Conversion to Judaism Part 3

Attitudes towards converts and conversion vary widely. In the Torah, we are told to "love the Ger", not to oppress him "for you know the soul of the Ger, for you were Gerim (resident aliens) in Egypt". Several Gerim have prominent places in Scripture, most notably Jethro, the father in law of Moses, and Ruth, the ancestress of David, and hence, of the future Mashiach. Many Talmudic sages were either converts, or the children of converts (Rabbi Akiva, Shemaya and Avtalyon who were the teachers of Hillel, Rabbi Meir and many more. We read in the Talmud that the High Priest was once walking through the streets of Jerusalem, followed by a crowd of people. Shmaya and Avtalyon were walking on the other side of the street, and the people left to follow them. The High Priest (who was a Roman appointee) said "Will you abandon the seed of Aaron to follow concverts?" The people replied "better converts who walk in the ways of Aaron than his seed who do not". The Zohar states that when Jethro, who had been a pagan Priest, declared "Now I know that there is none like G-d" the glory of G-d was elevated through the Universe as never before. We know from Roman and Greek sources that the Jews actively missionized among the pagans. We also know that in about 135 BCE, there was a massive forced conversion of the Idumeans (South East of Judea). It is unlikely that the sages of the Sanhedrin approved of either of these actions. The attitude of the early sages seems to have been quite pro-conversion, as we can see from several stories about Hillel's dealings with converts. Later, when persecution of Jews became more prevalent in the Empire, and especially when Rome became Christian, converts were often looked at with skepticism, if they would be able to hold up under persecution, torture and death. Many did hold up, but there was, nevertheless, a fear. In later generations, many communities developed a strong sense of "yichus" (family pedigree) and converts were looked at askance. This was not true everywhere, however. RAMBAM foresaw a world where Judaism would be embraced by all. It was difficult, however, for communities in the throws of massive persecution to picture their tormentors as their future brothers and sisters.
Today, there are some rabbis who are very pro-convert (including yours truly) and many who are wary. Those of us who live in the west, live in open societies.One can be a Christian this week, a Jew next week, and a Buddhist the following week. Experience has shown that often converts lose interest in a few years. On the other hand, converts are often the best, devout, loyal Jews.Should the doors be closed before the sincere because of the insincere? The saying "we must not lock the door before converts" is used often in the Talmud.
Another problem is that many who come to convert actually are members of other religions and cults who merely want to join Jewish society in order to proselytize. There have been MANY cases of this. Another phenomenon is people who are excited about Judaism, but come with the attitude "You are not doing it right! I've found a website that shows the REAL Judaism, and I will open your eyes!" The Jewish community needs to be careful, but, at the same time, not to push away those who are genuinely sincere. This is the reason that many communities, under the guidance of the greatest rabbis, have made standards for conversion much stricter in recent years. If I were converting, what would I do? I would do everything possible to show both determination and sincerity. I would invite the Beit Din to investigate my motives freely. I would study about Torah True Judaism beforehand, as best I could, to make sure my views really were in sync with those of the Torah community, and not contain, even unwittingly, any heretical ideas. I would realize that something so vital is a privilege that must be worked for.
In my next  installment, I will deal with the theological implications of conversion.