Mark Washofsky
which must be undertaken out of sincere religious motivations. The baraita(Yeb. 47a-b) which defines the conversion process requires that the prospective proselyte declare his readiness to join his fate to that of the Jewish people, even though this entails suffering and persecution. He or she is to be informed of some of the commandments and accept upon himself the obligation to keep them.! Another tanaitic source emphasizes that this acceptance be total; a non-Jew who is ready to follow all the commandments except for one is not to be converted.” Conversion contemplated for ulterior motives, be they fear and intimidation, hope of monetary gain, or desire to marry a Jew , does not fall within the category of religious sincerity. The validity of such conversions was long a matter of dispute, and a number of sources, tanaitic and later, regard these proselytes as Gentiles.” Even though the"final" halakhah recognizes their Jewishness,* this is justified as an afterthe-fact(bedi‘avad) necessity: perhaps, despite appearances to the contrary, these persons did convert for the proper religious reasons.’ In principle(lehatkhilah), though, these conversions are not to be allowed, just as proselytes were not accepted in the days of David and Solomon and will not be accepted in the days of the Messiah, periods of history when Jewish power and prosperity, rather than devotion to Torah , are the putative reasons for a Gentile’s wish to become a Jew.’ The codifiers explicitly assume this line. Although a person who undergoes the conversion ritual is, after the fact, a valid ger, he should first be examined to see whether his decision is motivated by improper desires. Only if no such ulterior motive(money, fear, marriage) is discovered may we assume that he wishes to convert"for the sake of Heaven"(leshem shamayim) and accept him.”