Yevamot 47a — the Talmud in English

I have only [a source]

that converts proselytes

in the Land.

Outside the Land —

from where

that converts proselytes?

The verse says “

and when a proselyte dwells

with you” —

in every place where you are!

If so, what does the verse say: “in the Land”?

“In the Land” —

he must bring

the proselyte

proof

that he converted in a court. And his being circumcised is not proof, for perhaps he is a circumcised Gibeonite. For in the Land one must be concerned that he wishes to present himself as a proselyte, although he is a gentile, because of the praise of the Land.

Outside the Land —

he need not bring proof,

since there the gentiles do not wish to convert, because of the lowliness of Israel outside the Land,

the words of Rabbi Yehuda.

And the Sages say: both in the Land and outside the Land —

he must bring proof.

Now the Gemara discusses the words of the beraita.

We learned in a beraita:

he came

the proselyte,

and his witnesses were with him —

from where do we know that we accept him? The verse says: “and when a proselyte dwells in your land,” in any event.

And we raised it: since the proselyte brings with him witnesses concerning his conversion —

why do I need the verse?

His witnesses are with him, and witnesses are trusted everywhere!

Rav Sheshet said,

here it is speaking in a case such as

they say

the witnesses:

We heard that he converted in the court of so-and-so!

It might enter your mind to say that we should not believe them

concerning this, since this is not testimony about a conversion that they saw, but merely hearsay testimony.

It teaches us

the verse that such hearsay testimony is relied upon in order to establish him as a proselyte.

We further learned in a beraita:

“in the Land”.

I have only

that converts proselytes

in the Land.

Outside the Land, from where

that converts proselytes?

The verse says: “with you” —

in every place where you are.

And we raised it:

but you have already derived it!

You used the word “with you” for another exposition! To learn from what is written “with you” that we do not believe a proselyte who comes and says that he converted, but only if he is “with you,” in that he is established by you as a proselyte!? And we answer: there are two teachings before us, and from them it is possible to learn both matters:

One teaching

one

is to be learned

from “

and when a proselyte dwells

with you.” [

Leviticus 19:33 ]

And

one teaching

one

is to be learned

from

the verse following it: “Like a native among you, so shall the proselyte who dwells

among you” [

according to the version of the Vilna Gaon].

We further learned in a beraita:

And the Sages say: both in the Land and outside the Land —

he must bring proof

that he converted.

And we raised it:

but is it not written “in the Land”!

For from here Rabbi Yehuda learned that only in the Land must he bring proof, and not outside the Land!

And we answer: according to the Sages,

that “

in the Land” does not come to say that only in the Land must he bring proof.

Rather,

it is needed by him, that even in the Land they accept proselytes.

For it might enter your mind to say that because of the goodness of the Land of Israel

which flows with milk and honey,

they convert,

and we should not accept them, since they do not convert for the sake of Heaven.

And

even

now as well, when there is no goodness,

since now it does not flow with milk and honey, nevertheless

there is

there is in it

the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, the corner, and the poor man’s tithe,

which apply even in the present time, and in order to receive them when they are poor, they convert —

it teaches us

the verse “in the Land” that even in the Land they accept proselytes.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: the halakha

is according to the Sages, that

both in the Land and outside the Land —

he must

the proselyte

bring proof

that he converted.

And we are astonished:

it is obvious

that the halakha is according to the Sages, for

an individual and the many —

the halakha follows the many!

And we answer:

it might have been said that Rabbi Yehuda’s reasoning is plausible, for

indeed

the verses support him.

For the beginning of the verse, “when a proselyte dwells with you,” teaches that they accept proselytes in the Land, from the exposition “all that is with you.” And the continuation of the verse — “in your land” \-

is superfluous. And it proves according to the words of Rabbi Yehuda, that only in the Land must the proselyte bring proof of his conversion, because it flows with milk and honey, but not outside the Land.

It teaches us

that even so, the halakha is according to the Sages.

The Sages taught:

it is written at the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy [chapter 1]

“And you shall judge righteously between a man and his brother and between his proselyte” —

from here,

from the fact that the verse used “his proselyte” when it said “and you shall judge” —

Rabbi Yehuda said:

the verse teaches that only

a proselyte who converted in a court —

is a proselyte.

But if he converted

between himself and himself —

he is not a proselyte.

An incident involving

a proselyte

one,

who was established as a fit Israelite,

who came before Rabbi Yehuda and said to him: I converted between myself and myself!

He said to him,

he asked him,

Rabbi Yehuda:

whether

do you have witnesses

to disqualify yourself, to testify that you converted without a court, and that you are a gentile and not an Israelite?

He said to him: No.

He further asked him:

Do you have sons?

He said to him: Yes.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yehuda:

You are trusted to disqualify yourself

only,

but you are not trusted to disqualify your sons,

who have been established by us as fit Israelites.

And we raised it:

and does

that is,

did Rabbi Yehuda say, “stones”

about his sons, that he is

not trusted

to disqualify them?

But it was taught

concerning recognition of the firstborn: it is said in the Book of Deuteronomy [21:17]: “

For he shall recognize the firstborn, the son of the hated one, to give him a double portion.”

“He shall recognize” —

its meaning is:

he shall make him known to others.

From here Rabbi Yehuda said:

the Torah granted the father special trust to identify his son before others.

For if the court does not know which of his sons is the firstborn,

a person is trusted to say

about his son:

This is my son,

he is my

firstborn son,

and he is fit to take a double portion of my property when I die.

And

by force of this innovation of the Torah, which granted the father the power of trust concerning recognition of his son, Rabbi Yehuda learned:

Just as he is trusted

the father

to say

about his son

“This

is

my son

the

firstborn” —

so he is trusted

also to disqualify him, for if he is a koen, he can

say

about his son:

“This son of mine,

he is a disqualified koen — because

he is the son of a divorced woman, or because

he is

the son of a woman released by halitza!”

And the Sages say: he is not trusted

to disqualify him.

And it is explicit in this beraita that according to Rabbi Yehuda a person is trusted to disqualify his sons; and why did Rabbi Yehuda say to the proselyte who came before him that he is not trusted to disqualify his sons!? And Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak and Ravina disagreed in explaining the words of Rabbi Yehuda:

Nahman bar Yitzhak said: this is what he said to him: the power of trust that the Torah gave the father, so that he is trusted like two witnesses to identify his son even to disqualify him, applies only to an Israelite, since only an Israelite is fit for testimony.

But

otherwise

according to your words, you are a gentile. And there is no

testimony for a gentile!

And since your sons are established before us as fit, you have no possibility of testifying about them to disqualify them.

But

Ravina said

in explaining the words of Rabbi Yitzhak:

This is what he said to him

Rabbi Yehuda to the proselyte who came before him:

Whether

do you have sons? —

he said to him:

Yes.

Whether

do you have grandsons? —

he said to him:

Yes.

He said to him

Rabbi Yehuda:

You are trusted to disqualify

only

your sons, but you are not trusted to disqualify your grandsons.

And Ravina holds that according to Rabbi Yehuda the father’s trust by virtue of “he shall recognize” was stated even regarding a gentile, since it is not in the category of testimony, but rather it is a special innovation of trust that the father has concerning his son.

Except that this innovation of “he shall recognize” was stated only concerning trust regarding his sons, but not regarding his grandsons.

Therefore, if he already has grandsons, he is not trusted to disqualify even his son, since it is impossible that his son should be disqualified while his grandsons should be fit [Tosafot].

It was also taught so,

according to the words of Ravina:

Rabbi Yehuda says: a person is trusted to say concerning his minor son, but he is not trusted concerning his adult son.

And Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan

to explain his words:

not a minor —

an actual minor, and not an adult —

an actual adult.

Rather,

if he has a son who is

“minor” [

relatively young],

and he has

to his young son

sons —

this is

“his son”

“adult,”

who is not trusted to disqualify him.

Since he has no trust to disqualify his grandsons, therefore he also cannot disqualify his son, since it is impossible that his son should be disqualified while his grandsons should be fit [Tosafot].

But if he has an

adult son [

relatively older],

and he does not have

to his adult son

sons —

this is

“his son”

“minor,”

whom he is trusted to disqualify.

And the Gemara decides:

And the halakha is according to him, Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak,

in explaining the words of Rabbi Yehuda, who said to him: according to your words, you are a gentile! And even concerning his son he is not trusted to disqualify him when he is a gentile.

And we are astonished:

but it was taught

in the beraita that the Gemara brought

according to him

like

that

said

Ravina,

that according to Rabbi Yehuda even a gentile is trusted to disqualify his son when his son has no sons.

And the Gemara assumed that the beraita which it brought as proof for Ravina deals with the trust of a gentile concerning the disqualification of his son.

And the Gemara rejects: this beraita is not proof like Ravina, because

that

which is stated in that beraita —

concerning “he shall recognize”

in an Israelite

it was stated.

For we can learn from the words of the verse that the father is trusted to say which of his sons is the firstborn concerning inheritance; so he is trusted to disqualify him from the priesthood.

And concerning this the beraita says that he is trusted to disqualify only his son and not his grandson.

But this trust is an innovation concerning testimony, and a gentile has no possibility of testifying. And when he says, “I converted between myself and myself,” then according to his own words he is a gentile, and there is no testimony for a gentile, and he cannot disqualify even his son.

The Sages taught: A proselyte who came to convert in the present time, they say to him: What did you see that you came to convert?

And is it that

you do not know that Israel in the present time are afflicted, pressed, downtrodden [

lowly],

and harried [

moving and wandering from place to place],

and sufferings come upon them!

If he says: I know, and I am unworthy [

at present I am not worthy to share in their distress, and would that I be worthy to suffer with them] —

they accept him immediately.

And they inform him of some minor mitzvot and some major mitzvot,

and they inform him of the iniquity of the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, the corner, and the poor man’s tithe.

And they inform him of the punishments of the mitzvot.

They say to him: Know that, before you came to this status,

of Judaism, if

you ate forbidden fat, you were not liable to excision,

and if

you desecrated Shabbat, you were not liable to stoning.

And now,

once you become a Jew, if

you ate forbidden fat,

you are

liable to excision,

and if

you desecrated Shabbat,

you are

liable to stoning.

And just as they inform him of the punishments of the mitzvot, so they inform him of their rewards.

They say to him: Know that the World to Come is made only for the righteous.