Halacha on Conversion to Judaism

(2) R. Simeon the son of Lakish declared: A proselyte is more precious in the sight of the Holy One, blessed be He, than those who stood at the foot of Sinai.

Why is this so?

If those who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai had not experienced the thunder, the flames, the lightning, the quaking of the mountain, and the sound of the shofarot, they would not have accepted the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven upon themselves, whereas the proselyte, who witnessed none of these things, makes himself acceptable to the Holy One, blessed be God, and receives upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there anyone more precious than this?!

(8) But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Turn back, each of you to her mother’s house. May the Eternal deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me! (9) May the Eternal grant that each of you find security in the house of a husband!” And she kissed them farewell. They broke into weeping (10) and said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” (11) But Naomi replied, “Turn back, my daughters! Why should you go with me? Have I any more sons in my body who might be husbands for you? (12) Turn back, my daughters, for I am too old to be married. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I were married tonight and I also bore sons, (13) should you wait for them to grow up? Should you on their account debar yourselves from marriage? Oh no, my daughters! My lot is far more bitter than yours, for the hand of the Eternal has struck out against me.”

(14) They broke into weeping again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell. But Ruth clung to her. (15) So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods. Go follow your sister-in-law.” (16) But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (17) Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Eternal do to me if anything but death parts me from you.” (18) When [Naomi] saw how determined she was to go with her, she ceased to argue with her; (19) and the two went on until they reached Bethlehem.

There was another incident involving one gentile who was passing behind the study hall and heard the voice of a teacher who was teaching Torah to his students and saying the verse: “And these are the garments which they shall make: A breastplate, and an efod, and a robe, and a tunic of checkered work, a mitre, and a girdle” (Exodus 28:4). The gentile said: These garments, for whom are they designated? The students said to him: For the High Priest. The gentile said to himself: I will go and convert so that they will install me as High Priest.

He came before Shammai and said to him: Convert me on condition that you install me as High Priest. Shammai pushed him with the builder’s cubit in his hand.

He came before Hillel; he converted him. Hillel said to him, to the convert: Is it not the way of the world that only one who knows the protocols [takhsisei] of royalty is appointed king? Go and learn the royal protocols by engaging in Torah study. He went and read the Bible. When he reached the verse which says: “And the common man that draws near [the tabernacle] shall be put to death” (Numbers 1:51), the convert said to Hillel: With regard to whom is the verse speaking? Hillel said to him: Even with regard to David, king of Israel. The convert reasoned an a fortiori inference himself: If the Jewish people are called God’s children, and due to the love that God loved them he called them: “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22), and nevertheless it is written about them: And the common man that draws near shall be put to death; a mere convert who came without merit, with nothing more than his staff and traveling bag, all the more so that this applies to him, as well.

The convert came before Shammai and told him that he retracts his demand to appoint him High Priest, saying: Am I at all worthy to be High Priest? Is it not written in the Torah: And the common man that draws near shall be put to death? He came before Hillel and said to him: Hillel the patient, may blessings rest upon your head as you brought me under the wings of the Divine Presence.

The Gemara relates: Eventually, the three converts gathered together in one place, and they said: Shammai’s impatience sought to drive us from the world; Hillel’s patience brought us beneath the wings of the Divine Presence.

Anyone who becomes a proselyte for the sake of [marrying a Jewish] woman, or out of fear, or love is not a proselyte.

Similarly R. Judah and R. Nehemiah said: All [the Gentiles] who were converted in the days of Mordecai and Esther were not genuine proselytes, as it is stated, And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them. Anyone who is not converted from purely religious motives is not a proselyte.

(12) When a [potential] convert comes to convert check after him, perhaps it is because of money he took, or because of power she will gain, or because of fear that [the potential convert] is coming to enter the religion.

And if he is a man, check after him perhaps he placed his eyes on a Jewish woman. And if she is a woman, check after her perhaps she placed her eyes on the single men of Israel.

And if you do not find to them [such] a cause, inform them of the weight of the yoke of the Torah, and the difficulty of fulfilling it on the nations of the world in order that [the potential converts] leave. If they accept and do not leave, and you see them that they are returning out of love, accept them. And if you did not check after him or you did not inform him of the rewards of the commandments and their punishments, and he was circumcised and immersed before three ordinary people, this is a convert. Even if you are informed that it is because of some thing (like those discussed above) that he converted, since he was circumcised and immersed he has left the category of Idol Worshippers (i.e. Non-Jews), and we are worried for him until his righteousness is clarified. And even if he returns and serves Idols, he is like an apostate Israelite that his marriages are marriages.

The Sages taught in a baraita: With regard to a potential convert who comes to convert, at the present time (when the Jews are in exile) they say to him: What did you see that motivated you to come to convert? Don’t you know that the Jewish people at the present time are anguished, suppressed, despised, and harassed, and hardships are frequently visited upon them? If he says: "I know, and I am unworthy," they accept him immediately.

If he accepts upon himself all of these ramifications, then they circumcise him immediately. ...When he is healed from the circumcision, they immerse him immediately, and two Torah scholars stand over him at the time of his immersion and inform him of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot. Once he has immersed and emerged, he is like a born Jew in every sense.

For the immersion of a woman: Women appointed by the court seat her in the water of the ritual bath up to her neck, and two Torah scholars stand outside the bath house so as not to compromise her modesty, and from there they inform her of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot.

The Master said in the baraita: "With regard to a potential convert who comes to a court in order to convert, the judges of the court say to him: What did you see that motivated you to come to convert? And they inform him of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot."

The Gemara asks: What is the reason to say this to him? It is so that if he is going to withdraw from the conversion process, let him withdraw already at this stage. He should not be convinced to continue, as Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Converts are as harmful to the Jewish people as a leprous scab [sappaḥat] on the skin, as it is written: “And the convert shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave [venispeḥu] to the house of Jacob” (Isaiah 14:1).

(1) There are three ways in which someone enters the covenant: by circumcision, by immersion, and by a Temple offering.

(2) Circumcision as it was in Egypt, as it says, "Every uncircumcised person shall not eat of it (the Passover offering)." Moses our teacher circumcised them and everyone spurned the covenant in Egypt with the exception of the Tribe of Levi. On this it says, "Your covenant was withheld."

(3) Immersion was in the desert before receiving the Torah, as is said, "Sanctify yourselves today and tomorrow; wash your clothes." The offering, as is said, "Send the young ones of Israel to bring elevation offerings" - and everyone in Israel brought them.

(4) Throughout the generations, any non-Jew who wants to enter the covenant and come in under the 'wings of the Presence of God' accepts upon him or herself the yoke of Torah - he needs circumcision, immersion and a Temple offering. If female, she needs only immersion and an offering, as is said "As for you, so for the foreigner." That's to say, just as you (entered via) circumcision, immersion and an offering, so too the foreigner (shall enter via) circumcision, immersion and an offering.

(5) What's a convert's offering? An elevation offering or two doves or two turtledoves (and the two are considered an offering). At this time in history where there are no offerings, one needs (merely) circumcision and immersion. Once the Temple is built, one will bring an offering.

(6) A convert who was circumcised and has not immersed, or has immersed and not circumcised is not a convert until he is circumcised and immersed. And it is necessary to immerse before three (men). And since the matter requires a Beit Din (counsel) - no immersion is done on the Sabbath, nor Yom Tov (holiday) nor at night. And if he was immersed, he is a convert.

(7) A minor convert - is immersed upon the knowledge of Beit Din (counsel), because it is in his interest. A pregnant woman who converts and immerses - her child does not need immersion. If he immersed in front of only himself, and converted to himself, or even in front of two, he is not a convert. If he comes and say "I converted in the Beit Din of so and so and they immersed me" - he is not trusted to come into the community until he brings witnesses.

(8) If he married an Israelite woman or a convert and he has children, and he says “I converted myself”, he is trusted to disqualify himself, but not to disqualify his children. And he immerses again before a beit din.

(2) For wherever you go, I shall go. From here our Rabbis of blessed memory derived that if a [prospective] proselyte comes to convert, we inform him of some of the punishments [for violating the commandments] so that is he decides to renege [from his intention to convert], he can renege; for out of the words of Ruth, you can learn what Naomi said to her.

[Naomi said.] “We may not venture outside the boundary [of 2000 cubits beyond city limits] on Shabbos.”

She [Ruth] replied to her, “For wherever you go I shall go.” [Naomi then said,] “We are prohibited to allow a woman to be secluded with a man who is not her husband.” She [Ruth] replied, “Where you lodge, I will lodge.”

[Naomi said,] “Our nation is separated from other nations by 613 commandments,” [and Ruth replied,] “Your people are my people.”

[Naomi said,] “Idolatry is forbidden to us,” [to which Ruth replied,] “Your God is my God.”

[Naomi then said,] “Four [types of] death penalties were delegated to Beis Din [to punish transgressors],” [and Ruth replied,] “Where you die, I will die.”

[Naomi continued,] “Two burial plots were delegated to Beit Din [to bury those executed], one for those stoned and those burned, and one for those decapitated and those strangled.” She [Ruth] replied, “And there I shall be buried.”

Rabbi Avraham the proselyte interpreted this passage as follows: since proselytes are knowledgeable about the Mitzvot and observe them carefully, they are difficult for the people of Israel as a sore, since the Holy Blessed One pays special attention to the sins of Israel when they do not do God’s will.... [because there is such a marked contrast between the knowledge and observants of converts and of born Jews].

And even if he returns and serves Idols, he is like an apostate Israelite that his marriages are marriages. [Rama]: An apostate Israelite that repents does not need to immerse. Just that rabbinically he should immerse and accept words of joining (strict observance) before three.

The Sages taught: One who verbally mistreats the convert violates three prohibitions.... “And you shall not mistreat a convert (ger)” (Exodus 22:20); “And when a convert (ger) lives in your land, you shall not mistreat him” (Leviticus 19:33); “And you shall not mistreat, each man his fellow” (Leviticus 25:17).

Rav Ashi said: Even though proselytes were not at Mount Sinai, their guardian angels were present, as it is written: “It is not with you alone that I make this covenant and this oath, but with he that stands here with us today before the Lord our God, and with he that is not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:13–14).

(5) "When [Naomi] saw how determined she was to go with her, she ceased to argue with her. (Ruth 1:18): Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Simon said: "Come and see how precious are the converts before the Place. As soon as she who gave her decision to convert, she is written of as equal to Naomi".

(6) [If] a non-Jewish woman comes to convert and she is pregnant, her child does not need to be immersed [after the child is born].

(7) A minor who is an idol worshipper, if he has a [living] father, the father can convert him [i.e. present him to be converted].

And if he does not have a father and he comes to convert, or if his mother brings him to convert, a beit din can convert him, because it’s a merit to him, and we can give a merit to [the child] outside of his presence [because he is a minor and has no legal capacity].

Whether he is a minor who is converted on behalf of his father, or whether he was converted by a beit din [in the absence of a father], when he is older he can protest his conversion - we don’t treat him the way we would treat an adult convert- he is not like an apostate Jew, rather like an idol worshipper.

(8) And what is this talking about? [A converted minor] may not act in accordance with the practices of Israel until they become an adult; but as soon as one becomes an adult and acts in accordance with the practices of Israel, he can no longer protest [his conversion].