Giyyur 006

Today's shiur is dedicated in memory of my beloved father,
Aharon Eliya Roth z"l,
whose 38th Yahrzeit is today.

1:
Having established that in the main the sages in the Talmudic period had a most generous attitude regarding the motivations that would-be converts might have we must now turn our attention to what procedures they established to effect the conversion of a non-Jew to Judaism and the Jewish people.

2:
In his magnum opus on Halakhah, Mishneh Torah, [Issurey Bi'ah 13:1-5] Rambam explains that the essentials for conversion were established by the actions of our ancestors. When our people received the Torah at Sinai it was as if the whole nation had converted and finally become Jewish. He writes:

Rambam then goes on to explain that in the absence of the Bet Mikdash and the whole sacrificial system the convert in this day and age must forgo the presentation of the offering (of two pigeons): he owes it, as it were, and must present the offering when the opportunity arises at some time in the future.

3:
The Talmudic source that discusses the conversion procedure may be found in Tractate Yevamot 47a-b. The discussion begins by quoting a barayta, which is a teaching of the sages of the Mishnah which was not included in the redaction of the Mishnah (but still has halakhic weight):

There are certain matters in this barayta (which we have not yet concluded) that require explanation. Note that the barayta is concerned with conversion "in this day and age". This refers to the era that followed the destruction of the Bet Mikdash in the year 70 CE. During the decades that followed the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem the Jewish people really were "rejected, spurned and endured suffering" because the loss of the Temple was not just a religious loss: it also marked the end of political and social independence. This was even more the case in the decades that followed the ignominious collapse of the Bar-Kokhba revolt in 135 CE. It was important to the sages that the candidate for conversion be fully aware of the extent of the social change that he was about to undertake. The response of the candidate in the barayta is, of course, idealistic. Rashi explains that he is saying, as it were, "I am aware of the social and political plight of the Jewish people and I am unworthy to share their misfortunes; may I be found worthy to do so."

4:
If the candidate indicates that he is aware of the magnitude of the change that he is taking upon himself "he is immediately accepted." This does not mean that he immediately becomes a Jew, of course, because none of the ritual procedures have taken place. It means that he is immediately accepted as a candidate for conversion. Everything that came before was concerned with the validity of his candidacy, not his conversion.

5:
The barayta now continues:

We should note here the word "few" – or perhaps a better rendition of the Hebrew might be "some". The important thing is that the religious education of the candidate for conversion is not at all comprehensive: it is expected that, like any other Jew, he will spend the rest of his life learning. But the candidate is introduced to certain basic mitzvot – which the sages do not specify. Presumably the choice was left to the discretion of the members of the Bet Din overseeing the conversion. The designations "light" and "serious" are not really subjective. The sages categorized all mitzvot according to the severity of the punishment appropriate to non-observance. If, for instance, one does not wear tzitzit [a fringed garment] as required by the Torah [Numbers 15:38] one is considered as having 'merely' disregarded a required commandment. However, desecration of Shabbat, for instance, is a 'serious' offence because "in this day and age" its punishment is excision – which means the complete extinction of the soul at the time of physical death.

6:
The barayta now continues:

These four mitzvot are now mostly defunct. Very briefly, leket refers to the right of the indigent to follow the reapers during harvest time and collect the produce which falls from the arms of the reapers (as did Ruth in the biblical story). Shikheĥah refers to a stack of wheat that was overlooked when the farmer was loading the stacks onto a cart for transportation away from the field: such an overlooked stack must be left for the poor to collect. Pe'ah refers to the duty of the farmer to leave a certain percentage of his field unreaped during harvest time so that the poor can come and reap it themselves. Ma'aser ani is 'the poor man's tithe': twice in each cycle of seven years the farmer was to dedicate one tenth of his produce to poor relief.

Those interested can read about these mitzvot in detail if they care to review our study of Tractate Pe'ah. The reason why these rather obscure mitzvot were singled out by the barayta will be explained later on by the Gemara; it need not detain us now.

7:
The barayta now continues:

This is, perhaps, an important element in the discussion of the candidacy by the Bet Din. We have already noted that during the Talmudic period many non-Jews were attracted to Judaism for philosophic reasons (because the Olympian deities were losing their credibility for an ever more sophisticated intelligentsia). The Bet Din warns such people that they can continue observing Jewish customs without being subject to the rigours of Torah law – as long as they remain only "interested". But if they convert they will be judged as any other Jew will be judged.

8:
The barayta now continues:

Note the careful balance that is maintained: not only is the candidate warned about the dire consequences of non-observance but he is also promised his reward in the next life for righteous observance. This careful balance is now summarised by the barayta. During this whole interview between the Bet Din and the candidate

9:
We have not yet concluded our study of this barayta, but the continuation is concerned with what happens after the candidate is accepted by the Bet Din, and that, God willing, will be the subject of our study in the next shiur. If you would like to read the Hebrew text of this barayta please click here.

To be continued.

In Giyyur 004 I wrote: Once Achilles said to the emperor Hadrian, "I want to convert and to become a Jew.".

Meir Stone writes:

There is a story about Achilles in which Hadrian sends ten soldiers three times to bring him back and each of the three times he converts every soldier.The last time he merely points to a Mezzuzah and tells them about it and they become Jews. Have you heard this story and do you know where it can be found?

I respond:

You will find this story in the Gemara, Avodah Zarah 11a, at the top of the page.