Three non-Jewish men and one non-Jewish woman went up to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, on Thursday morning, and took part in a ceremony in which they received upon themselves the responsibility of adhering to the seven Noahide laws and were officially accepted by a rabbinic tribunal.

The seven Noahides went up to the Temple Mount accompanied by a group of rabbis. One rabbi explained to them the significance of the place and how the Temple was intended as a House of Prayer for all Nations, that benefits the entire world. The rabbis then discussed the laws pertinent to a non-Jewish resident of Israel, righteous gentiles, and the commandments incumbent upon them.

The rabbi then turned to the four non-Jews and asked them if they were willing to accept the seven Noahide laws, including the requirement of not serving God through an intermediary. This was done as part of an official ruling before a rabbinic tribunal.

The four accepted the commitment joyously and were officially recognized by the rabbinic tribunal as Ger Toshav (resident alien).

The ceremony was timely, as Abraham refers to himself as a “resident alien” in this week’s Torah portion