[Avodah] Chiyuv l'kabel gerim

[Daniel Eidensohn]

R' Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer wrote:
> I am not looking for sources. This is deliberate on my part. This is 
> so much /seichel ha'yashar/ that I don't want to demean it by an 
> appeal to sources. That being said, and in that vein:
I don't know what you are talking about at this point. 1) I don't know 
what you are actually asserting 2) Are there is fact sources that 
support your position but you don't want to cite them or 3) are you 
saying it doesn't matter whether anyone has ever agreed with your view 
because they are so obviously  correct? It would help to clarify what 
exactly we are dealing with. Having done some research on the topic - it 
is important to clarify the various views of the dynamics of the 
conversion process.

Here are some of the obvious issues:

What does it mean chiyuv?
1) There is a chiyuv for a non-Jew to convert and thus we are just 
facilitating his chiyuv
2) There is a general chiyuv for Jews to accept any sincerely convert
3) there is a specific chiyuv on the beis din which a non-Jew approaches 
to convert him once they are convinced he is sincere
4) There is a chiyuv to accept a non-Jew only when he has started the 
process e.g., mila or tevila

Can the chiyuv be counterbalanced by other factors or is an absolute 
obligation?
1) Since Beis din typically does a poor job of determining his 
commitment to convert perhaps they don't have to convert him
2) If Jews are usually unable or unwilling to fulfill there obligations 
to a ger - can beis din refuse to convert him to save Jews from sin?
3) If the quality of the community deteriorates can the beis din refuse.
4) If intermarriage increases because of converstion can beis din refuse

As a starting point here is the Aruch HaShulchan

*Aruch HaShulchan[1] <#_ftn1>(Yoreh Deah 268:6): *One should not try to 
actively encourage any non-Jew to convert. In fact we should discourage 
conversion as we see in Yevamos (47a): When a non-Jew comes to us and 
requests that he be converted we say to him, “What is the reason that 
you want to convert? Don’t you know that the Jews in our times are 
persecuted and oppressed, despised, harassed and overcome by 
afflictions?” If he is dissuaded by this then we don’t stop him from 
going away. However if he says, “I know this and nevertheless I am not 
worthy to join the Jewish people,” he is to be accepted immediately. He 
is to be instructed in some of the minor and some of the major mitzvos. 
If he changes his mind and decides not to convert then let him change 
his mind because converts are as problematic for the Jewish people as a 
skin disease. If he persists than he is to be taught the sin of 
neglecting Gleanings, the Forgotten Sheaf, the Corner and the Poor Man's 
Tithe. (This was done in Israel at the time when these mitzvos were 
practiced so that he should know about them and not say that the poor 
people who come to take the grain are thieves. However in modern times 
these are not relevant. That is why they are not mentioned in the Tur or 
the Shulchan Aruch.) He is also to be instructed concerning some of the 
punishments for transgressing mitzvos. He is told, “That before becoming 
a Jew if you eat forbidden fats you will not be punished by kares. If 
you profane Shabbos you will not be punished by stoning. However now if 
you eat forbidden fat you will be punished by kares. If you profane 
Shabbos you will be stoned.” At this point, however, this should not be 
done a lot or in great detail. In other words he should not be 
frightened a lot with the negative consequences of becoming a Jew 
because that will of necessity cause him not to become Jewish. He is not 
deliberately frightened away at this point because he has come to seek 
refuge under the wings of the Shechina.


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[1] <#_ftnref1>  *ערוך השולחן (יורה דעה רסח:ו):* אין להסית שום גוי לגייר 
את עצמו ואדרבא כך אמרו חז"ל ביבמות [מז.] כשבא עכו"ם לנו ומבקש שיגיירוהו 
אומרים לו מה ראית שבאת להתגייר אי אתה יודע שישראל בזמה"ז דווים סחופים 
ומטולטלים ויסורים באים עליהם ואם ילך לו ילך לו ואם אומר יודע אני ואיני 
כדאי להתחבר עמהם מקבלין אותו מיד ומודיעים אותו מקצת מצות קלות ומקצת מצות 
חמורות ואם חוזר בו יחזור בו דקשים גרים לישראל כספחת [שם] ומודיעים אותו 
עון לקט שכחה ופאה ומעשר עני וזה היה בא"י בעת שנהגו מצות אלו כדי שידע מזה 
ולא יאמר על העניים הבאים ליטול גזלנים הם ובזמה"ז לא שייך זה ולכן לא 
הזכירו זה בטור וש"ע ומודיעין אותו מקצת עונשין של מצות שאומרים לו קודם 
שבאת למדה זו אכלת חלב אי אתה ענוש כרת חללת שבת אי אתה חייב סקילה ועכשיו 
אם תאכל חלב תחייב כרת אם תחלל שבת תחייב סקילה ואין מרבין עליו ואין 
מדקדקין עליו כלומר שלא יאיימו עליו הרבה דא"כ יהיה מוכרח לפרוש והרי זה בא 
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