| 47b. לא רוב טובה ולא רוב פורענות ואין מרבין עליו ואין מדקדקין עליו,קיבל מלין אותו מיד נשתיירו בו ציצין המעכבין את המילה חוזרים ומלין אותו שניה נתרפא מטבילין אותו מיד ושני ת"ח עומדים על גביו ומודיעין אותו מקצת מצות קלות ומקצת מצות חמורות טבל ועלה הרי הוא כישראל לכל דבריו,אשה נשים מושיבות אותה במים עד צוארה ושני ת"ח עומדים לה מבחוץ ומודיעין אותה מקצת מצות קלות ומקצת מצות חמורות,אחד גר ואחד עבד משוחרר ובמקום שנדה טובלת שם גר ועבד משוחרר טובלין וכל דבר שחוצץ בטבילה חוצץ בגר ובעבד משוחרר ובנדה,אמר מר גר שבא להתגייר אומרים לו מה ראית שבאת להתגייר ומודיעים אותו מקצת מצות קלות ומקצת מצות חמורות מ"ט דאי פריש נפרוש דא"ר חלבו קשים גרים לישראל כספחת דכתיב (ישעיהו יד, א) ונלוה הגר עליהם ונספחו על בית יעקב:,ומודיעים אותו עון לקט שכחה ופאה ומעשר עני: מ"ט א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן בן נח נהרג על פחות משוה פרוטה ולא ניתן להשבון,(ומודיעים אותו עון שכחה ופאה): ואין מרבים עליו ואין מדקדקים עליו: אמר רבי אלעזר מאי קראה דכתיב (רות א, יח) ותרא כי מתאמצת היא ללכת אתה ותחדל לדבר אליה,אמרה לה אסיר לן תחום שבת (רות א, טז) באשר תלכי אלך אסיר לן יחוד (רות א, טז) באשר תליני אלין,מפקדינן שש מאות וי"ג מצות (רות א, טז) עמך עמי אסיר לן עבודת כוכבים (רות א, טז) ואלהיך אלהי ארבע מיתות נמסרו לב"ד (רות א, יז) באשר תמותי אמות ב' קברים נמסרו לב"ד (רות א, יז) ושם אקבר,מיד ותרא כי מתאמצת היא וגו':,קיבל מלין אותו מיד: מ"ט שהויי מצוה לא משהינן:,נשתיירו בו ציצין המעכבין המילה וכו': כדתנן אלו הן ציצין המעכבין המילה בשר החופה את רוב העטרה ואינו אוכל בתרומה וא"ר ירמיה בר אבא אמר רב בשר החופה רוב גובהה של עטרה:,נתרפא מטבילין אותו מיד: נתרפא אין לא נתרפא לא מאי טעמא משום דמיא מרזו מכה:,ושני ת"ח עומדים על גביו: והא א"ר חייא א"ר יוחנן גר צריך שלשה הא א"ר יוחנן לתנא תני שלשה:,טבל ועלה הרי הוא כישראל לכל דבריו: למאי הלכתא דאי הדר ביה ומקדש בת ישראל ישראל מומר קרינא ביה וקידושיו קידושין:,אחד גר ואחד עבד משוחרר: קסלקא דעתך לקבל עליו עול מצות ורמינהו במה דברים אמורים בגר אבל בעבד משוחרר אין צריך לקבל,אמר רב ששת לא קשיא הא ר"ש בן אלעזר הא רבנן,דתניא (דברים כא, יג) ובכתה את אביה ואת אמה וגו' בד"א שלא קבלה עליה אבל קבלה עליה מטבילה ומותר בה מיד,ר"ש בן אלעזר אומר אע"פ שלא קבלה עליה כופה ומטבילה לשם שפחות וחוזר ומטבילה לשם שחרור ומשחררה | 47b. they are b not /b able to receive either b an abundance of good nor an abundance of calamities, /b since the primary place for reward and punishment is in the World-to-Come. b And they do not overwhelm him /b with threats, b and they are not exacting with him /b about the details of the mitzvot.,If b he accepts /b upon himself all of these ramifications, then b they circumcise him immediately. /b If b there /b still b remain on him shreds /b of flesh from the foreskin b that invalidate the circumcision, they circumcise him again a second /b time to remove them. When b he is healed /b from the circumcision, b they immerse him immediately, and two Torah scholars stand over him /b at the time of his immersion b and inform him of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot. /b Once b he has immersed and emerged, he is like /b a born b Jew in every sense. /b ,For the immersion of b a woman: Women /b appointed by the court b seat her in the water /b of the ritual bath b up to her neck, and two Torah scholars stand outside /b the bath house so as not to compromise her modesty, b and /b from there b they inform her of some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot. /b ,The procedure applies for b both a convert and an emancipated slave /b who, upon immersion at the time of his emancipation, becomes a Jew in every sense. b And in the same place that a menstruating woman immerses, /b i.e., in a ritual bath of forty i se’a /i of water, b there a convert and an emancipated slave also immerse. And anything that interposes /b between one’s body and the water of the ritual bath b with regard to immersion /b of a ritually impure person, in a manner that would invalidate the immersion, also b interposes /b and invalidates the immersion b for a convert, and for an emancipated slave, and for a menstruating woman. /b ,The Gemara analyzes the i baraita /i . b The Master said /b in the i baraita /i : With regard to a potential b convert who comes to /b a court in order to b convert, /b the judges of the court b say to him: What did you see that /b motivated b you /b to b come to convert? And they inform him /b of b some of the lenient mitzvot and some of the stringent mitzvot. /b The Gemara asks: b What is the reason /b to say this to him? It is so b that if he /b is going to b withdraw /b from the conversion process, b let him withdraw /b already at this stage. He should not be convinced to continue, b as Rabbi Ḥelbo said: Converts are as harmful to the Jewish people as a /b leprous b scab [ i sappaḥat /i ] /b on the skin, b as it is written: “And the convert shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave [ i venispeḥu /i ] to the house of Jacob” /b (Isaiah 14:1). This alludes to the fact that the cleaving of the convert to the Jewish people is like a scab.,The i baraita /i continues: b And they inform him /b of b the sin /b of neglecting the mitzva to allow the poor to take b gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and /b produce in the b corner /b of one’s field, b and /b about the b poor man’s tithe. /b The Gemara asks: b What is the reason /b to specifically mention these mitzvot? b Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said /b that b Rabbi Yoḥa said: /b Because b a gentile is executed /b even b on account of /b stealing b less than the value of a i peruta /i , /b since gentiles are particular about even such a small loss, b and /b an item that a gentile steals b is not subject to being returned, /b i.e., he is not obligated to return it to its owner. Since gentiles are unwilling to separate even from items of little value, a potential convert must be made aware that he if converts, he will be required to relinquish some of his property to others.,The i baraita /i continues: b And they inform him /b of b the sin /b of neglecting the mitzva to allow the poor to take b gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and /b produce in the b corner /b of one’s field. b And they do not overwhelm him /b with threats, b and they are not exacting with him /b about the details of the mitzvot, i.e., the court should not overly dissuade the convert from converting. b Rabbi Elazar said: What is the verse /b from which this ruling is derived? b As it is written: “And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, she left off speaking with her” /b (Ruth 1:18). When Naomi set out to return to Eretz Yisrael, Ruth insisted on joining her. The Gemara understands this to mean that Ruth wished to convert. Naomi attempted to dissuade her, but Ruth persisted. The verse states that once Naomi saw Ruth’s resolve to convert, she desisted from her attempts to dissuade her. The Gemara infers from here that the same approach should be taken by a court in all cases of conversion.,The Gemara reconstructs the original dialogue in which Naomi attempted to dissuade Ruth from converting: Naomi b said to her: /b On Shabbat, b it is prohibited for us /b to go beyond b the Shabbat limit. /b Ruth responded: b “Where you go, I shall go” /b (Ruth 1:16), and no further. Naomi said to her: b It is forbidden for us to be alone together /b with a man with whom it is forbidden to engage in relations. Ruth responded: b “Where you lodge, I shall lodge” /b (Ruth 1:16), and in the same manner.,Naomi said to her: b We are commanded /b to observe b six hundred and thirteen mitzvot. /b Ruth responded: b “Your people are my people” /b (Ruth 1:16). Naomi said to her: b Idolatrous worship is forbidden to us. /b Ruth responded: b “Your God is my God” /b (Ruth 1:16). Naomi said to her: b Four types of capital punishment were handed over to a court /b with which to punish those who transgress the mitzvot. Ruth responded: b “Where you die, I shall die” /b (Ruth 1:17). Naomi said to her: b Two burial grounds were handed over to the court, /b one for those executed for more severe crimes and another for those executed for less severe crimes. Ruth responded: b “And there I shall be buried” /b (Ruth 1:17)., b Immediately /b following this dialogue, the verse states: b “And when she saw that she was steadfastly minded /b she left off speaking with her” (Ruth 1:18). Once Naomi saw Ruth’s resolve to convert, she desisted from her attempts to dissuade her.,The i baraita /i continues: If b he accepts /b upon himself all of these ramifications, then b they circumcise him immediately. /b The Gemara asks: b What is the reason /b to act immediately? It is that b we do not delay /b the performance of b a mitzva. /b ,The i baraita /i continues: If b there /b still b remain on him shreds /b of flesh from the foreskin b that invalidate the circumcision, /b he is circumcised a second time to remove them. The Gemara explains: This is b as we learned /b in a mishna ( i Shabbat /i 137a): b These are the shreds /b of flesh b that invalidate the circumcision /b if they are not cut: Any fragments of b the flesh that cover the greater part of the corona. /b If such shreds remain, the child is considered uncircumcised, b and he may not partake of i teruma /i . And /b in explanation of this mishna, b Rav Yirmeya bar Abba said /b that b Rav said: /b This also includes b the flesh that covers the greater part of the height of the corona. /b ,The i baraita /i continues: When b he is healed /b from the circumcision, b they immerse him immediately. /b The Gemara infers from the precise formulation of the i baraita /i that when b he has healed, /b then b yes, /b he is immersed, but as long as b he has not healed, /b then b no, /b he is not. b What is the reason /b for this? It is b because water agitates a wound. /b ,The i baraita /i continues: b And two Torah scholars stand over him /b at the time of his immersion. The Gemara asks: b But didn’t Rabbi Ḥiyya say /b that b Rabbi Yoḥa said /b that b a convert requires /b a court of b three /b to be present at his conversion? The Gemara answers: In fact, b Rabbi Yoḥa said to the i tanna /i /b reciting the mishna: Do not teach that there are two Torah scholars; rather, b teach /b that there are b three. /b ,The i baraita /i continues: Once b he has immersed and emerged he is a Jew in every sense. /b The Gemara asks: b With regard to what i halakha /i /b is this said? It is b that if he reverts back /b to behaving as a gentile, he nevertheless remains Jewish, b and /b so if b he betroths a Jewish woman, /b although b he is considered to be an apostate Jew, his betrothal is /b a valid b betrothal. /b ,The i baraita /i continues: This applies b both for a convert and for an emancipated slave. /b The Gemara considers the meaning of this clause: If b it enters your mind /b to interpret the i baraita /i to mean that a convert and an emancipated slave are the same b with regard to accepting upon oneself the yoke of mitzvot, /b then one could b raise a contradiction /b from that which is taught in another i baraita /i : b In what /b case b is this statement /b that there is a need to accept the yoke of mitzvot b said? /b It is b with respect to a convert; however, an emancipated slave does not need to accept /b upon himself the yoke of mitzvot when he immerses for the sake of emancipation. Rather, the immersion alone is sufficient to emancipate him and thereby render him a Jew., b Rav Sheshet said: /b This is b not difficult, /b as b this /b i baraita /i that states that an emancipated slave is not required to accept the yoke of mitzvot b is /b in accordance with the opinion of b Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar, /b whereas b that /b i baraita /i that implies he is required to do so b is /b in accordance with the opinion of b the Rabbis, /b the first i tanna /i of the following i baraita /i ., b As it is taught /b in a i baraita /i : The Torah permits a Jewish soldier to take a beautiful female prisoner of war out of her captivity in order to marry her. Before he may do so, she must first undergo the process that the Torah describes: “And she shall shave her head, and do her nails; and she shall remove the raiment of her captivity from upon her, and she shall remain in your house b and bewail her father and her mother /b a month of days” (Deuteronomy 21:12–13). She may then be immersed for the sake of conversion, even though she does not accept upon herself the yoke of mitzvot. At that point it is permitted to marry her. The i baraita /i asks: b Under what /b circumstance b are these matters stated? /b It is b when she did not accept upon herself /b the yoke of mitzvot; b however, /b if b she /b willingly b accepted upon herself /b the yoke of mitzvot, b he may immerse her /b for the sake of conversion, b and he is permitted to /b marry b her immediately /b without the need for her to undergo the process described in the Torah., b Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Even if she did not accept upon herself /b the yoke of mitzvot, the need for the process can still be circumvented if b he forces /b her b and immerses her for the sake of slavery, and then he again immerses her for the sake of emancipation and /b thereby b emancipates her, /b rendering her a Jewess. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar holds that the immersion of a slave for the sake of emancipation is effective even if the slave does not accept upon himself the yoke of mitzvot. |
