[Avodah] Geirut

[Arie Folger]

Besides reflecting on giyur qatan, R'n CL has been musing, as well, on the 
necessity for a ger's qabalat 'ol mitzvot to follow a known halakhic model, 
for otherwise it would be entirely an issue of devarim shebelev, which could 
not possibly affect the validity of the giyur.

I have mentioned in my posts that certain things aren't just devarim shebelev, 
but umdana demukh'ah. I now want to show this using a known "halakhic 
paradigm" (as per R'nCL's appropriately used nomenclature).

The Talmud Bavli 'Hullin 12b-13a (it is actually quoting a mishnah, but almost 
all my sefarim are in boxes, and kodesh.snunit.k12.il does not have Messoret 
haShas, so, let's just quote the Bavli) explains that while qetanim do not 
have ma'hshavah (=da'at), and thus cannot declare an object finished and 
subject to qabalat tum'ah, nonetheless, they do have one kind of ma'hshavah: 
ma'hashavto nikeret motokh ma'assav. Children who play with nut shells and 
turn them into scales for weighing have effectuated the necessary ma'hshavah 
to render them meqabel tum'ah.

I contend that the lifestyle of the candidate for conversion can often tell us 
a great deal about his ma'hshavah. His actions reveal to us what his heart 
conceals. If someone claims to accept 'ol mitzvot, but never even kept one 
Shabbat shevitat melakhah on the most rudimentary level, and that after 
he/she/it went through a conversion course, then his action scream loudly 
that there is no qabalat 'ol mitzvot.

Kind regards,
-- 
Arie Folger
http://www.ariefolger.googlepages.com