As recounted by Rabbi Meir Ellituv, Founder and Editor in Chief of Rambam Pardes Hamelech:
During the course of my work on the first volume, I came across a letter written by the Rebbe to Rabbi Binyaminson of blessed memory in the year 5699 (when the Rebbe was aged 37),
At the end of the letter, the Rebbe refers to the Halacha that the Rambam writes at the end of Hilchos Milah, chapter 1 halacha 6 (as well as in Hilchos Melachim), that a ger toshav who does not accept the seven Noahide laws is put to death immediately. And so the Rebbe writes: “And as I speak of this halacha, I recollect the Rambam’s novel ruling that for simply refusing to fulfill the seven mitzvos – even if he did not actually transgress them – a Noahide is put to death. What is the source for this?” This implies that he is not familiar with the source of this law.
When I was as the stage of arranging this comment of his on the appropriate page of Rambam, I thought to myself that I must investigate whether over the course of the following years, or after accepting the nesius, the Rebbe did in fact mention a source for this halacha. After turning to and checking with those who would know, I found no citation made by the Rebbe in regards to this halacha, and I arranged his words without making any change to them.
Several days after the first volume was published, I paid a visit to the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponivezh, Rabbi Dov (Berel) Povarski, carrying volume one of Rambam Pardes Hamelech. I showed him the sefer and asked him whether he was familiar with a source for this halachah. The Rosh Yeshiva immediately answered “ich veis oich nicht” (I also do not know). Anyone who knows the Rosh Yeshiva knows how rare it is to hear him use such terms with regard to any Torah subject, as he is incredibly expert in the entire Torah. The Rosh Yeshiva immediately brought over a Sefer Chiddushei Hagri”z, opened it to the very last page, and indicated his comment on this halacha: “These aforementioned words of the Rambam are most baffling, and would appear to be completely incomprehensible.”
I should add that there is no way that the Rebbe had viewed the Gri”z – for he passed away in 5719, and his books were printed several years after his passing. reprinted. And his seforim were published
