in time our personality reflects that knowledge. So if you want to colour up your personality, seek the type of things in life which you admire, and let them become part of your life. As it is often said on a view, we become like those we hang around.

Paradigm of Passion

Life can be pretty dead without some passion to do things. You can sit on your ass when the weekend rolls around, and not really care about doing much, because you have no inspiration – no passion. Passion requires effort and focus. And a willingness to apply ideas you probably already have with some discipline to get them done. Not just in work, but in play also. So many couch potatoes sit there and think they could do all those wonderful things if they were only fit or if they had the energy or the motivation. One of the keys to life is to find spiritual strength from God, and this comes from studying the Rainbow Torah for members of the ANM. It is recommended to study it a lot and usually, if you can, each day, but we have a minimum requirement of at least once a year. Usually. It's flexible at times, and sometimes it might be more or less, but regardless unless you put some time in with the rainbow torah and devotion to God, don't really expect that you will find much passion in life. Unless there is a driving force within you which knows exactly what it wants in life and is willing to work hard to get it, you will quite possibly just drift along with no clear direction or motivation. Sure, you might have a lot of ideas, but you are just too bored or too unconcerned and disinterested to really do much. It takes effort to get into the scriptures and repent past sins and casual attitudes, and get on with life. Remember, God will strengthen you if you do your part be reading his book and turning from sin. And the more, in time, that you develop spiritual strength through knowledge of the rainbow torah, the more things will be happening in your life and the more you will accomplish. And then the paradigm of passion will grow, steadily, and you'll fine a more active and interesting and, ultimately, happy life, which is perhaps the main thing we should want at the end of the day. Seek passion, and do those things which get you off your lazy butt to accomplish in life.

Paradigm of Pragmatism

Get real. There is no point in being a hypocrite, and there is little point in being terribly squeamish about a lot of things. Toughen up. Get a thicker skin. If you have to do what is necessary to get by, sacrifice your pride and do what is necessary to get by. Sure, it's a second hand item, and you are a bit too proud to take something someone else has been all over. But sometimes that may be the only copy available of whatever it is, so swallow your pride and do what is required to ensure you get the things you need in life. Don't be too fussy. In time connections to things from others diminis as your own spirit earns your new thing. So the more matter of fact you are about things, and less prone to giving a damn about etiquette and finery, the more you will get done in the real world of life. If it works, run with it, despite the criticisms. If it's unholy, best to think again, but if you need to shit on a toilet a gay man has just shat on, dutch courage, and bombs away. Life goes on.

Paradigm of Plastic

It's made from rubber, a derivative, but also from gelatine and gum and other substances. It becomes a polymer and his usually hardened, but you do get bags made from it. It's plastic, and its a lightweight solid, which is especially useful for things like combs and toothbrushes and toys and things. Plastic reflects many of lifes lessons. For starters, when we learn to become plastic in our focus in life, we learn to make use of knowledge which is lightweight, but strong. Things which are not as heavy on us to accomplish, but are durable and resilient, able to resist the aging process quite well, and affordable enough to get done. But as it's lightweight, it often lacks substance and that aura of class about it. If we approach a task with a plastic attitude we might do a quickbuild on a congregation hall, and that is a very practical way to get the job done, especially if you need to rebuild from time to time, and are a nomadic sort of people who traverse here and there. Plastic lives are lives on the move, who travel light, and get the job done as affordably as possible. When you finally settle down from your life of plastic affordability later on, you go to more substantial things made of wood and stone and glass and metal – but don't forget that budget life is often the foundation for the richest of souls, so it is nothing to be sneezed at, especially that Luke Skywalker action figure from the 1970s, which is worth a small fortune these days. Plastic lives are very useful, and attitudes of plastic can get things done quickly and affordably, and often all our customers of our lives are really looking for – a quick and cheap enough turnaround on things. They are not really the glory, but when starting up it's often the easiest way to get where you need to go. The paradigm of plastic is a useful enough thing in the end, and even plastic has its time and place in sometimes a more expensive reality.

Paradigm of Placement

We have a placement in life. At every given moment we are located physical somewhere in the universe, usually somewhere on planet Earth, or perhaps a heavenly afteworld society. This, at that precise moment, is our place in the world. But it runs deeper than that for the purposes of a life. The average is more of what counts. Where we are most of the time or times in life, the places we visit and interact with, the people we know and trust and talk to and have friendship, camraderie, association and love with. All the societal interaction which takes place in our life shows our placement in life – where we fit in society – where we fit in this world. Old wisdom dictates that family is usually the best of things to be part of. We can take solace, strength, support and understanding from our family which is not always so easily available in the rest of society. Those who know us best are our own, and your placement in the world is usually best with a foundation of family, loyally kept, and loyally persevered with, often despite the problems, which never seem to stop do they? But placement, and standing, if this is important to you, is defined by family to a degree, but also those you mingle with and those you associate with personally and professionally. It has been said you become like those you hang around. This is perhaps true. Your associates in life tend to define your status in life, even if it is not how you started out with things. We gravitate to what appeals to us, and we learn the ways of clubs and gangs and associations and religions. One thing which dictates this reality, usually, is our choice of affiliation. We can't really change our family in the end, but we can choose those we associate with. Which is why that is a pretty important decision. Choose carefully, one would imagine, because success in life is often determined by who you know and associate with, and the kind of people and places which are in your life. When all is said and done, the current status quo of your life is the current determiner of your placement in this world. Want to improve your placement? Look at the kinds of things necessary to do to realize that, and make the hard choices to get that done.

Paradigm of Prancing

Prancing, dancing and lots of romancing. When you prance about, you skip around and are joyful and full of yourself. As if you are the belle of the ball, and the prince of perfection. Prancers are full of life and full of confidence. To prance about, you really have to be quite full of it in general. They prance about as if they are the world's greatest gift. In their rich cars and rich houses and beautiful boyfriends and girlfriend, the bees knees. We can prance about, in the end, full of ourselves, or we can prance about, simply, because we are full of happiness in life and in how it is treating us and how we think it can have so much to offer. In the end, if life is working brilliantly for us, we should be prancing about in joy, overflowing with the blessings of God and life, and full of exuberance in how wonderful everything is. Quite frankly, some people though are made for prancing, and some are more sober and joyless souls, who would rather mock the prancers for all their frilly ways, lie back, smoke a ciggie, and be way too cool for the rest of us. Reindeer prancing. Santa has one called Prancer. In the end prancing is normal enough, it is a time in life when confidence and joy is strong, and blessing has been great, so we should potentially, when it comes right down to it, aim to be prancers in life. Just don't lay it on too thick, and remember a bit of humility, because some prancers come off just a bit too cocky and arrogant for the rest of ours liking.

Paradigm of Pillow-Making

Making pillows. A very useful occupation. In the end KNASSPers really should have a job. That is usually the best way to go in life. Amongst the various jobs people can do, pillow-making is also an occupation. It may as well do. In life, there are many choices which are just that. Much of a muchness. One is as good as another. If you don't really have any grand vision for life or great dream which is your burning desire to follow, you are better off just choosing something which will get the job done, and sticking with it. Its usually best to stick with it as well, even in hard times, because you get better and more professional with it over time. For KNASSPers pillow-making may as well be our primary occupation and concern in life. It can involve pillow cases as well, to cover the pillows. Pillows are useful things because we rest our heads on them in life, and often put them on our back and even for our feet. Pillows are a very useful thing in life to have, and it is a decent enough occupation to specialize in. And an AOF of the ANM may as well have a speciality. So, that in mind, pillow-making may as well be our main official thing, and after that careers related to pillows, like bedmaking, cushions, sleep related science, blankets and doonas and sheets, and other things associated with the pillow-making industry could be other career choices which mark a member of the Karaite Noahide Association of the Study of Spiritual Paradigms. In the end it teaches us a truth that life usually needs things to go on with and keep busy with, and we often need an income to afford the things in life we need to get by, which is why an occupation is usually the best way to go so, unless you have your mind firmly fixed on what you want to pursue in life, the KNASSP may as well be pillow-makers.

Paradigm of Aspects of God
Aspects of God which are strict.
Aspects of God which are moderate.
Aspects of God which are tolerant.
Aspects of God which are merciful.
Aspects of God which like a wild time.
Aspects of God which are reluctant to answer any prayers
coz he needs a damn rest.
Aspects of God which consider prayers carefully.
Aspects of God which ponder prayers for a long time.
Aspects of God which sum up prayers soon enough
after a bit of thinking and get stuck in.
Aspects of God which hear the prayer, rely on his
experience and general knowledge, and get stuck
in the next day.
Aspects of God which understand the crux of the prayer
and give it a few moments thought and consideration
and answer the prayer there and then.
Aspects of God which think through prayers and consider
how they relate to his overall program and his will.
Aspects of God which think through prayers and consider
the agenda of the person praying and that they created
this person for a reason.
Aspects of God.

Paradigm of Polishing

You take a rag. You dip it in soapy water. You use the rag then to wipe wood and metal and other hard surfaces. The purpose is to clean that surface of its blemishes and dirty stains and marks. Then you get another cloth, maybe a smoother type of cloth, and clean, and you dip it again in soapy water or some other cleaning agent if you have one, and you squeeze the cloth to make it just damp, and you spend time 'Polishing' the hard surface to make it gleam and look in very nice condition. Shiny and bright condition. You polish to make it look new or practically new – to look in great shape. When you want to present things well, polish them, and if you want them to remain looking good, polish them regularly. Temples should be polished, especially the things around the altar. Polishing is work. It requires effort. Polishing can be a job, or a job duty, which can be part of employment. It is worthwhile work as it accomplishes a result, and it is worth doing well.

Paradigm of Megacity Life

In Megacity Life there needs to be a sense of Adventure, Quest & Excitement

present.  After a while exploration is not required for life happiness, but there

 needs to be adventure and  quest in the years of life in a Megacity.  A primary

aspect of a Megacity is the constancy of domicile inhabitation by a family

group of some shape or structure.  This should not be interfered with.  Family

rights include the rights of privacy and self determination.  Family's which

cohabit a megacity need their own life expression in the mega city they are

part of.  Children learn as they grow. Children like to play in younger years

and expect and deserve security in younger years. As they grow they like to

explore somewhat and learn about their society.  They like to travel primarily

because their is not enough adventure in their location and long trips have a

sense of satisfaction about them. Long bus trips can be very enjoyable experiences.

What needs to be done in a megacity is to make sure these issues are addressed

for the constancy of the mega city experience.  Too much societal interaction

outside of the megacity starts to cause its members to enter into world

contention to too great a degree.  Too much world interaction leads to

conflict and warfare. The independent lifestyle of the megacity where the

populace knows each other well enough and doesn't interfere with the rest

of society means that peace will perpetuate itself and constancy of life

will endure soundly. People can not be cut off from the rest of society but

they need to be taught that travel to other parts of society often causes unrest

and disturbs the sense of peace of other parts of the overall society when they

have to deal with people they do not know very well.  By keeping closely

aligned with your megacity inhabitants your security and peace of mind is

greatly increased and enhanced. People need to understand this for the

megacity to work.  We are part of society but when our megacity way of life

becomes established were peoples security starts to become relatively

guaranteed, crime becomes a less and lesser issue.  In a properly functioning

megacity there is very little crime.  It has been addressed by the fact that

the citizens have a secure way of life where their life expectations have

been addressed properly enough.