Ger tzedek
In Judaism, a ger (Hebrew: "stanger" or "convert") or ger tzedek ("righteous convert" or "convert of righteousnous") is a gentile who has undergone religious conversion (giur) to Judaism to become completely Torah-observant.
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2 Traditional Judaism 3 Other views 4 See also |
History
In Biblical Hebrew, the word ger can denote either a convert (and is usually interpreted as such by the Talmud) or a non-Jewish inhabitant of the Land of Israel who observes the seven Noahide Laws and has repudiated all links with idolatry. The word ger tzedek was used to denote a full convert. In post-Talmudic times, the word ger has become synonymous with ger tzedek.
The Yemenite Jewish community, which is now largely located in Israel, employs a somewhat different terminology; in the opinion of some Yemenite authorities, to refer to a convert as a ger tzedek is a reminder of his past, and ought to be avoided.
Traditional Judaism
A ger (literally: stanger) or a ger tzedek (righteous stranger) is someone who has become fully and Jewish according to Halakha by undergoing a process termed giur ("conversion").
The procedure
Requirements for conversion to Judaism are:
- Circumcision (Brit milah) for the men
- Immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath)
- Declaration of acceptance of the Torah (the 613 mitzvot and the practical instructions of halakha)
Consequences of conversion
Once undergone, a religious conversion to Judaism is irreversible, unless there are grounds to believe that the convert was being insincere during the conversion process. In this case a Beth Din can reverse a conversion.
To call someone who has not immersed in the Mikveh a "Jew", and for a male the compulsory circumcision (Brit Mila), is incorrect from the point of view of Halacha and any branch of Orthodox Judaism and most Conservative Judaism goes by this procedure. Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism do not have these standards for conversion to Judaism.
Place in religious life
Ger is commonly translated by the Greek word "proselyte", and has come to mean a full convert to Judaism. However, halakha forbids even reminding a convert that they were once not a Jew and hence there is no distinction made in authentic Judaism between ordinary Jews and converts. There are very few restrictions to converts (e.g. they cannot become rabbinic judges, although there have been some very influential ger rabbis).
Other views
In Reform Judaism, Ger Tzedek has a different meaning since they make a distinction between their own Ethnic Jews and people who become Jewish, but such a stance is seen as apostasy by the ultra orthodox community. The reform view is derived from an interpretation of Maimonides, who stated that Abraham is the father of all the Righteous (Tzedekim).