In the Talmud, and codified by Maimonides, it is written that it is not sufficient for a non-Jew to just keep the seven laws in order to "have a portion in the world to come", that is, to be assured of eternal life.

As Maimonides says:

:Everyone who accepts the [[The Seven Laws|seven commandments ]] and is careful to perform them – this person is of the ''[[Chasidei Umos HaOlam]]'', and he has a portion in the world to come. He accepts them and performs them because they were commanded by the ''[[Kodosh Baruch Hu]]'' revealed to us by the hand of ''Moshe Rabbenu'' that the ''[[Bnei Noah]]'' were previously commanded in these things.<ref>Mishne Torah: Laws of Kings 8:11</ref>

He also says:

:One who accepts these [basic laws] is called: ''[[Ger Toshav ]]'' in every place, and he must accept [these laws] on himself in front of three judges. ~~And~~ But all who have taken upon themselves to circumcise, and twelve months have past without circumcision – this person becomes like other nations [who have not accepted the Noahide laws].<ref>Mishne Torah: Laws of Kings 8:10</ref>

A translation of Maimonides may be found [[Maimonides' Law of Noahides#Laws of Kings and their Wars' Chapter 8|here]]. (Please remember when reading other laws of Maimonides that he is only one authority, and other great Rabbis have given their opinions. Not all of Maimonides opinions have been accepted as the final opinion of Jewish Law (''halacha'').

==Are You a Noahide Already?==

==How to become a Noahide==

To become an observant Noahide is to be assured of a 'portion in the world to come' by entering into a covenant with G-d, of which the Jewish people are also a part. It is to enter into a recognized relationship with the Jewish people, rather than being completely outside of any legal system recognized by Judaism.

The requirements are generally considered:

# To enter into the Covenant of Noah (decide to be a good person<ref>Based on Maimonides use of the word "accept" (''המקבל'')</ref>)

# To follow the commandments of G-d (keep the [[The Seven Laws|seven laws]])

# To become part of one of 'seventy' legal systems (necessary for the seventh law)

# And to accept the 'rabbinic' interpretation of scripture. (keep the above laws for the right reasons)<ref>At least concerning the existance of the seven laws. There are differing rabbinic opinions whether recognizing rabbinic tradition is required, some hold that accepting these seven laws as 'divine' is enough.</ref>

Once one makes this step, the 'size' of one's portion in the world to come is determined by prayer, repentance, good deeds and good character. This may sound very similar to the teaching of other religions, particularly within the Abrahamic tradition, and it should be so. Judaism teaches that the Noahide covenant is the foundation of any proper society and religion.

According to the [[Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah]], to achieve formal status, a non-Jew today has to make a declaration before a ''[[Rabbinical Court|Beis Din]]'' of Jews. According to many authorities<ref>Maimonides holds that the declaration is only required for a Ger Toshav. He holds that Ger Toshav only applies to those who live in Israel under a sovereign Jewish (Torah) State, others disagree. According to many authorities, there is value to the declaration of a person before a rabbinical court even outside of Israel.</ref>, there is value to the declaration of a person before a rabbinical court — ''beis din'' — that he or she accept and takes upon himself or herself the mitzvos of Bnei Noah. Therefore it is incumbent upon the ''beis din'' to accept such declarations from almost anyone who wants to make them.

==The Noahide Declaration==

According to the [[Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah]], ~~The~~ the ''beis din'' facilitates declarations to allow Noahides to have a deeper and potentially more rewarding religious experience. This is according to the teaching that someone who observes a commandment after being obligated to do so is greater [perhaps: 'receives a greater reward'] than someone who voluntarily decides to keep a commandment whenever he or she fells like doing so.

The Noahide stands before the ''beis din'' and makes a declaration of intent. This is not an oath, and there is currently no way to enforce compliance by the ''beis din''. This is the most minimal form of declaration that can be made. In the [[Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah]], after making the declaration, the ''beis din'' gives out a certificates saying that such-and-such person made such a declaration. Nothing more is written on the certificate. The declaration expresses intent on the part of the applicant to uphold Noahide law. It does not imply in any way that the beis din agrees with the applicant's actions, understanding, or approach to Noahide law.

# '''I will be careful''' — in all their subdivisions and details, including ''dinim'' — the laws of the courts

# '''To perform them''' — to live my life in such a way as not to break these laws.

# '''Because they were commanded by G-d''' — I recognize the spiritual component of these laws ~~come from a divine source~~, including spiritual reward and punishment.

# '''Revealed to us by the hand of Moshe Rabbenu''' — through Rabbinic tradition.<ref>alternatively, "as written in the Bible"</ref>

# '''That we were previously commanded in these things''' (— reaffirming the ancient law & covenant)

To be a ''Ger Toshav'', Partial Convert

One must remember that unlike 'conversion' to Christianity or Islam, the Noahide declaration is not a conversion process — It is not marked with some right of passage, nor with some interrogation of proper dogma or belief — rather it is a declaration of intent to uphold the seven laws and their details, to become part of the jurisdiction of his/her nation's Noahide courts, and acceptance of the authority of Rabbinic tradition in these matters.

The wording used by in various Noahide pledges differs greatly, for example the [[Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah]] ~~is as follows~~at one time used a declaration similar to this:

~~something~~:"I pledge my allegiance to HaShem, G-d of Israel, Creator and King of the Universe, to His Torah and its representatives, this rabbinical court. I hereby pledge to uphold the Seven Laws of Noah in all their details, according to Oral Law of Moses under the guidance of this rabbinical court. May HaShem bless and aid me, and all B'nai Noach in all our endeavors for the sake of His name. Blessed are You G-d, King of the universe, who has caused me to live, sustained me, and brought me to this day."<ref>The rabbinical court referred to at the time was the developing Sanhedrin</ref>

==Becoming a Noahide or Converting to Judaism==

==Registering==

There are some rabbinic opinions that one must observe the [[Seven Laws]] as a binding legal requirement. For Noahides in the United States, one way to do this is to register with the the [[United Noachide Council, Inc.|United Noachide Council]]. The UNC functions as a complementary court system to the United States court system, and is registered to handle certain legal cases. The intention is to allow a Noahide to fulfill the Noahide Covenant and ''in all your ways know ~~G-d~~Him''(Proverbs 3:6). The idea being that even something as simple as stopping for a red traffic light, when done with the correct intention, can be a ''mitvah'' with spiritual reward.

Please ~~fill out~~ send the following information ~~and send it~~ :''Your Name'':''Your Address'':''Level of commitment to Noahide teachings'':''Citizenship'' (member of which secular legal system):''Religion'' (member of which religious system) :Please indicate:* I just want to register as a Noachide.:* I wish to receive the UNCNewsletter (4 times a year).:* I am interested in becoming a associate member of the UNC.~~# Something~~:* I am interested in becoming a full member of the UNC.~~# Something~~:* I am interested in the UNC's complementary legal services:* I am interested in the UNC's political activism, a pro-religious lobby for traditional and scriptural values, UN-NGOs, etc.~~# Something# Something~~To the following address: :United Noachide Council Inc.:3952 Garden Circle:Acworth, GA 30101 Or use this [http://www.unitednoachidecouncil.org/Contact/Contact.html contact information form].

The UNC is working in other countries to set up complementary court systems, to make up for the lack where those countries legal systems have fallen short of the basic requirements for the proper functioning of society and religion.

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