Q&A: Conversion Without Acceptance of the Commandments
Conversion Without Acceptance of the Commandments
Question
In your latest post, at the beginning you wrote that you side with the stricter view that accepting the yoke of the commandments is required, but afterward you write that there is no need even for desire or commitment, only acceptance of the framework and the punishments. I would appreciate an explanation of the issue—what is your position?
Answer
You mean column 501. (If you haven’t already raised this there as a talkback comment, it would be proper to mention that.) I referred there to a column in which I explain the matter at length.
Discussion on Answer
Column 501.
Which refers to another column.
I read it.
My question is: how can one know whether the convert accepts the authority of the commandments without examining his actions? Do we know the hidden thoughts of a person’s heart?
So we judge based on his actions. Maybe on the conceptual level there is truth to your claim, but it seems theoretical.
You also wrote about punishments that he accepts upon himself.
What religious punishments are there today for violating the commandments?
On the contrary, nobody thinks his actions need to be checked, because even if he observed nothing at all, he is still a convert in every respect. This is the view of all the halakhic decisors. Everything depends on the religious court’s assessment at the time of the conversion, not on his actions after the conversion.
The punishments are not in an earthly religious court. If he understands that he is obligated and responsible for his actions (that is, for example, that he will be punished by the laws of Heaven if he does not observe them), he is considered someone who accepted the commandments.
A religious court quite often deals with assessing what is in a person’s heart. True, it is not certain, but that is their role and that is what there is. I brought several examples of this in my article on the status of repentance in an earthly religious court. See column 91.
I’ll take a look.
I meant your writing that appeared as a continuation of the booklet last Friday that was distributed around the country.