Giyyur 019

(For the Hebrew text of this passage please click here.)

34:
Before we conclude this part of the series, which concerns attitudes demonstrated by the sages towards various types of convert, we should study one account in particular. In modern times we hear more and more strident voices that proclaim that we must thoroughly investigate the past history of a candidate and reject those of dubious character. Such was not the attitude of the sages in the Talmudic era. To illustrate this I have chosen one account which describes an incident which is quite extreme. It seems to me that this story reflects not only on the topic which is of immediate interest to us, but also on the humanity and understanding which the sages showed towards candidates for conversion – qualities that in many cases are unfortunately missing in modern circumstances, particularly among the dayyanim who serve in the batei din for conversion in the State of Israel (and elsewhere).

35:
But before we turn the the Talmudic account itself we must offer some introductory background.

The Torah twice requires Jews to put fringes, which we call tzitzit on all four-cornered garments. The short version of this command is found in the Book of Deuteronomy [22:12]:

The version with which most people are more familiar is found in the book of Numbers [15:37-41]. (It is more familiar because it constitues the last parashah of Shema.)

36:
We observe this commandment by wearing a tallit or prayer-shawl at services that take place during daylight hours (because in natural circumstances the requirement to "look at it and recall" can only be met during daylight). We also wear a smaller garment which is called arba-kanfot or tzitzit. (The former term refers to the 'four corners' of the garment and the latter term is the Torah's word for 'fringes'.) Today, many people wear this smaller garment under their clothes, some letting the fringes or tassels themselves hang out to be seen, as the commandment suggests. While the Torah explains that the tzitzit or tallit are to serve as constant physical reminders of God's commands the Torah also hints at certain kinds of behaviour in particular: "so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge."

37:
After this introduction we can now turn our attention to the story as told in the Talmud [Menaĥot 44a]:-

We have no way of knowing whether the story told in this passage is historical fact, fiction, or embroidered fact. But that makes no matter for our present purposes: it is the recounting of the story in the Talmud that is important for us. We note that the young man who is the subject of this account was very careful to observe the commandment of tzitzit. In rabbinic times it was usual for sages to wear a tallit as their outermost garment all the time; however, it seems that their students would wear what we now call tallit katan, a small tallit as an undergarment. The sum of four hundred golden dinars is quite outrageous, so the prostitute must have been a very influential courtesan. It is also, perhaps, noteworthy that a student of the sages visited a prostitute and the teller of the story makes no judgement on this at all.

38:
We can now continue the story.

In the times of which we speak it was customary to have beds which were so high off the ground that they were reached by a ladder. The space underneath the bed was used for storage. (It is even recorded in the Gemara [Berakhot 62a] that when Rav Kahana was a student he hid himself under the bed of his teacher to learn about Rav's intimate behaviour with his wife. When discovered and severely reprimanded he responded that 'this too is Torah and I must learn!') In our present account the student is reminded of his sin by the fringes of his tallit katan.

39:
We can now continue the story.

The prostitute assumes that the student ended their congress prematurely because of some defect that he had discovered in her. Her oath is given in the Talmud in terms which it is not possible for us now to understand accurately, but the gist of her expletive oath is readily understood. The student reassures her that she is as alluring as ever, then he also explains about the tzitzit and their religious purpose: to remind the wearer that God is with him at all times.

40:
We can now continue the story.

The woman is clearly very moved by the power of this religious precept. We have mentioned on several occasions [see, for example, Giyyur 004, paragraph 19] that in Roman society at this time there was great dissatisfaction with the Olympian gods and intelligent people were searching for a more meaningful philosophy of life. A good example of this can be read in Giyyur 004, paragraph 21.

41:
The story now concludes:

It is now clear why the prostitute wanted the name of the student and his Rabbi. She presents herself before Rabbi Ĥiyya as a candidate for conversion. At first he is suspicious. Perhaps this woman wants to entrap one of his students in her amorous wiles. But when she produces the paper that the student had given her the sage understands both the depth of her desire to become Jewish and that it would be good for both her and his wayward student to unite in marriage.

42:
I am doubtful that any modern dayyan would be so generous. If you would like to read the Hebrew text of this account please click here.)