SELECTED REFORM RESPONSA

marry you, the marriage to take effect after| have become(or after you have become) a proselyte." Then the discussion continues as follows:"But surely to become a proselyte is within his power to achieve"(and therefore the marriage proposal would be valid) and the Talmud answers,"No; it is not necessarily within his power to achieve because a proselyte needs three people because the word mishpat is used with regard to it, as with civil cases which require three." Then the Talmud says,"How does he know that he will be able to find three who will assemble to convert him" Rashi simply explains this as saying he may not find three Israelites to gather to go through with the process.

It is clear from this discussion and Rashi ’s commentary that any three Israelites are authorized to perform the conversion, and the Tosfot to the place addresses itself exactly to this question and comes to the same conclusion, and quotes Rabbi Nathaniel to the same effect, that conversion does not require trained and official personnel.

Benjamin Zeev(sixteenth century) in his Responsa I, 72,

quotes the responsum of Isaac the son of Samuel to the effect that conversion is valid even if conducted by three hedyotot(i.e., three ordinary unlearned laymen). Benjamin Zeev concludes with the general statement that in matters of conversion, we ought to follow the line of leniency and therefore should, if necessary, allow three ordinary men to conduct the conversion, less we"lock the doors in the face of converts." The phrase is from Tosfot, Yevamot 47a. However, Zvi Hirsch Chayes of Zolkiev , who lived about a hundred years ago, says that it is preferable that the three men be habe See his notes to the Talmud to Shabbat 46b(the notes are to be

found at the back of the large Vilna edition.)