Our Converts Are Precious
讘专讗砖讬转 专讘讛 诇:讬讘
讚状讗 讜讗诇讛 讛诪砖驻讟讬诐 讛讛状讚 (转讛诇讬诐 拽诪讝) 诪讙讬讚 讚讘专讬讜 诇讬注拽讘 驻注诐 讗讞转 讗诪专 诇讜 注拽讬诇住 诇讗讚专讬讬谞讜住 讛诪诇讱 专讜爪讛 讗谞讬 诇讛转讙讬讬专 讜诇讛注砖讜转 讬砖专讗诇 讗诪专 诇讜 诇讗讜诪讛 讝讜 讗转讛 诪讘拽砖 讻诪讛 讘讝讬转讬 讗讜转讛 讻诪讛 讛专讙转讬 讗讜转讛 诇讬专讜讚讛 砖讘讗讜诪讜转 讗转讛 诪讘拽砖 诇讛转注专讘 诪讛 专讗讬转 讘讛诐 砖讗转讛 专讜爪讛 诇讛转讙讬讬专 讗诪专 诇讜 讛拽讟谉 砖讘讛诐 讬讜讚注 讛讬讗讱 讘专讗 讛拽讘状讛 讗转 讛注讜诇诐 诪讛 谞讘专讗 讘讬讜诐 专讗砖讜谉 讜诪讛 谞讘专讗 讘讬讜诐 讘壮 讻诪讛 讬砖 诪砖谞讘专讗 讛注讜诇诐 讜注诇 诪讛 讛注讜诇诐 注讜诪讚 讜转讜专转谉 讗诪转 讗诪专 诇讜 诇讱 讜诇诪讚 转讜专转谉 讜讗诇 转诪讜诇 讗诪专 诇讜 注拽讬诇住 讗驻讬诇讜 讞讻诐 砖讘诪诇讻讜转讱 讜讝拽谉 讘谉 诪讗讛 砖谞讛 讗讬谞讜 讬讻讜诇 诇诇诪讜讚 转讜专转谉 讗诐 讗讬谞讜 诪诇 砖讻谉 讻转讜讘 (砖诐 ) 诪讙讬讚 讚讘专讬讜 诇讬注拽讘 讞拽讬讜 讜诪砖驻讟讬讜 诇讬砖专讗诇 诇讗 注砖讛 讻谉 诇讻诇 讙讜讬 讜诇诪讬 诇讘谞讬 讬砖专讗诇
Exodus Rabbah 30:12
Another explanation of These are the rules [that you shall set before them] (Exod. 21:1): It is written, [God] issued His commands to Jacob, [His statutes and rules to Israel.] (Ps. 147:19) Once upon a time, Aquila said to the Emperor Hadrian, “I wish to convert and to become an Israelite.” He replied: “You seek [to join] that people? See how I have debased them, and how many of them I have killed. You wish to ally yourself with the lowliest of peoples鈥攚hat do you see in them that you wish to convert?” [Aquila] told him: “The least among them knows how the Blessed Holy One created the world: what was created on the first day and what on the second day, how long it has been since the world was created, and on what the world stands. Their Torah is true.” [Hadrian] said to him, “Go study their law, but do not get circumcised.” Aquila told him, “Not even the wisest in your kingdom nor an elder one hundred years old could study their Torah unless he is circumcised!” Thus it is written, [God] issued His commands to Jacob, His statutes and rules to Israel. He did not do so with any other nation. . . (Ps. 147:19鈥�20)鈥攅xcept with the children of Israel.
This midrash about an actual convert expands the scope of this week’s Torah portion, Mishpatim, which contemporary scholars call the “Covenant Collection” because of its numerous laws that follow and complement the Ten Commandments. This narrative about an ancient seeker of truth who wished to study our Torah and to enter physically and spiritually into our people’s covenant raises fundamental questions about the role and status of converts to Judaism today.
Whether or not the conversation above really occurred, we do know that Aquila made a monumental contribution to his chosen people: one of the first translations of the Hebrew Bible into another language. In a time when one can find countless Bible translations on the Internet alone, one could easily overlook how Aquila and others like him transformed Jewish history. Not only did Aquila produce a tremendous work of scholarship that immediately benefitted Jews in the Greek-speaking Diaspora, our Sages from his time and for generations thereafter lauded him as a hero.
I am proud to count dozens of converts among my friends, family, and rabbinic colleagues. Indeed, I consider their paths to Judaism and their journeys within our community as Jews-by-choice to be among the most important lessons I have learned in becoming a rabbi. It pains me, therefore, to know how the ultra-Orthodox establishment in Israel continues to undermine the legitimacy of official and likely converts there and abroad through their recent political maneuvering. When will we honor the example of Aquila and others like him living today by refusing to accept this truly demeaning situation that dishonors the Torah and Judaism?
