Letters/Discussion Forums
Torah: Spread word of G-d – so proselytise!
Colin Jantjies
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists all go out and ask the “unfaithful” to consider conversion to their cause. Israel is becoming more and more isolated as propaganda from the mainly Muslim world wins over new converts and maintaining that the Jews don’t belong in Israel.
They proffer that Jews are the great cause of all the upheavals in the world. A lie often repeated, soon takes over the appearance of truth. The appeal to counter Muslim and anti-Semitic propaganda has never really taken off in the gentile world.
Jews simply inform fellow Jews about what’s happening outside. But do we really need to know what we already know? This is akin to preaching to the converted. Jews don’t need to convert. We already sit with the true faith. It is the world out there that is in need of conversion!
Yet, sadly the Jewish people have been fed the myth that proselytisation is a bad thing. Really, says who? I have yet to come across a biblical, historical and sensible reason from those who are vehemently opposed to this concept. Jewish families and individuals follow what their elders and leaders have inculcated in them from generation to generation.
Questioning one’s elders is still frowned upon in certain homes. Yet the Tanakh is full of examples where Israel has been exhorted to indeed approach G-d and authorities and pose questions.
Moses, the prophets and King David were constantly in conversation with G-d; always in fear and reverence, of course.
Through constant debate with G-d our patriarchs gained wisdom. We all have the ability and intellect to communicate. How strange then that proselytisation has become a taboo issue, often met by an emphatic and resounded “No”!
The irony is that Judaism since its conception has been a religion of converts. Every Jew knows the story of Abraham, the first convert. And lest we forget, it is the A-mighty himself who converted the patriarch. Thus every Jewish family is a descendant of converts.
The world is in need of Judaism but there are neither prophets nor rabbis to go out there and tell the world about G-d who watches over Israel and is creator of all things on earth.
Israel has a special function in life. Its function as a priestly nation is to minister to the world. This means every Jew is obligated to spread the word of G-d and to welcome the gentiles to the faith of G-d. This is a Torah injunction.
Johannesburg
Rev Marc Lipshitz
October 16, 2015 at 10:25 am
‘The Torah is clear that there were converts, and that those converts had to go through a process. In fact, the Torah gives an example of what happens when conversion processes are not followed! Where? The eruv rav that leaves Egypt with Jews were essentially non-Jews that Moshe allowed to be Jewish without going through the conversion process- what happens? At the time that the Jews started worshiping the golden calf G-d points out to Moshe \” \”Go, descend, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.\” (Translation from Chabad.org) In other words- the eruv rav, those YOU brought out because G-d liberated the Jews but the eruv rav never formally converted and thus counted as the nation that Moshe brought out.
On the other hand the Torah gives an example fo a righteous convert from Moshe- Yitro whom Moshe takes into his tent i.e. converts. And Yitro designs the entire Jewish court system- a righteous convert like Yitro is a boon to the Jewish people.
We are obligated to act according to the Torah and hope to influence the world through that. Yitro comes to Moshe and converts, Moshe does NOT go to him and convince him to convert! We do the same, we let those around us see and be convinced by what they see to come to us- we do not go out looking for them and trying to convince them! Avraham sat at the entrance of his tent and welcomed those who came to him- he did not go out searching for people to convert!
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