The Seven Laws Found In Six Hundred Thirteen Torah Commandments

This page presents a thoughtful exploration of the Noahide Laws — the commandments from the Torah that are intended for all humanity, not just the Jewish people. It is important to approach these laws with an open mind, understanding that they do not create a new religion but rather provide a framework for ethical living and spiritual growth.

The page includes a comprehensive list of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) from the Torah, curated to highlight those specifically relevant to the Ben Noach (the descendants of Noah, i.e., all non-Jews). These laws are drawn from Chabad.org’s published list, with direct references to the Torah passages where they are found.

While some of these laws are clearly obligatory, others represent recommended behaviors that promote character development, moral refinement, and the cultivation of good Midot (traits). This resource emphasizes the importance of not just observing what is commanded, but also striving to embody what is desirable. The Seven Noahide Laws are often misunderstood as a simple list of prohibitions — the “Thou shalt not” commands — but they offer far more than just restrictions. They are principles for ethical living that can enrich one’s life and contribute to societal harmony.

In addition to the negative commandments (“Not to…”), it’s essential to highlight the positive aspects of these laws and practices. These positive elements provide a balanced perspective and encourage growth, rather than focusing solely on what should be avoided.

As you explore the Noahide Laws, consider that many of them only apply in specific situations. For example, the prohibition against laying down a stone for worship under the Laws of Idolatry is only relevant if you are faced with that particular temptation. If you have never encountered such a scenario, it has no direct application to you. The relevance of each law is often situational, and understanding this context is key to integrating these principles into daily life.

This page aims to provide a nuanced, practical understanding of the Noahide Laws, offering both clarity and depth. It invites you to engage with the text thoughtfully and apply these teachings in ways that promote both personal growth and ethical responsibility in the world.

Gen 3:5 Exodus 20:3
1. Applicable to Ben Noach – Laws of Idolatry
To know that G-d exists (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6)
Not to entertain the idea that there is any god but the Eternal
If the rejection of shituf with 3 haverim, then it is a command.
To know that G-d is One, a complete Unity (Deut. 6:4)
To love G-d (Deut. 6:5) Accomplished through the learning and performance of mitzvahs.
To fear Him reverently (Deut. 6:13; 10:20)
Not to put the word of G-d to the test (Deut. 6:16)
This could be done either blatantly or through doubt.
One learns how not to test His word through Torah study.
To imitate His good and upright ways (Deut. 28:9) Accomplished through the learning Torah and
performance of mitzvahs.
Not to make a graven image; neither to make it oneself nor to have it made by others (Ex. 20:4)
Not to make any figures for ornament, even if they are not worshipped (Ex. 20:20)
Not to make idols even for others (Ex. 34:17; Lev. 19:4)
Not to use the ornament of any object of idolatrous worship (Deut. 7:25)
Not to make use of an idol or its accessory objects, offerings, or libations (Deut. 7:26) See Grape Products .
Not to drink wine of idolaters (Deut. 32:38) See Grape Products .
Not to worship an idol in the way in which it is usually worshipped (Ex. 20:5)
Not to bow down to an idol, even if that is not its mode of worship (Ex. 20:5)
Not to prophesy in the name of an idol (Ex. 23:13; Deut. 18:20)
Not to hearken to one who prophesies in the name of an idol (Deut. 13:4)
Not to lead the children of Israel astray to idolatry (Ex. 23:13)
Not to entice an Israelite to idolatry (Deut. 13:12)
To destroy idolatry and its appurtenances (Deut. 12:2-3)
Not to love the enticer to idolatry (Deut. 13:9) Missionary
Not to give up hating the enticer to idolatry (Deut. 13:9)
Not to save the enticer from capital punishment, but to stand by at his execution (Deut. 13:9)
A person whom he attempted to entice to idolatry shall not urge pleas for the acquittal of the enticer (Deut.
13:9)
A person whom he attempted to entice shall not refrain from giving evidence of the enticer’s guilt, if he has
such evidence (Deut. 13:9)
Not to swear by an idol to its worshipers, nor cause them to swear by it (Ex. 23:13)
Not to turn one’s attention to idolatry (Lev. 19:4)
Not to adopt the institutions of idolaters nor their customs (Lev. 18:3; Lev. 20:23) Considered possibly
creating a new religion
Not to pass a child through the fire to Molech (Lev. 18:21)
Not to suffer any one practicing witchcraft to live (Ex. 22:17)
Not to practice onein (observing times or seasons as favorable or unfavorable, using astrology) (Lev. 19:26)
Not to practice nachesh (doing things based on signs and portents; using charms and incantations) (Lev.
19:26)
Not to consult ovoth (ghosts) (Lev. 19:31)
Not to consult yid’onim (wizards) (Lev. 19:31)
Not to practice kisuf (magic using herbs, stones and objects that people use) (Deut. 18:10)
Not to practice kessem (a general term for magical practices) (Deut. 18:10)
Not to practice the art of a chover chaver (casting spells over snakes and scorpions) (Deut. 18:11)
Not to enquire of an ob (a ghost) (Deut. 18:11)
Not to seek the maytim (dead) (Deut. 18:11)
Not to enquire of a yid’oni (wizard) (Deut. 18:11)
Not to remove the entire beard, like the idolaters (Lev. 19:27)
Not to round the corners of the head, as the idolatrous priests do (Lev. 19:27)
Not to cut oneself or make incisions in one’s flesh in grief, like the idolaters (Lev. 19:28; Deut. 14:1)
Not to tattoo the body like the idolaters (Lev. 19:28)
Not to make a bald spot for the dead (Deut. 14:1)
Not to plant a tree for worship (Deut. 16:21)
Not to set up a pillar (for worship) (Deut. 16:22)
Not to show favor to idolaters (Deut. 7:2)
Not to settle idolaters in our land (Ex. 23:33) ( can be done anywhere but especially Israel)
Not to lay down a stone for worship (Lev. 26:1)

2. Applicable to Ben Noach – Laws of Blasphemy
Gen. 3:4-5
Not to blaspheme (Ex. 22:27; in Christian texts, Ex. 22:28), the penalty for which is death (Lev. 24:16)
To hallow G-d’s name (Lev. 22:32
Not to profane G-d’s name (Lev . 22:32) See The Name of G-d .

3. Applicable to Ben Noach – Laws of Sexual Perversion
Not to indulge in familiarities with relatives, such as kissing, embracing, winking, skipping, which may lead to
incest (Lev. 18:6)
Not to commit incest with one’s mother (Lev. 18:7) (CCN112). CC = Chofetz Chaim
Not to commit sodomy with one’s father (Lev. 18:7) (CCN111).
Not to commit incest with one’s father’s wife (Lev. 18:8) (CCN113). .
Not to commit incest with one’s sister (Lev. 18:9) (CCN127).
Not to commit incest with one’s father’s wife’s daughter (Lev. 18:11) (CCN128).
Not to commit incest with one’s son’s daughter (Lev. 18:10) (CCN119) (Note: CC treats this and the next as
one commandment; however, Rambam treats them as two).
Not to commit incest with one’s daughter’s daughter (Lev. 18:10) (Note: CC treats this and the previous as
one commandment; however, Rambam treats them as two)..
Not to commit incest with one’s daughter (this is not explicitly in the Torah but is inferred from other explicit
commands that would include it)
Not to commit incest with one’s fathers sister (Lev. 18:12)
Not to commit incest with one’s mother’s sister (Lev. 18:13)
Not to commit incest with one’s father’s brothers wife (Lev. 18:14)
Not to commit sodomy with one’s father’s brother (Lev. 18:14)
Not to commit incest with one’s son’s wife (Lev. 18:15)
Not to commit incest with one’s brother’s wife (Lev. 18:16)
Not to commit incest with one’s wife’s daughter (Lev. 18:17)
Not to commit incest with the daughter of one’s wife’s son (Lev. 18:17)
Not to commit incest with the daughter of one’s wife’s daughter (Lev. 18:17)
Not to commit incest with one’s wife’s sister (Lev. 18:18)
Not to have intercourse with a woman, in her menstrual period (Lev. 18:19)
Not to have intercourse with another man’s wife (Lev. 18:20)
Not to commit sodomy with a male (Lev. 18:22)
Not to have intercourse with a beast (Lev. 18:23)
That a woman shall not have intercourse with a beast (Lev. 18:23)
Not to castrate the male of any species; neither a man, nor a domestic or wild beast, nor a fowl (Lev. 22:24)

4. Applicable to Ben Noach – Laws of Murder
Not to slay an innocent person (Ex. 20:13)
Not to kidnap any person of Israel (Ex. 20:13) (according to the Talmud , this verse refers to stealing a
person, distinguished from Lev. 19:11, regarding the taking of property)
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.]
To love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18) 4 .לֹֽא־תִקֹּם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר אֶת־בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמֹוךָ אֲנִי יְהוָֽה
Not to stand by idly when a human life is in danger (Lev. 19:16) Tantamount to committing murder. Consider
as an accomplice?
Not to wrong anyone in speech (Lev. 25:17) See Speech and Lashon Ha-Ra .
Not to carry tales (Lev. 19:16) See Speech and Lashon Ha-Ra .
Not to cherish hatred in one’s heart (Lev. 19:17) See Love and Brotherhood .
Not to take revenge (Lev. 19:18)
Not to bear a grudge (Lev. 19:18)
Not to hate your brother in your heart (Lev. 19:17) [See #88 above]
Not to curse the deaf (Lev. 19:14) (by implication: if you may not curse those who cannot hear, you certainly
may not curse those who can) לֹא־תְקַלֵּל חֵרֵשׁ וְלִפְנֵי עִוֵּר לֹא תִתֵּן מִכְשֹׁל וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲנִי יְהוָֽה [Thou shalt not curse
the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD]
Not to give occasion to the simple-minded to stumble on the road (Lev. 19:14) (this includes doing anything
that will cause another to sin)
To rebuke the sinner (Lev. 19:17)
To relieve a neighbor of his burden and help to unload his beast (Ex. 23:5)
To assist in replacing the load upon a neighbor’s beast (Deut. 22:4)
5. Applicable to Ben Noach – Ger Laws of Theft
Not to do wrong in buying or selling (Lev. 25:14)
Not to make a loan to an Israelite on interest (Lev. 25:37)
Not to borrow on interest (Deut. 23:20) (because this would cause the lender to sin)
Not to take part in any usurious transaction between borrower and lender, neither as a surety, nor as a
witness, nor as a writer of the bond for them (Ex. 22:24)
To lend to a poor person (Ex. 22:24) (even though the passage says “if you lend” it is understood as
obligatory)
Not to demand from a poor man repayment of his debt, when the creditor knows that he cannot pay, nor
press him (Ex. 22:24)
Not to take in pledge utensils used in preparing food (Deut. 24:6)
Not to exact a pledge from a debtor by force (Deut. 24:10)
Not to keep the pledge from its owner at the time when he needs it (Deut. 24:12)
To return a pledge to its owner (Deut. 24:13)
Not to take a pledge from a widow (Deut. 24:17)
Not to commit fraud in measuring (Lev. 19:35)
To ensure that scales and weights are correct (Lev. 19:36)
Not to possess inaccurate measures and weights (Deut. 25:13-14)
Applicable to Ben Noach – Ger Justice Employees, Servants
(many of these are already practiced 16)
Not to delay payment of a hired man’s wages (Lev. 19:13)
That the hired laborer shall be permitted to eat of the produce he is reaping (Deut. 23:25-26)
That the hired laborer shall not take more than he can eat (Deut. 23:25)
That a hired laborer shall not eat produce that is not being harvested (Deut. 23:26)
To pay wages to the hired man at the due time (Deut. 24:15)
Ben Noah – Ger Gen. 9:4 Animal Cruelty
Not to muzzle a beast, while it is working in produce which it can eat and enjoy (Deut. 25:4)
Not to leave a beast, that has fallen down beneath its burden, unaided (Deut. 22:4)
To examine the marks in cattle (so as to distinguish the clean from the unclean) (Lev. 11:2) See Animals
that may not be eaten .
Not to eat the flesh of unclean beasts (Lev. 11:4)
To examine the marks in fishes (so as to distinguish the clean from the unclean (Lev. 11:9)
Not to eat unclean fish (Lev. 11:11)
To examine the marks in fowl, so as to distinguish the clean from the unclean (Deut. 14:11)
Not to eat unclean fowl (Lev.11:13)
To examine the marks in locusts, so as to distinguish the clean from the unclean (Lev. 11:21)
Not to eat a worm found in fruit (Lev. 11:41)
Not to eat of things that creep upon the earth (Lev. 11:41-42)
Not to eat any vermin of the earth (Lev. 11:44)
Not to eat things that swarm in the water (Lev. 11:43 and 46)
Not to eat of winged insects (Deut. 14:19)
Not to eat the flesh of a beast that is terefah (lit torn) (Ex. 22:30) See Kosher slaughtering .
Not to eat the flesh of a beast that died of itself (Deut. 14:21)
To slay cattle, deer and fowl according to the laws of shechitah if their flesh is to be eaten (Deut. 12:21) (“as
I have commanded” in this verse refers to the technique)
Not to eat a limb removed from a living beast (Deut. 12:23)
Not to slaughter an animal and its young on the same day (Lev. 22:28)
Not to take the mother-bird with the young (Deut. 22:6) See Treatment of Animals .
To set the mother-bird free when taking the nest (Deut. 22:6-7 )
Not to boil meat with milk (Ex. 23:19)
Not to eat flesh with milk (Ex. 34:26) (according to the Talmud , this passage is a distinct prohibition from the
one in Ex. 23:19) See Separation of Meat and Dairy .
Not to eat the of the thigh-vein which shrank (Gen. 32:33) See Forbidden Fats and Nerves .
Not to eat chelev (tallow-fat) (Lev. 7:23)
Not to eat blood (Lev. 7:26) See Draining of Blood .
To cover the blood of undomesticated animals (deer, etc.) and of fowl that have been killed (Lev. 17:13)
Not to eat or drink like a glutton or a drunkard (not to rebel against father or mother) (Lev. 19:26; Deut.
21:20)
Ben Noah – Ger Gen.18:19

7. Establish Courts to Enforce these Laws

To appoint judges and officers in every community — of Israel (Deut. 16:18)
Not to appoint as a judge, a person who is not well versed in the laws of the Torah , even if he is expert in
other branches of knowledge (Deut. 1:17)
To adjudicate cases of purchase and sale (Lev. 25:14)
To judge cases of liability of a paid depositary (Ex. 22:9)
To adjudicate cases of loss for which a gratuitous borrower is liable (Ex. 22:13-14)
To adjudicate cases of inheritances (Num. 27:8-11)
To judge cases of damage caused by an uncovered pit (Ex. 21:33-34)
To judge cases of injuries caused by beasts (Ex. 21:35-36)
To adjudicate cases of damage caused by trespass of cattle (Ex. 22:4)
To adjudicate cases of damage caused by fire (Ex. 22:5)
To adjudicate cases of damage caused by a gratuitous depositary (Ex. 22:6-7)
To adjudicate other cases between a plaintiff and a defendant (Ex. 22:8)
Not to curse a judge (Ex. 22:27)
That one who possesses evidence shall testify in Court (Lev. 5:1)
Not to testify falsely (Ex. 20:13)
That a witness, who has testified in a capital case, shall not lay down the law in that particular case (Num.
35:30)
That a transgressor shall not testify (Ex. 23:1)
Not to hear one of the parties to a suit in the absence of the other party (Ex. 23:1)
Not to decide a case on the evidence of a single witness (Deut. 19:15)
To give the decision according to the majority, when there is a difference of opinion among the members of
the Sanhedrin as to matters of law (Ex. 23:2 )
Not to decide, in capital cases, according to the view of the majority, when those who are for condemnation
exceed by one only, those who are for acquittal (Ex. 23:2)
That, in capital cases, one who had argued for acquittal, shall not later on argue for condemnation (Ex. 23:2)
To treat parties in a litigation with equal impartiality (Lev. 19:15)
Not to render iniquitous decisions (Lev. 19:15)
Not to favor a great man when trying a case (Lev. 19:15)
Not to take a bribe (Ex. 23:8)
Not to be afraid of a bad man, when trying a case (Deut. 1:17)
Not to be moved in trying a case, by the poverty of one of the parties (Ex. 23:3; Lev. 19:15)
Not to pervert the ^^ of a sinner (a person poor in fulfilmnt of comndmnts) (Ex. 23:6)
Not to render a decision on one’s personal opinion, but only on the evidence of two witnesses, who saw
what actually occurred (Ex. 23:7)
Not to execute one guilty of a capital offense, before he has stood his trial (Num. 35:12)
To accept the rulings of every Supreme Court in Israel (Deut. 17:11)
Not to rebel against the orders of the Court (Deut. 17:11)
Injuries and Damages (courts – many of these laws are already on the books)
To make a parapet for your roof (Deut. 22:8) * mandated in some places
See Love and Brotherhood .
Not to leave something that might cause hurt (Deut. 22:8)
To save the pursued even at the cost of the life of the pursuer (Deut. 25:12) See Life .
Not to spare a pursuer, but he is to be slain before he reaches the pursued and slays the latter, or uncovers
his nakedness (Deut. 25:12)
Not to remove landmarks (property boundaries) (Deut. 19:14)
Not to swear falsely in denial of another’s property rights (Lev. 19:11)
Not to deny falsely another’s property rights (Lev. 19:11)
Never to settle in the land of Egypt (Deut. 17:16)
Not to steal personal property (Lev. 19:11)
To restore that which one took by robbery (Lev. 5:23)
To return lost property (Deut. 22:1)
Not to pretend not to have seen lost property, to avoid the obligation to return it (Deut. 22:3)
Criminal Laws (most are already laws observed)
Not to slay an innocent person (Ex. 20:13) See Life .
Not to rob by violence (Lev. 19:13)
Not to defraud (Lev. 19:13)
Not to covet what belongs to another (Ex. 20:14) Idolatry
Not to crave something that belongs to another (Deut. 5:18) Idolatry
Not to indulge in evil thoughts and sights (Num. 15:39)
Punishment and Restitution (have been or are observed)
That the Court shall pass sentence of death by decapitation by sword (Ex. 21:20; Lev. 26:25)
That the Court shall pass sentence of death by strangulation (Lev. 20:10)
That the Court shall pass sentence of death by burning with fire (Lev. 20:14)
That the Court shall pass sentence of death by stoning (Deut. 22:24)
To hang the dead body of one who has incurred that penalty (Deut. 21:22)
That the dead body of an executed criminal shall not remain hanging on the tree over night (Deut. 21:23)
To inter the executed on the day of execution (Deut. 21:23)
Not to accept ransom from a murderer (Num. 35:31) bribe
To exile one who committed accidental homicide (Num. 35:25)
Not to accept ransom from an accidental homicide, so as to relieve him from exile (Num. 35:32)
To decapitate the heifer in the manner prescribed (in expiation of a murder on the road, the perpetrator of
which remained undiscovered) (Deut. 21:4)
Not to plow nor sow the rough valley (in which a heifer’s neck was broken) (Deut. 21:4)
To adjudge a thief to pay compensation or (in certain cases) suffer death (Ex. 21:16; Ex. 21:37; Ex. 22:1)
That he who inflicts a bodily injury shall pay monetary compensation (Ex. 21:18-19)
To impose a penalty of fifty shekels upon the seducer (of an unbetrothed virgin) and enforce the other rules
in connection with the case (Ex. 22:15-16)
That the violator (of an unbetrothed virgin) shall marry her (Deut. 22:28-29)
That one who has raped a damsel and has then (in accordance with the law) married her, may not divorce
her (Deut. 22:29)
Not to inflict punishment on Shabbat (Ex. 35:3) (because some punishments were inflicted by fire) See
Shabbat .
To punish the wicked by the infliction of stripes (Deut. 25:2)
Not to exceed the statutory number of stripes laid on one who has incurred that punishment (Deut. 25:3)
(and by implication, not to strike anyone)
Not to spare the offender, in imposing the prescribed penalties on one who has caused damage (Deut.
19:13)
To do unto false witnesses as they had purposed to do (to the accused) (Deut. 19:19)
Not to punish any one who has committed an offense under duress (Deut. 22:26)