Converts In Jewish Thought

If we look in the Gemara, Midrashim, Rishonim (Medieval commentators), Achronim (Commentators from the 16th century forward) and the Torah itself we see several different attitudes towards converts. First, let's bring down the positive attitudes because the other attitudes are just depressing.

In this week's Parsha (Vayikra 1:1-2) it says:

א  וַיִּקְרָא, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֵלָיו, מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר.	1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying:
ב  דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם, אָדָם כִּי-יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן, לַיהוָה--מִן-הַבְּהֵמָה, מִן-הַבָּקָר וּמִן-הַצֹּאן, תַּקְרִיבוּ, אֶת-קָרְבַּנְכֶם.	2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you bringeth an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the flock.

The Torah Temima brings down a quote from the Jerusalem Talmud (Shekalim 1:4):

[א ד ם .  לר ב ו ת  א ת  הג ר ים   [י ר ו ש ל מ י  שק ל ים ש״א ה ״ ד

Man: To include converts

The Gemara is coming to teach us that converts are considered part of the Jewish people and are included in this verse. That is very important because this verse seems to be saying that only people who are considered to be "From You (plural)" (from the Jewish people) are allowed to bring Korbanos (sacrifices).

Furthermore, the Midrash Tanchuma (2) on this week's parsha comes to teach us how positive some viewed converts. It says:


אמר רבי יהודה בר שלום: 
אתה מוצא ארבעים ושמונה פעמים הזהיר הקדוש ברוך הוא בתורה על הגרים, וכנגדן הזהיר על עבודה זרה. 
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: דיו שהניח עבודה זרה ובא אצלכם, אני מזהירך שתאהבהו, שאני אוהבו, שנאמר: ואוהב גר לתת לו לחם ושמלה וגו' (דב' י יח: 


Rabbi Yehuda the son of Shalom (Shalom means peace, perhaps this is hinting at something) said, you will find 48 times that G-D warns the Jewish people [to be kind to converts] and congruent to this G-D also warns [the Jewish people] about not worshiping Idols 48 times. G-D is saying, "It is enough [that the convert] abandoned his or her idol worship and came to be with you. I am warning you that you should love him or her, for I love him or her." As it says (Devarim 10:18), "G-D loves the convert and gives him (or her) food and clothing." 

The last source that is favorable to converts that I will quote (there are many) is found in a Tosfos in Kiddushin (71a). It is humorous, because the name of the Baalei Tosfos (Opinion in the commentary) makes known that this commentator is, in fact, himself a convert.


וה ״ ר
 אב ר ה ם  גר  פי רש לפ י  שה ג ר י ן  בק י א י ן
 במ צ ו ת   ומ ד ק ד ק י ן  בהם  קש י ם  הם
 לישראל כס פ ח ת  דמ ת ו ך  כן הק ב ״ ה
 מז כ י ר  עו נ ו ת י ה ם  של ישראל כשאין
 עושי ן  רצונו וכ ה ״ ג  מצינו גבי הצ ר פ י ת
מ ״ א  יז)  שא מ ר ה  מ ה  לי ולך איש)
 הא ל ה י ם  (כי) בא ת  אלי לה ז כ י ר  א ת
 עו נ י  שמ ת ו ך  שה ו א  צד י ק  גמ ו ר  הי ה
 נר א ה  לה שמ ז כ י ר  הש ם  עו נ ה

Rav Avraham the convert explains [the reason converts are difficult to the Jewish people like a boil] is because they are experts in the commandments and they are extremely careful [in performing them]. Therefore, they are difficult to the Jewish people like a boil, for it is because of the converts that G-D recognizes the Jewish people's sins when they are not performing His will. This is seen in the case of the Zarephath woman (Kings 1 17:18) where she says, "And she said unto Elijah: 'What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?'" [She was worried about Elijah bringing her sin to remembrance] because he was a very righteous man and that is why G-D would remember her sins. (Thus, the righteous converts would bring G-D to remember the Jewish people's sins.)

These sources all show a very positive attitude by some of Chazal (sages) towards converts. They view converts as a welcomed addition to the ranks of the Jewish nation. These sources create love and affection for converts because they are seen as people that can only make the Jewish people better. (The Torah itself in many places, one place is quoted by the Midrash Tanchuma (Devarim 10:18), talks about how we are to love converts. I am unsure as to why so many commentators and opinions in the Gemara show what can only be described as disdain for converts. There are opinions in favor of converts in the Gemara and later sources, but there are also opinions that seem to be disgusted by converts.)

However, there is the other side of the coin as well. This, too, is a very long list of sources that do not seem to have the admiration and love for converts. Within this group there are two mini-groups. The first group explains why converts to Judaism are troublesome to the Jewish people, but it is not the converts fault inherently, there is just some other factor that causes their conversion to be difficult for the Jewish people. The second mini-group's opinion is a little more severe. They say that a convert inherently causes many problems for the Jewish people whether he or she is righteous or not. The first mini-group will be discussed first.

Rashi on Kiddushin (70b):
 קשין גר י ם .  שא י נם זה י ר י ם  במ צ ו ת  וה ר ג י ל י ם  אצלם נמ ש כ י ם  אצלם ול ו מ ד י ם  מן  מע ש י ה ם : 
Converts are difficult for the Jewish people: For they are not careful with the commandments and those that are commonly around them learn from their ways (and therefore Jews learn from the converts to be lax in the commandments).

This Rashi seems to be stating an observation. In Rashi's experience, he saw that converts were causing regular Jews to become more lax in the commandments. That is very possible. It shows no disdain or dislike for converts, Rashi was just stating an observation. It is worth noting that, according to Rashi, there is nothing INHERENTLY bad about converts, but many of them cause other Jews to be more lax in commandments.

There is another opinion in Tosfos (70b) that says, "The reason converts are difficult for the Jewish people like a boil is because G-D commanded the Jewish people MANY times to not cause any harm or stress to converts and it is impossible for the Jewish people not to (because of all the requirements that a convert must go through before they become Jewish, I suppose). Therefore, by the mere fact that they want to convert they cause the Jewish people to sin, but that is not their fault.

This explanation by Tosfos is also reasonable. It just states a fact of life. G-D said don't cause stress or discomfort to the convert and that is, seemingly, impossible. No one is really at fault, but it is a fact of life.

The final opinion in this mini-group is the Rambam (Hilchos of forbidden relationships 13:18):
ומפני זה אמרו חכמים קשים להם גרים לישראל כנגע צרעת שרובן חוזרין בשביל דבר ומטעין את ישראל. וקשה הדבר לפרוש מהם אחר שנתגיירו. צא ולמד מה אירע במדבר במעשה העגל ובקברות התאוה וכן רוב הנסיונות האספסוף היו בהן תחלה:


Because of this the Rabbis said that converts are difficult for the Jewish people like a patch of tzraas (mistranslated to mean leprosy) because the majority convert for some reason (like money or love of a Jew) and they cause the Jewish people to err. It is very difficult to separate these desires from the converts after they convert. Go out and learn about what happened in the desert (when the Jews left Egypt the Eirav Rav, People who lived in Egypt that were not descendants of Yaakov that left with the Jews, caused the Jews to sin) with the happening of the Golden Calf etc...

The Rambam is holding like Rashi, it seems. It is hard for anyone to leave their old life behind, even a convert. They are usually going to hold onto something from their previous life and this is very dangerous. It is just the way of human nature. But again, there is nothing INHERENTLY wrong with the convert according to this opinion.

Now we move on to the final group that tells us there is something inherently wrong with a convert. The previous two groups think converts can be righteous. In fact, if you have a righteous convert, there is nothing to worry about. This would be according to both previous groups, but not this third group. Let us start with the Maharal:

The most concise place where the Maharal makes his opinion clear is in his Drashos on the Torah (6a):

All the good that the Jewish people merit is because they are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, or because they are chosen by G-D, but converts nullify this. Therefore, converts are called a boil, because a boil is an extra entity to a man and it nullifies the complete and pure form of a man. This leads to a lack in the man.

The Maharal discusses this idea in several places, but I think his idea is clear: Converts blemish the Jewish people because they were not born Jewish. They are inherently not good for the Jewish people. If anyone can find a different explanation for the Maharal, please let me know. The only thing I can really say for the Maharal is that he was dealing in a time when there were many Jewish people that were working very hard to kill their fellow Jews. There were many heretics and converts to Christianity that tried to destroy the Jewish way of life. Maybe this is why the Maharal says this, because he saw so many Jews that were inherently evil.

The last opinion I will bring down is Tosfos on Kiddushin (71a):

ו ר ״ י
 פי ר ש  דל פ י כ ך  קש י ם  שנ ט מ ע ו  בישראל
 וא י ן  ה ש כ נ ה  שו ר ה  אל א  על  מש פ ח ה
 מי ו ח ס ת
RI explains that therefore, converts are difficult for the Jewish people because they are mixed in with the Jewish people and the presence of G-D does not rest on people unless they are from a family with a good lineage.

This idea of pure lineage makes no sense to me, but I am sure it is based on the idea that it used to be that if you were not of pure lineage that meant you didn't really keep the commandments. Nowadays, that is certainly not the case and no one really knows who is of "pure lineage" and who is not. Either way, these ideas should be better addressed.

The most favorable Gemara I could find for converts is found in Pesachim (87b):

R. Eleazar also said: The Holy One, blessed be He, did not exile Israel among the nations save in order that proselytes might join them, for it is said: And I will sow her unto Me in the land; surely a man sows a se'ah in order to harvest many kor!

Apparently, G-D really loves converts because He exiled the Jewish people just to recruit them. That is a pretty powerful statement.

I think it is interesting to see the various attitudes that exist among the sages of the past. However, I will say this, Korbanos (sacrifices) are considered to be one of the most holiest of things a Jew could do. The mere fact that converts are included among the Jewish nation for this commandment just shows that converts are truly Jews on every level and in every sense of the word. There might be some debate about the nitty gritty parts, but G-D commanded the Jewish people to accept converts as one of their own, who are we to deny that COMMANDMENT?

How to Understand Korbanos, Rationale vs Spirituality

There is a huge dispute that takes place in this week's Parsha. It is between the Rambam and the Ramban. It is extremely intense and shows the difference between a great Rav using his own rationale to explain complicated matters and a great Rav believing that there must be a deeper meaning (aka a spiritual, not comprehensible by man, meaning). Of course, I am discussing the dispute brought up in the Ramban in Vayikra 1:9 where he goes off on a tangent arguing with the Rambam about Korbanos.

The Rambam, in the Sefer Moreh Nevuchim (3:46) says, "Scripture tells us, according to the Version of Onkelos, that the Egyptians worshipped Aries, and therefore abstained from killing sheep, and held shepherds in contempt. Comp. "Behold we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians," etc. (Exod. viii. 26); "For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians" (Gen. xlvi. 34). Some sects among the Sabeans worshipped demons, and imagined that these assumed the form of goats, and called them therefore "goats" [se‘irim]. This worship was widespread. Comp. "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto demons, after whom they have gone a whoring" (Lev. xvii. 7). For this reason those sects abstained from eating goats' flesh. Most idolaters objected to killing cattle, holding this species of animals in great estimation. Therefore the people of Hodu [Indians] up to this day do not slaughter cattle even in those countries where other animals are slaughtered. In order to eradicate these false principles, the Law commands us to offer sacrifices only of these three kinds: "Ye shall bring your offering of the cattle [viz.], of the herd and of the flock" (Lev. i. 2). Thus the very act which is considered by the heathen as the greatest crime, is the means of approaching God, and obtaining His pardon for our sins. In this manner, evil principles, the diseases of the human soul, are cured by other principles which are diametrically opposite."

In essence, the Rambam says that the reason we, Jews, are required to sacrifice to G-D is simply to counteract idolatry. There is no inherent importance in sacrifices. If there were never any idol worshipers then there would be no need for sacrifices. Once, however, there are people that sacrifice animals to a false god or worship these animals then we receive our commandment to sacrifice to G-D.

The Ramban goes balistic on the Rambam (1:9). He says that the Rambam's words are completely false. One of the proofs he brings is that Noach (Breishis 8:21) brought sacrifices after the flood even though there were no idol worshipers. Also, the Torah says by Noach that there is a "pleasing smell" for G-D. This implies that there is some deeper reason why sacrifices are important and it is unrelated to negating sinners, but rather relates to the spiritual meaning and quality of the sacrifices.

I think this argument is the paradigm for a rational approach to a subject vs a spiritual approach. The Ramban says that it is impossible that G-D would tell us to do something just to negate a desire of ours. It must be that there is a deeper spiritual meaning that is a sod (secret) that is extremely important. This idea shows the school of thought that everything has a spiritual aspect and humans are incapable of understanding G-D's purpose for this world.

The Rambam is of a different school of thought. He looks at Judaism and says that there must be a logical aspect to everything. G-D would not institute a law, especially such an integral one, without a very pressing need. Rambam is telling us that the Jewish people lived in a society where animal worship and animal sacrifice was the central aspect of life. Therefore, G-D realized that there was a need to incorporate this into every day of life. If we look at the Jewish people's history we can see that there was a great desire for idol worship. G-D, in his infinite wisdom, allowed us to fulfill our desire for this in an appropriate way.

These two Rabbis represent the two different schools of thought that exist inside Judaism. There are the "spiritual" Jews that believe everything they do has some type of spiritual meaning. Then there are the Jews that believe that Judaism is full of ideas that are meaningful in life. There are some commandments that are not understood, but the commandments help us experience life in this world as well as the next. That is the question, do Korbanos, and by extension all mitzvos, have meaning in this world or is it all spiritual?