בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה:
Blessing for Torah Study
Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh Ha'Olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu La'asok Bedivrei Torah
Blessed are you Adonai, our God, Sovereign of Eternity, who has made us holy through Your sacred callings and called out to us to immerse ourselves in the words of Torah.
(תהלים קכח, ד): הִנֵּה כִּי כֵן יְבֹרַךְ גָּבֶר יְרֵא ה׳, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בְּאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה שֶׁהָיוּ גֵּרִים, וְהָיָה אַבְרָהָם יָרֵא ה׳ הוּא נִתְבָּרֵךְ בָּעִנְיָן הַזֶּה, וְכֵן יִתְבָּרְכוּ כָּל הַגֵּרִים שֶׁיִּנְהֲגוּ כְּמִנְהָגָם.
"Behold, such shall the person who stands in awe of the Divine be blessed" (Psalm 128:4). Thus we found with Abraham and Sarah, people who converted, they were in awe of the Divine and they were blessed in this manner, and all the people who convert who follow in their footsteps will be blessed.
אָמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ: חָבִיב הַגֵּר לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִן אוֹתָן אֻכְלוֹסִין שֶׁעָמְדוּ עַל הַר סִינָי. לָמָּה? שֶׁכָּל אוֹתָן אֻכְלוֹסִין אִלּוּלֵי שֶׁרָאוּ הַקּוֹלוֹת וְהַלַּפִּידִים וּבְרָקִים וְהֶהָרִים רוֹעֲשִׁים וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָרוֹת, לֹא קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם. וְזֶה לֹא רָאָה אַחַד מִכֻּלָּם וּבָא וּמַשְׁלִים עַצְמוֹ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְקִבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם, יֵשׁ חָבִיב מִזֶּה.
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, comes and affiliates with the Holy One, blessed be He, and receives upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there anyone more precious than this?!
לפיכך נתנה תורה במדבר דימוס פרהסיה במקום הפקר. בשלשה דברים נמשלה תורה: במדבר, ובאש, ובמים. לומר לך, מה אלו חנם לכל באי העולם, אף דברי תורה חנם לכל באי העולם.
Mekhilta Bahodesh 5
Why was the Torah given in the wilderness, in a place belonging to no one, publicly and openly? To teach us that just as the wilderness is open to everyone, so too the teachings of the Torah available to anyone who wishes to learn.
שֹׁבְנָה בְנֹתַי לֵכְנָה (רות א, יב), רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא, בְּשָׁלשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת כְּתִיב כָּאן (רות א, ח): שֹׁבְנָה, (רות א, יא): שֹׁבְנָה, (רות א, יב): שֹׁבְנָה, כְּנֶגֶד שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים שֶׁדּוֹחִין אֶת הַגֵּר, וְאִם הִטְרִיחַ יוֹתֵר מִכָּאן מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק (איוב לא, לב): בַּחוּץ לֹא יָלִין גֵּר, לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם דּוֹחֶה בִּשְׂמֹאל וּמְקָרֵב בִּימִין.
“Turn back, my daughters, go, as I am too old to be with a husband."(Ruth 1:12).
“Turn back, my daughters, go” – Rabbi Shmuel bat Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yudan bar Rabbi Ḥanina: In three places it is written here: “Turn back” (Ruth 1:8), “Turn back” (Ruth 1:11), “Turn back” (Ruth 1:12), corresponding to the three times that one rejects a convert. If he insists beyond that, one accepts him. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: “A stranger shall not stay the night outside” (Job 31:32). A person shall always reject with the left and accept with the right.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: גֵּר שֶׁבָּא לְהִתְגַּיֵּיר בִּזְמַן הַזֶּה, אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: מָה רָאִיתָ שֶׁבָּאתָ לְהִתְגַּיֵּיר? אִי אַתָּה יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בִּזְמַן הַזֶּה דְּווּיִים, דְּחוּפִים, סְחוּפִים וּמְטוֹרָפִין, וְיִסּוּרִין בָּאִין עֲלֵיהֶם? אִם אוֹמֵר: יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי, וְאֵינִי כְּדַאי — מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתוֹ מִיָּד.
וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וּמִקְצָת מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת, וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ עֲוֹן לֶקֶט שִׁכְחָה וּפֵאָה וּמַעְשַׂר עָנִי. וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ עׇנְשָׁן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת...
וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁמּוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ עׇנְשָׁן שֶׁל מִצְוֹת, כָּךְ מוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ מַתַּן שְׂכָרָן. אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: הֱוֵי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֵינוֹ עָשׂוּי אֶלָּא לְצַדִּיקִים, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּזְמַן הַזֶּה אֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לְקַבֵּל לֹא רוֹב טוֹבָה וְלֹא רוֹב פּוּרְעָנוּת. וְאֵין מַרְבִּין עָלָיו, וְאֵין מְדַקְדְּקִין עָלָיו.
קִיבֵּל — מָלִין אוֹתוֹ מִיָּד... נִתְרַפֵּא — מַטְבִּילִין אוֹתוֹ מִיָּד. וּשְׁנֵי תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים עוֹמְדִים עַל גַּבָּיו וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתוֹ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וּמִקְצָת מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת. טָבַל וְעָלָה — הֲרֵי הוּא כְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְכׇל דְּבָרָיו.
אִשָּׁה — נָשִׁים מוֹשִׁיבוֹת אוֹתָהּ בְּמַיִם עַד צַוָּארָהּ, וּשְׁנֵי תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים עוֹמְדִים לָהּ מִבַּחוּץ, וּמוֹדִיעִין אוֹתָהּ מִקְצָת מִצְוֹת קַלּוֹת וּמִקְצָת מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת.
§ The Sages taught in a baraita: With regard to a potential convert who comes to a court in order to convert, at the present time, when the Jews are in exile, the judges of the court 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 although I am unworthy of joining the Jewish people and sharing in their sorrow, I nevertheless desire to do so, then the court accepts him immediately to begin the conversion process.
And the judges of the court inform him of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot, and they inform him of the sin of neglecting the mitzva to allow the poor to take gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and produce in the corner of one’s field, and about the poor man’s tithe. And they inform him of the punishment for transgressing the mitzvot...
And just as they inform him about the punishment for transgressing the mitzvot, so too, they inform him about the reward granted for fulfilling them. They say to him: Be aware that the World-to-Come is made only for the righteous, and if you observe the mitzvot you will merit it, and be aware that the Jewish people, at the present time, are unable to receive their full reward in this world; they are not able to receive either an abundance of good nor an abundance of calamities, since the primary place for reward and punishment is in the World-to-Come. And they do not overwhelm him with threats, and they are not exacting with him about the details of the mitzvot.
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.
There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.
ברוך אתה ה׳ אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו למול את הגרים.
Praised are you Adonai our God, who makes us holy through your sacred calls and calls upon us to circumcise people who convert.
ברוך אתה ה׳ אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו למול את הגרים ולהטיף מהם דם ברית שאלמלא דם ברית לא נתקימו שמים וארץ שנאמר: אם לא בריתי יומם ולילה חקות שמים וארץ לא שמתי. ברוך אתה ה׳ כורת הברית.
Praised are you Adonai our God, who makes us holy through your sacred calls and calls upon us to circumcise people who convert and, through such an act of holiness, deepen our connection with heaven and earth, as it is written, "Without my covenant, day and night, the laws of heaven and earth, I would not sustain." Praised are you, Adonai, who establishes the covenant.
Abraham was 48 years old when he came to know his creator. Yet he was not commanded to circumcise himself at that time and waited until he was much older — 99 years of age. Why? In order not to close the door upon proselytes, however advanced in years.
In traditional settings, the role of the bet din is to ascertain whether prospective converts have acquired an appropriate level of Jewish knowledge, whether they demonstrate a personal commitment to Jewish practice, and whether they have affirmed the basic principles and beliefs of Jewish religion. In contemporary liberal settings, the assumption is that the supervising rabbi has already confirmed that a prospective convert is prepared and ready to take on Jewish identity and status. The beit din process then takes on a different meaning. Rather than being an examination of preparedness, the meeting with the bet din is an opportunity to reflect on one's journey to Judaism, to share some of what has become meaningful, and to ask and respond to questions.
In the Torah, our forefather Jacob is renamed Israel. We are told that the reason for this name change is that he "struggled/wrestled with God." Rather than require a conversion candidate to have particular obligations around Jewish traditions and beliefs, I instead oblige them to be ongoing "God-wrestlers," meaning that they have engaged with Judaism in a meaningful way during their conversion process and that they will continue to do so throughout their lives.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְבִלָה
Praised are you Adonai our God, who makes us holy through your sacred calls and calls upon concerning immersion.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמָן הַזֶּה
Praised are you Adonai our God, who has blessed us with life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this moment.
(כה) וְזָרַקְתִּ֧י עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם מַ֥יִם טְהוֹרִ֖ים וּטְהַרְתֶּ֑ם... (כו) וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ לֵ֣ב חָדָ֔שׁ וְר֥וּחַ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם... (כז) וְעָשִׂ֗יתִי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־בְּחֻקַּי֙ תֵּלֵ֔כוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃ (כח) וִישַׁבְתֶּ֣ם בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם וִהְיִ֤יתֶם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְאָ֣נֹכִ֔י אֶהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
(25) I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean... (26) And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you... (27) Thus I will cause you to follow My laws and faithfully to observe My rules. (28) Then you shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people and I will be your God.
The waters of a mikvah need to be from a fresh and flowing natural source, such as a lake, a stream, a river or the ocean. These are called mayim hayim, living waters. A full immersion in these living waters spiritually symbolizes entry into the womb and being fully surrounded by waters that sustain and give birth to new life. In this way, spiritual and physical immersion is not so much about cleansing oneself of the past as it is about returning to an integrated moment of eternal beginnings, made fluid and held by the element of water. The image of being spiritually reborn or renewed, rather than being cleansed of past sin, may be a potent source of inspiration for the religious imagination as one immerses oneself in the mikvah for this new becoming. One does not lose one’s family or identity by converting; one gains a new sense of self.
We should understand the ideas of "tahor" and "tameh" not simply as "pure" and "impure" but as "ready" and "not ready." Following this reaching, immersion ofr the same conversion marks a ritual shift from "not ready" to "ready" that is the culmination of a tremendous amount of intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual preparation.
Some converts may feel that using the names of symbolic "Jewish parents" is a rejection or an act of disrespect regarding their own actual parents, and they may ask to take as their "Jewish" patronymic and matronymic the names of their parents. Sometimes, converts will suggest giving their actual parents "Jewish names." Because conversion means joining the Jewish people as one's spiritual community, choosing symbolic Jewish ancestors is an important part of the conversion process. It is not meant to diminish or disregard one's actual parents, but non-Jewish parents, actual or symbolic, cannot stand in for Jewish ancestors. These are sensitive issues...