Jethro the Ger

                               

 

                            Did Jethro Convert

Ger Toshav [of today; non-Yovel] is making an epic comeback. People are leaving the Church and coming to Judaism; suddenly there are Jewish options available. Today one can choose Noahide, conversion, or Ger Toshav; none of which are easy paths. Noahide is a modern invention, conversion has turned into an industry, and Ger Toshav is making rounds after having been exiled into obscurity for centuries. All three scenarios are derived from the enigmatic Biblical ‘Ger’ which makes comprehending them difficult. In an attempt at making things easy for newcomers, Ger has become synonymous with convert. This leaves Noahide as an apparent second class citizen and Ger Toshav is left as an afterthought.

Each year we read about Jethro in The Torah, and Jethro is presented as the consummate ‘Ger’. Ger usually gets mistranslated into English as convert. So was Jethro a convert? Or better yet, was he a Ger – convert? The answer is no, he wasn’t, and the ramifications have a direct effect on those seeking refuge in Judaism.

The popular belief about Jethro is that he converted to Judaism. ‘He was a regular convert, plain and simple’. This is a natural conclusion that can be made when one reads about Jethro from any English (non-Hebrew) publication. It will read each and every time that Jethro converted… Anything contrary to this understanding will face harsh criticism; the sources are clear. Ger systematically translates as convert, seemingly without exception.

But before jumping to conclusions, one needs to ask: what does the original Hebrew say, what does it mean, and can Ger really mean anything other than convert? The journey begins by digging into the original Hebrew without preconceived notions of comprehension. A pre-determined state of mind will continue to draw false conclusions.

The transliterated Hebrew says Jethro ‘became Ger’; L’heet-guy’aire. Keep in mind all sources are in Hebrew. If one assumes that Jethro converted, there is no other way to say that he converted, except through the expression ‘he became Ger’. If Jethro ‘became Ger non-convert’ perforce the same expression is used. Chazal are unanimous in saying that Jethro became Ger; the only question is which kind of Ger did he become, a full convert to Judaism or just Ger. It can only be one or the other, and the following explanation shows why he is a Ger non-convert.

There are a few different versions of Jethro’s ‘becoming Ger’ in the Oral Torah. All of them nearly identical and impart the same meaning. The primary source is found in Zevachim 116a and there it speaks about Jethro, his return, and Ger. It is surprising that the Talmud doesn’t discuss whether Jethro converted or not, nor does it discuss the nature of ‘Ger’. The Talmud only wants to know if Bnei Noah can offer a Shlamim [Peace] Offering (often thought that only Jews offer Shlamim), then looks to Jethro to find out. 

The Talmud’s question is ‘can a Ben Noah offer a Shlamim?’

Jethro brought an offering that seemingly was a Shlamim. This reveals two implications:

·         The Talmud is asking about the permitted offerings of Bnei Noah; Jethro was brought as a source.

·         The Talmud never assumed that Jethro converted, but it did assume that Jethro was a Ben Noah.

Jethro may have brought a Shlamim. The Talmud references that Jethro ‘became Ger’, but logically cannot be a reference to conversion.

Noahide Shlamim is based on Jethro, his offering, and when he came to Sinai.  These points all weight into the language of [Jethro] ‘become Ger’. The Talmud wants to know whether or not a Ben Noah can offer a Shlamim. There is no mention of whether or not Jethro converted. This leaves no possibility that he converted or that becoming Ger [here] implies conversion.

There are two scenarios in Zevachim: a) whether or not a Ben Noah can bring a Shlamim b) did Jethro come before or after Sinai [as a Ben Noah].

If Jethro came before Sinai with an offering, it can be assumed that he brought a Shlamim. By doing so this was an expression of renouncing idolatry, i.e. he became Ger in the literal sense, turning away from idols.

If he brought his offering, a Shlamim, as a Ben Noah then he came before Sinai and the ruling is that a Ben Noah can bring a Shlamim. The Talmud calls this Jethro’s becoming Ger.

If Jethro came after Sinai then one of two situations will have occurred. Either his offering [as a Ben Noah] was not a Shlamim, but rather a regularly slaughtered sacrifice. The Ger usage would be a reference to renouncing idolatry, and conversion cannot be discussed. In this case Jethro is a Ben Noah who didn’t bring a Shlamim. To say that he did bring a Shlamim requires a deeper understanding of the text(s).There is still room to suggest that Jethro did in fact convert.

So far, Jethro either came before Sinai as a Ben Noah - Ger or just after Sinai as a Ben Noah – Ger. Conversion was either inapplicable [before Sinai] or impractical [after Sinai].

The Ramban however offers an alternative view as to how he may have converted, but by doing so, this conversion has nothing to do with the Talmud Zevachim’s reasoning. 

Jethro ‘Becoming Ger’ [Zevachim] never meant conversion. The only way Jethro can be shown to have converted is if he had stayed with Israel after a long time after Sinai. This is different than saying Jethro came ‘immediately after Sinai’. The former implies Ger – renouncing idolatry, and the latter, ‘a long time after Sinai’, would entail mikvah, circumcision, and a conversion offering.

Although this is technically plausible, it can’t be the subject matter of Zevachim nor the meaning of ‘becoming Ger’. The Talmud is specific when it suggests that Jethro came either just before Sinai or just after Sinai, and gives many examples [Jethro heard the Torah, or feared Amalek who seeks to wipe out Gerim, etc.] of how both scenarios may have played out. To have come [and stayed] long after Sinai would be a completely separate issue, and is not relevant to the Jethro discussion [in Zevachim].

Ergo Jethro didn’t convert lefi pshuto [Rabbinic truth derived from textual analysis]; The Talmud specifically means non-convert ‘Ger’. Did Jethro convert much later on? Perhaps so. But if he did, the Talmud didn’t speak about it. Ger in regards to Jethro means seeking refuge within Israel after having renounced idolatry; he is compared to Naaman the Ger by Torah Commentary.

It should be pointed out, that after Jethro became ‘Ger’ he sought to make his family Gerim, and he was successful. The Kenites and Rechabites are all offspring of Jethro, and they are famous for having been distinguished as Gerim, non-converts. This should not come as a surprise, for they took after their patriarch Jethro, who became a great Ger before them.