Although he was.īy Rabbi Sender Haber | Jan 19, 2012I The Jewish people complained to Moshe. After the international tribunal sentenced Moshe to death for killing the Egyptian, Yisro returned home to Midyan only to find that Moshe had fled to Midyan as well. King David was.īy Rabbi Sender Haber | Feb 10, 2012Yisro’s first encounter with Moshe was as a judge in his capital murder trial. (Psalms 119) When King David said those words, he wasn’t referring to a class that he had taught, a psalm he had written, or a ruling that he had given. Exhibiting an age-appropriate lack of proportion, it was clear that there was nothing more important to these boys than.īy Rabbi Sender Haber | Feb 27, 2012“Oh, how I love Your Torah.
Gemara ispeak full#
College basketball was in full swing and my normally attentive students were filling out brackets under their desks. At the seder Rav.īy Rabbi Sender Haber | Mar 4, 2012It was that time of year again. The Gemara in Pesachim tells a story about Rav Nachman and his slave named Daru. Only Torah can facilitate the true change necessary for conversion, and despite all new beliefs, inspiration, and values, it remains the unequivocal requisite for conversion.By Rabbi Sender Haber | Apr 18, 2012After a week of celebrating freedom it is worthwhile to take a few moments to examine the idea of freedom and how it can have an impact on our lives beyond Pesach. In present times, it is the “Kabbalos Mitzvos” facet of conversion, the concluding step when the convert must connect to Torah itself, which has become a hotbed of controversy in terms of its legitimacy under certain circumstances. Furthering this point, the Gemara writes that when the Jews themselves accepted the Torah, it was really the conclusion of a conversion process that culminated with Torah. What made Yisro different? This question bothered the Gemara so much that it was forced to conclude that, despite the simple presentation of the Torah, Yisro must have converted after Matan Torah and that his conversion was a true change of identity. The Eirav Rav also joined the fleeing Jewish nation from Egypt, but we find that their Jewish experience is quite ephemeral, as they constantly struggle to really believe in God and Moshe, and their sins eventually become self-destructive. By learning and observing Torah, one takes the mundane “I” and elevates it to the “I in Torah,” where new creativity, self-awareness, and sublime connections are formed.
Only one thing can completely alter the “I”- Torah- because Torah is the only factor where the “I” is forced into the submissive state of accepting its role and finding its individuality within the connection to God Himself. “I believe,” “I speak,” or “I act” are all about the actualization of the “I,” but it is still the same “I” who now chooses to believe, speak, or act. Why is conversion only effective in becoming a Jew? These points reflect that variables such as belief or culture are ineffective to change one’s identify, because all these sorts of factors are ultimately just new expressions of the same person. For example, if an Amaleki would try to simply “convert” to become like an Edomite, by adopting their culture, language, and beliefs, the Torah still views that person as an Amaleki and a Jew would still be obligated to kill him. The Maharal wonders why it is that the Torah only recognizes conversions from other nations to Judaism, but not within other nations themselves. What can this idea mean? Although we believe in the power of change, “rebirth” seems like an imaginative portrayal of the unreal. The Maharal expounds on the opinion that Yisro arrived after Matan Torah by explaining that the conversion process to Judaism is more than a change of belief and values- it is rather a change of core identity that is aptly described in the Gemara as the rebirth of the convert like a newborn infant. Given that the Torah presents the story before Matan Torah, the simplicity of the text definitely suggests that Yisro came before Matan Torah, and yet, one opinion is adamant that Matan Torah was the catalyst for Yisro’s conversion and is forced to conclude that the story is presented out of chronological order. In analysis of this dispute, the Gemara says it depends on the interpretation of the opening words of the Parsha, “And Yisro heard,” as one opinion understands that Yisro heard about the splitting of the Sea or about the war with Amalek, while the other opinion counters that Yisro heard the sounds of Matan Torah. There is a discussion in the Gemara regarding the timing of when Yisro joined the Jews, as the Tannaim disagree whether Yisro came before or after Matan Torah. Besides being Moshe Rabbeinu’s father in law, Yisro is famous for being the first outsider to join the Jewish People.
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