Rabbi's Message - Parshat Vaeschanan, August 17, 2019
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B"H Parshat Vaetchanan, August 17, 2019
The Challenges Facing the Convert
It seems that every year I reexamine theological and Biblical concepts that previously didn’t pose an issue. I find the need to pause and seek clarification. One such biblical phrase states: Thou shalt not add nor subtract from any of God’s commandments. I can’t help but wonder why in the past fifty years I have witnessed rabbis regularly adding numerous new restrictions and legislations.
To make matters worse, some of these new regulations, to my limited comprehension, seem counterintuitive or contradictory. For example, the Torah stipulates multiple times that not only is it forbidden to mistreat a convert but on the contrary it is required to love them and never remind them of their previous life. This portrays a progressive attitude that demands discipline in overcoming prejudice and biases. However, the facts on the ground show a completely different picture. The potential convert is often made to feel inferior and subjected to the whims of the Beth Din. Some manage to cope with the humiliation and disdain in the hope that once they convert life will improve. Yet, for some converts, reminders of their past are a constant in their future. Pious individuals who meticulously adhere to their faith in all aspects of life often find this mitzvah of treating a convert with love and dignity exceedingly difficult to put into practice.
This Friday is the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av, a day that in Talmudic times was similar to Sadie Hawkins Day. All the single young ladies would gather in the field and the young men would come from far and wide seeking their life partner. No shadchanim or matchmakers. No resumes, no elitism, and no family intervention. Those who had the means would loan their dresses and attire to those who could not afford the finer things. In this way everyone was judged on merit with no class distinctions. You fell in love with the person and not with a family standing in the community or wealth. Romance was color blind and oblivious of ancestry or heritage. The playing field was level and it permitted everyone including a convert to be judged solely on personal qualities.
Fast forward to our generation where the 15th Day of Av is a minor holiday void of any meaning. The rabbis today would vehemently oppose these frivolous behaviors and would vociferously prohibit the commingling of the sexes. They would find some justification for why it was permitted in Talmudic times but would denounce anyone trying to resurrect a similar program nowadays. To make matters worse, in many religious communities there is strong resistance to marrying a convert. They consider their origin less holy and unfit for their child. They make a mockery of piety by ignoring basic tenets of Torah law. Many a genuine convert is left feeling shunned and humiliated in the process of trying to find a spouse.
I am reminded of the verse in Hosea Chapter 14 that states: “The Path of God are correct, the righteous follow them while the wicked stumble in them.” The Malbim comments that the motivation of the righteous and the wicked are inherently pure. They both imagine they are following the path of God, and subjecting themselves to His will. Yet one is considered meritorious through his action while the other is considered a stumbling sinner. Although their motivation may be pure, their understanding of what Hashem desires is flawed. In my estimation our Jewish world is facing a similar dichotomy, the word of God is clearly elucidated but sadly misconstrued. The Torah clearly enumerates multiple times that Hashem finds the treatment of converts of paramount importance. They are to be loved, cherished, and treated with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, often what they are facing in real life is the antithesis of what God desires. Some are fearful of a convert’s motivation while others believe they weaken the purity of the ‘Zera Kodesh’ - they weaken the holy seed of our ancestors. And others are adamant that they are not biased against converts, they just feel that marriage works better for people with similar cultures and backgrounds. Their justifications, and that is exactly what it is, may sound logical but are diametrically opposed to what God dictated in His Torah. I believe Hosea is speaking to these individuals when he pens the phrase: and the wicked stumble in them.
On the 15th day of Av we are reminded that bias in any shape or form is fundamentally wrong. Many are cognizant of the cultural divide in the secular world but ignore an equally nefarious and sickening divide facing the Jewish world. The 15th of Av is only six days after the 9th of Av, a day commemorating the destruction of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Our sages write the reason for the destruction is exactly those abhorrent behaviours that are currently permeating our society.
I request a return to the basics; where the laws of Hashem are followed and no one seeks to add or subtract from them. Where concerns of the motivation of converts are left up to God and not individual rabbi’s playing the role of God’s earthly agent. Indeed, Hosea begins his statement by saying: “He who is wise will consider these things.” So please be wise and hopefully the Judaism of our ancestors will remain the Judaism of our descendants.
