Ger toshav

''Ger toshav'' ( he, גר תושב, ''ger'': "foreigner" or "alien" + ''toshav'': "resident", lit. "resident alien") is a halakhic term used in Judaism to designate the legal status of a Gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who does not want to convert to Judaism but agrees to observe the Seven Laws of Noah, a set of imperatives which, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of universal moral laws for the "sons of Noah"—that is, all of humanity. A ''ger toshav'', especially one who decides to follow the Noahic covenant out of religious belief rather than ethical reasoning, is commonly deemed a "Righteous Gentile" ( he, חסיד אומות העולם, ''Chassid Umot ha-Olam'': "Pious People of the World"), and is assured of a place in the World to Come (''Olam Ha-Ba'').

Definition

A ''ger toshav'' ("resident alien") is a Gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who agrees to follow the Seven Laws of Noah. The seven commandments of the Noahic Covenant to which the ''ger toshav'' agrees to be bound are enumerated in the Babylonian Talmud (''Avodah Zarah'' 8:4, ''Sanhedrin'' 56a-b):Multiple sources:
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# Do not worship idols.
# Do not curse God.
# Do not murder.
# Do not commit adultery or sexual immorality.
# Do not steal.
# Do not eat flesh torn from a living animal.
# Establish courts of justice.

The ''Encyclopedia Talmudit'', edited by rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, states that after the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people were no longer included in the category of the sons of Noah; however, Maimonides (''Mishneh Torah'', ''Hilkhot M'lakhim'' 9:1) indicates that the seven commandments are also part of the Torah, and the Babylonian Talmud (''Sanhedrin'' 59a, see also Tosafot ad. loc.) states that Jews are obligated in all things that Gentiles are obligated in, albeit with some differences in the details. According to the ''Encyclopedia Talmudit'', most medieval Jewish authorities considered that all the seven commandments were given to Adam, although Maimonides (''Mishneh Torah'', ''Hilkhot M'lakhim'' 9:1) considered the dietary law to have been given to Noah.

The term ''ger toshav'' may be used in a formal or informal sense. In the formal sense, a ''ger toshav'' is a Gentile who officially accepts the seven Noahide laws as binding upon themself in the presence of three ''haberim'' (men of authority), or, according to the rabbinic tradition, before a ''beth din'' (Jewish rabbinical court). In the Talmud there are two other, differing opinions (''Avodah Zarah'', 64b) as to what the ''ger toshav'' accepts:
# To abstain from idolatrous practices of any kind (detailed in Exodus and Deuteronomy ).
# To uphold all the 613 commandments in rabbinical enumeration, except for the prohibition against eating kosher animals that died by means other than ritual slaughter, or possibly (Meiri) any prohibition not involving ''kareth''.

The accepted opinion is that the ''ger toshav'' must accept the seven Noahide laws before a rabbinical court of three. They will receive certain legal protection and privileges from the community, the rules regarding Jewish-Gentile relations are modified, and there is an obligation to render him aid when in need. The restrictions on having a Gentile do work for a Jew on the Shabbat are also greater when the Gentile is a ''ger toshav''.

In the informal sense, a ''ger toshav'' is a Gentile who agrees to follow the seven Noahide laws on his own, or alternatively, simply rejects idolatry (the latter issue is in particular brought up regarding Muslims). According to the rabbinic tradition, a Gentile who agrees to follow the seven Noahide laws, although not before a ''beth din'', is still regarded as ''Chassid Umot ha-Olam'' ("Pious People of the World"), and the observance of the Seven Laws of Noah grants them a place in the World to Come (''Olam Ha-Ba''). There is a debate among the halakhic authorities as to whether the rules regarding a ''ger toshav'' would apply to the informal case.

The procedure to officially recognize the legal status of ''ger toshav'' has been discontinued since the cessation of the year of Jubilee with the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem; hence, there are no formal ''gerim toshvim'' (plural) extant today. However, it can be argued that a great deal are "informal" ones, especially since it is possible to be a ''Chassid Umot ha-Olam'' even when the Jubilee year is not observed.

Modern times and views

Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, encouraged his followers on many occasions to preach the Seven Laws of Noah, devoting some of his addresses to the subtleties of this code. Since the 1990s, Orthodox Jewish rabbis from Israel, most notably those affiliated to Chabad-Lubavitch and religious Zionist organizations, including The Temple Institute, have set up a modern Noahide movement.Multiple sources:
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* These Noahide organizations, led by religious Zionist and Orthodox rabbis, are aimed at non-Jews in order to proselytize among them and commit them to follow the Noahide laws. According to anthropologist Rachel Z. Feldman, many of the rabbis involved in mentoring Noahides are supporters of the Third Temple movement who believe that the messianic era begins with the establishment of a Jewish theocratic state in Israel, supported by communities of Noahides worldwide. Feldman describes Noahidism as a "new world religion" that "carv sout a place for non-Jews in the messianic Zionist project" and "affirms the superiority of Judaism and the Jewish biblical right to the Land of Israel". She characterizes Noahide ideology in the Philippines and elsewhere in the global south as having a "markedly racial dimension" constructed around "an essential categorical difference between Jews and Noahides". David Novak, professor of Jewish theology and ethics at the University of Toronto, has denounced the modern Noahide movement by stating that "If Jews are telling Gentiles what to do, it’s a form of imperialism".

According to the Jewish philosopher and professor Menachem Kellner's study on Maimonidean texts (1991), a ''ger toshav'' could be a transitional stage on the way to becoming a "righteous alien" ( he, גר צדק, ''ger tzedek''), i.e. a full convert to Judaism. He conjectures that, according to Maimonides, only a full ''ger tzedek'' would be found during the Messianic era. Furthermore, Kellner criticizes the assumption within Orthodox Judaism that there is an "ontological divide between Jews and Gentiles", which he believes is contrary to what Maimonides thought and the Torah teaches, stating that "Gentiles as well as Jews are fully created in the image of God". According to Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the status of ''ger toshav'' will continue to exist, even in the Messianic era. This is based on the statement in ''Hilkhot M'lakhim'' 12:5 that lit. “all the world (''kol ha'olam'') will be nothing but to know G‑d." In its plain meaning, he asserts, ''kol ha'olam'' also includes Gentiles. As proof, he cites 11:4, which deals with the Messianic era, and the similar term ''ha'olam kulo'', "the world in its entirety", refers to Gentiles. Continuing the text in ''Hilkhot M'lakhim'' 12:5, Maimonides explicitly changes the topic to Jews by using the term ''Yisra'el'', explaining that "Therefore, the Jews will be great sages and know the hidden matters, grasping the knowledge of their Creator according to the full extent of human potential", indicating that Jews and Gentiles will co-exist in the time of the Messiah.

In any case, even when there is a Jewish king and a Sanhedrin, and all the twelve tribes live in the Land of Israel, Jewish law does not permit forcing someone to convert and become a ''ger tzedek'' against his will.

See also

* Am ha-aretz
* Conversion to Judaism
* Ethical monotheism
* God-fearer
* Noahidism
* Proselyte
* Righteous Among the Nations
* Seven Laws of Noah
* Virtuous pagan, similar concept in Christianity

References

Bibliography

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*{{cite encyclopedia , last=Zuesse , first=Evan M. , year=2006 , title=Tolerance in Judaism: Medieval and Modern Sources , editor1-last=Neusner , editor1-first=Jacob , editor1-link=Jacob Neusner , editor2-last=Avery-Peck , editor2-first=Alan J. , editor3-last=Green , editor3-first=William Scott , encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Judaism , volume=IV , location=Leiden , publisher=Brill Publishers , doi=10.1163/1872-9029_EJ_COM_0187 , pages=2688–2713 , isbn=9789004141001

Biblical law
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Jewish belief and doctrine
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Jewish ethical law
Jewish law and rituals
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