09-21-2013, 07:52 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-26-2013, 04:32 AM by Director Michael.)
Hi AskNoah,
1. Please could you tell me what exactly a ger tzedek is.
2. This is something that was said to me on Facebook (since a lot more than two people know of it, it shouldn't be lashon hara to repeat, right?) in response to an article I did on my blog where I quoted the Mishneh Torah that mentions ger tzedek in Laws of Kings and Wars, Chapter 10, Halachah 9 as meaning a gentile who had become a Jew (which is my understanding). The person on Facebook said this [sic.]:
"Basically, if a man wants to stay in idolatry, he shouldn't make up his own commandments. If he wants to leave idolatry and do the commandments, he should become a Ger Tzedek and he may take on the Jewish commandments. Rambam says while we do not recognize the status of a ger toshav as legal outside of the Jubilee year, we do recognize the ger tzedek. Again, a ger tzedek means both the convert and the non convert. The Ger Tzedek is the Noahide that wants to sit in his sukkah, or fast and pray on Yom Kippur, or go beyond his seven. He is not required to convert, though he may if he feels he should."
As you can see, this person believes that a ger tzedek can be both "a convert and a non-convert", "the Noahide who wants to sit in his sukkah, etc". It is a teaching promoted by a rabbi with others and I'm not sure how I should see it. I've consulted the Artscroll Chumash, Hertz Pentateuch, Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud, Rabbi Hirsch's commentary on the Torah, and each says that a ger tzedek is a fully fledged convert, meaning he/she becomes 100% a Jew. I've checked multiple places on the internet: Soncino version of the Babylonian Talmud, Jastrow's dictionary of the Talmud, on and on. And I'm getting the same thing: a ger tzedek is a fully fledged Jew, a true proselyte/convert.
I'm just not sure how I should view such people who believe that noahides can be ger tzedek, if I'm understand what a ger tzedek is. Because if these guys are serious, then surely their teaching some incorrect stuff to multiple people on certain popular Noahide groups on Facebook. Not only do they teach this on facebook, but also at least two websites, one a popular Noahide website.
Could I have your clarification on the term ger tzedek, even if it's to agree with what I've found so far? If you can point me to some evidence I can use that would be great, unless you think I have enough already. Also could I have your guidance on how I should treat such teachings and teachers and students of such teachers?
Thank you.
1. Please could you tell me what exactly a ger tzedek is.
2. This is something that was said to me on Facebook (since a lot more than two people know of it, it shouldn't be lashon hara to repeat, right?) in response to an article I did on my blog where I quoted the Mishneh Torah that mentions ger tzedek in Laws of Kings and Wars, Chapter 10, Halachah 9 as meaning a gentile who had become a Jew (which is my understanding). The person on Facebook said this [sic.]:
"Basically, if a man wants to stay in idolatry, he shouldn't make up his own commandments. If he wants to leave idolatry and do the commandments, he should become a Ger Tzedek and he may take on the Jewish commandments. Rambam says while we do not recognize the status of a ger toshav as legal outside of the Jubilee year, we do recognize the ger tzedek. Again, a ger tzedek means both the convert and the non convert. The Ger Tzedek is the Noahide that wants to sit in his sukkah, or fast and pray on Yom Kippur, or go beyond his seven. He is not required to convert, though he may if he feels he should."
As you can see, this person believes that a ger tzedek can be both "a convert and a non-convert", "the Noahide who wants to sit in his sukkah, etc". It is a teaching promoted by a rabbi with others and I'm not sure how I should see it. I've consulted the Artscroll Chumash, Hertz Pentateuch, Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud, Rabbi Hirsch's commentary on the Torah, and each says that a ger tzedek is a fully fledged convert, meaning he/she becomes 100% a Jew. I've checked multiple places on the internet: Soncino version of the Babylonian Talmud, Jastrow's dictionary of the Talmud, on and on. And I'm getting the same thing: a ger tzedek is a fully fledged Jew, a true proselyte/convert.
I'm just not sure how I should view such people who believe that noahides can be ger tzedek, if I'm understand what a ger tzedek is. Because if these guys are serious, then surely their teaching some incorrect stuff to multiple people on certain popular Noahide groups on Facebook. Not only do they teach this on facebook, but also at least two websites, one a popular Noahide website.
Could I have your clarification on the term ger tzedek, even if it's to agree with what I've found so far? If you can point me to some evidence I can use that would be great, unless you think I have enough already. Also could I have your guidance on how I should treat such teachings and teachers and students of such teachers?
Thank you.