גיור וזהות יהודית : עיון ביסודות ההלכה

The conversion ceremony (Giur) reflects the meaning of Jewish identity in the eyes of the halachic tradition. Three main elements in the ceremony: word, baptism and acceptance of mitzvot. Milah is the ritual removal of the foreskin from the body of the male convert; Baptism is the complete immersion of a convert's body in a pure mikvah. As for the meaning of accepting the mitzvot, the sages of the halacha differed for their generations. The authors' assumption is that a careful analysis of the meaning of these three elements and their relationship to each other allows us to reveal different positions on the question of Jewish identity, found in the halachic tradition from the days of the Talmud to the present day. Based on a careful study of diverse halachic sources, the authors offer a comprehensive view of the essence of conversion and the personality of Jewish identity in the eyes of halachic scholars. Apart from the widely known theoretical importance of this essay, it also has topical aspects, since the question of the identity of the Jewish collective and the meaning of the foreigner's joining it do not fall from the public agenda of the people of Israel in Israel and in the Diaspora. The authors are research fellows at the Halacha Center of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and this book is the fruit of their joint work within this framework....