by Asher Schechter

In the summer of 1985, Asher Schechter, a student at New York University, posted a weekly Dvar Torah to the nascent net.religion.jewish newsgroup. This installment treats Parashat Beha'alotcha (Numbers 8–12), focusing on one of the Torah's most remarkable typographical anomalies: a two-verse passage bracketed by inverted letters. Schechter follows the Chanukas Hatorah (the Rebbe Reb Heshel) in explaining why the Torah uses these verses as a "parenthesis" between two national calamities — and why the figure of Jethro, the worthy proselyte, provides the answer. The d'var closes by drawing the ancient question into the present: what makes a conversion genuine?

In this week's sedra (Torah portion) we have a unique display of punctuation in the Torah. Right after Numbers 10:35 we have a two-verse segment surrounded by upside-down "Nun"s. The two verses inside this "parenthesis" are Vayehi binsoa ha'aron (And it was when the Ark traveled) and Uvenucho yomar (And when it rested he would say) — the verses we say whenever we open and respectively close the Aron Hakodesh (Holy Ark, holding the Torah scrolls).

Rashi is quick to explain this phenomenon by quoting the Gemara (Shabbat 115b): the Torah placed these verses here even though they did not belong here, in order to separate between two unfortunate and sad situations. The first refers to Vayisu mihar Hashem (And they traveled from the mountain of G-d) — a sad day because, according to Rashi (Shabbat 116a), they prepared to rebel against G-d; and according to Tosafot (ibid.), they ran away from Sinai as children running away from school. The second refers to the Missoninim (complainers) and the troubles that follow.

Now we must understand this point of not placing two sad events together, because we don't find this idea anywhere else. In fact, in Bava Batra 14b we find that destructions were placed together, as were consolations. So why, here, does there seem to be a necessity to break up the two sad events? And furthermore, why are these particular two verses used as the buffer?

The Chanukas Hatorah (authored by the Rebbe Reb Heshel) offers the following answer. In Midrash Mishlei (11:15) we find the verse Ra yeroah ki arav zar (He shall surely suffer evil, for he pledged himself to a stranger), explained as follows: evil after evil will come upon those who accept proselytes, for proselytes are as troublesome for the Jews as leprosy. Tosafot in Kiddushin (70b) explains that since proselytes are not of pure lineage, they cause G-d not to place His Shekhinah upon the Jews, because G-d does not associate Himself with those who are not of pure lineage.

So it seems that proselytes are one of the causes of trouble for Israel. However, the Midrash on the verse Uvenucho yomar — the second of the parenthesis verses — states the opposite. Since the verse uses the language of "tens of thousands" and "thousands," we can deduce that G-d does not rest His Shekhinah on fewer than 22,000 Jews. The Midrash continues: what if a congregation is missing just one person? If they accept a proselyte, they will have the opportunity for G-d's Shekhinah. So the proselyte has caused G-d's Shekhinah to rest upon that congregation.

Thus we have a contradiction. The answer lies in recognizing two kinds of proselyte: those who convert leshaim Shomayim (for the sake of Heaven) are good and cause G-d to rest His Shekhinah on Israel. Those who do so for other motives bring harm upon themselves and upon Klal Yisrael.

In the Torah's narrative, two calamities befell the Jews in succession, and one might wonder: was this caused by the acceptance of unworthy proselytes? Previously in the parasha we find Moshe persuading Jethro — his father-in-law, the Midianite priest — to remain and join the Jewish people. This might seem to suggest that Jethro was not joining for purely spiritual reasons. However, to show that this was not the case, the Torah placed these two verses as a hefsek (separation) between the two calamities, demonstrating that they were unrelated — and not only that, but chose precisely the verses that prove righteous gentiles are beneficial to the Jewish people when they join of their own true will.

Recently, on the net and in the press there has been much talk about Jewish conversion practices. Who is a Jew? What makes a conversion genuine?

From all these discussions, a necessary ingredient of motive must also be addressed. Does the Reform rabbi who converts a non-Jew to allow him or her to marry a Jew do a service to Klal Yisrael? Is the person converting in order to cause G-d to rest His Shekhinah upon us?

An interesting anecdote, heard in the name of Rav Yonatan Eibeshitz: once a case of such a convert was brought before him. He said: The Cutim (Samaritans) were called Gerei Arayot (converts out of fear of lions that roamed the Land) — and you also will be a Ger Arayot, but spelled with an ayin: a convert for the sake of legitimizing an illicit relationship.

The Jewish religion is not a business nor a social club. It is a holy tradition, to be kept pure until the arrival of the Messiah.

Good Shabbos to all.

Colophon

Written by Asher Schechter (New York University), posted to the net.religion.jewish Usenet newsgroup, June 1985. Part of the weekly Dvar Torah series maintained by the early net.religion.jewish community. This installment covers Parashat Beha'alotcha (Numbers 8–12). Analysis draws on the Chanukas Hatorah (Rebbe Reb Heshel), Rashi, Tosafot, Midrash Mishlei, and Midrash on Numbers 10:36.

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: [email protected].

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