The Noahide Laws: A Universal Code for Peace and Unity

The Noahide Laws: A Universal Code for Peace and Unity

And God spoke unto Noah, and to Noah's children with him, saying, ‘And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you.’

Judaism is not a religion that seeks converts. Although conversion is not prohibited (far from it), Maimonides and other authorities teach that the Seven Noahide Laws, or Sheva Mitzvot B’nai Noach, are the sacred inheritance of all humanity. Those gentiles who observe the Seven Noahide Laws in accordance with the Torah will merit a share in the World to Come.

What are the Seven Noahide Laws? As enumerated in Sanhedrin 56a of the Babylonian Talmud, they comprise one positive commandment and six negative commandments given to Noah and his offspring after the Flood, and are as follows: to establish courts of justice; and to refrain from blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, robbery, and to never eat flesh cut from a living animal. (The last commandment is usually interpreted as behaving compassionately towards animals.)

All descendants of Noah, which means all of humanity, are required to follow these laws. Gentiles who actively follow the Seven Laws of Noah are called B’nai Noach or Noahides. Sometimes they are referred to as “righteous gentiles” or “the pious among the nations.” Historically, the term B’nai Noach applied to all gentiles as descendants of Noah. These days, however, it is used to refer specifically to gentiles who observe the Seven Noahide Laws.

The Noahide Laws were give to Moses, and then preserved by the sages of the Talmud. It is important to note that B’nai Noach observe the Seven Laws because they were reaffirmed at Mount Sinai and not because the sons of Noah received them previously. As a priestly nation, the Jewish people are to safeguard these universal principles and to teach them to the nations. According to Maimonides, “Moses was commanded by the Almighty to compel all the inhabitants of the world to accept the commandments given to Noah's descendants.”

A further point deserves emphasis: a Noahide attains the status of a righteous gentile only when he or she observes the Seven Noahide Laws because they were commanded by God. One who follows these laws solely on the basis of personal reasoning or ethical intuition is not accorded that designation. In Maimonides’ framework, righteousness depends not merely on correct conduct but on acknowledging the divine origin of the commandments.

Interestingly, the Seven Noahide Laws are more than just seven commandments. They are category headings or headlines under which other commandants are compiled. For instance, the injunction against theft includes the prohibition against defrauding your neighbor. The commandment to establish laws and courts of justice includes the injunction not to kill a suspected murderer before he stands trial. Depending on the rabbinical authority, there are not just seven laws, but thirty or even sixty-six commandments.

Gentiles who acknowledge and observe the Seven Noahide Laws are not in the business of creating another religion, which is forbidden by the Torah. Rather it is about acknowledging the unique God of both Jews and gentiles, and recognizing that He is a righteous and loving deity intimately concerned with His creation.

Some Noahides attend synagogues and most study under a rabbi. B’nai Noach reject pagan holidays such as Christmas and Easter. But they are not supposed to create new religious festivals; nor are they allowed to observe Jewish religious holidays in the manner of their Jewish brethren. There are, however, prayers and blessings that have been especially written for Noahides. Rabbi Moshe Weiner, the overseeing rabbi of Ask Noah International, has published suitable prayers. These prayers do not encroach on the spiritual heritage of the Jewish people, and no attempt is made to establish additional obligations for gentiles beyond the Noahide Code.

Today, organized Noahide communities can be found in Great Britain, Australia, Europe, and North America. The movement also received an unusual moment of public recognition in 1991, when President George H. W. Bush signed a Joint Resolution of Congress affirming the Seven Noahide Laws as “the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization.” In recent decades, interest in the Noahide path has grown in many Western countries, particularly among individuals seeking a relationship with God grounded in biblical monotheism but outside the doctrinal commitments of Christianity. For some, the appeal lies in a form of religious life that avoids theological formulations they find difficult — such as Trinitarian dogma — and in distancing themselves from the long and painful history of Christian anti‑Jewish polemic. In fact, not since the days of the Second Temple when God-fearing gentiles regularly attended synagogues throughout the Diaspora, has the Torah played such an important part in the lives of non-Jews.