Understanding Converts: A Look at Ger Tzedek and Ger Toshav

This week's Torah portion addresses the laws of slaughter for "any member of the house of Israel or a foreigner who resides among them." Our sages distinguish between two types of converts. The first is a Ger Tzedek, a full convert to Judaism who integrates completely into the Jewish people, like Ruth the Moabite, whose famous words were "Your people shall be my people, and your Hashem, my Hashem."

Then there's the Ger Toshav. This is someone who lives among the Israelites. In Hebrew, "to reside" implies temporary dwelling, like that of a guest, as mentioned in the Passover Haggadah: "And he sojourned there," indicating he did not descend to settle permanently. A Ger Toshav is a temporary resident who isn't obligated to follow all commandments, but there are seven specific laws they must observe in addition to the Seven Noahide Laws, which all non-Jews are bound by:

1) They must not eat leavened bread on Passover.

2) They must refrain from eating blood.

3) They become impure through contact with a corpse, unlike a non-Jew who does not fall under impurity laws.

4) They are required to fast on Yom Kippur.

5) They must not possess idols.

6) They must not desecrate the name of Hashem.

7) They must avoid engaging in forbidden sexual relations.

Besides these obligations, a Ger Toshav also has seven special rights within the Jewish community:

1) They can bring a sacrifice if they are circumcised.

2) They are entitled to just legal treatment.

3) They can seek refuge from their enemies.

4) They must not be forced to work on Shabbat.

5) They are eligible to receive charity.

6) They have the right to own property.

7) They are entitled to receive non-kosher meat.

There's also a notion of conditional conversion. When someone marries a member from another nation, she accepts the commandments, but sometimes it's evident that her acceptance is superficial, as she may continue idol worship or commit other sins. When the Beit Din (rabbinical court) sees this, they might rule that her conversion is not valid, and she remains a non-Jew. This concept is explained by Maimonides in the case of Solomon's wives. Although Solomon converted them, over time they sinned, and he could not prevent it, thus their status remained as non-Jews.