9980 —על חוק הגיור, זהות יהודית, וסמכות מוסרית בחקיקה

B"H, Eve of Rosh HaShanah, 5731.

Brooklyn, NY.

Havavac"h iy"a nu"n engaged in tzt"z Mr. Yaakov Rozental

Shalom u'Vrachah!

As the new year approaches for us and all Israel for good and blessing, I hereby extend my blessing to you and all yours: may you be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year both materially and spiritually.

With honor and blessing,
M. Schneersohn

P.S. Although belatedly, I acknowledge receipt of your two letters with their enclosures. From them I saw that our friend Mr. Avraham Parshan did not exaggerate at all in his description to me about you and your affairs; on the contrary, he only mentioned part of your praise even though it was not in your presence.

Accordingly, I strongly hope that you will not be upset at all that I have not acknowledged receipt of your letters until now; moreover, may your forgiveness be complete. The reason for my delayed response is not only due to many preoccupations—foremost among them being the very issue discussed in your letters—but mainly because I hoped and expected that perhaps finally the moment would come when this terrible decree would be annulled—a decree unprecedented in our people's history, a people saturated with blood, fire, and pillars of smoke who have endured many varied decrees. Yet never before has anyone among all nations dared to attempt to annul the very existence of Am Yisrael by declaring that anyone who brings a slip of paper stating he is a Jew is thereby a Jew.

[It is told that in earlier times there were societies whose members would go door-to-door collecting alms; even then there were restrictions and requirements to join—not everyone who wished could simply take the name. And now we have merited in our enlightened generation—which produced Hitler and his ilk—a most enlightened and democratic innovation: our people are distinguished from all other nations by having no boundaries or restrictions at all; permission has been granted by law that anyone wishing to enter or leave need only bring a slip of paper stating he is a Jew. Surely even those who enthusiastically fought for this law as currently formulated know full well what it means to convert without proper definition according to halachah.]

I do not know if after what was written above there is any point entering into details about the reasons you wrote in your letter. I will therefore write no more on this matter; however, I wish to add one point: To my knowledge it is accepted practice in all courts and countries among all peoples that before a judge addresses any issue or renders judgment he must first examine whether he has jurisdiction over the matter and whether he is unbiased regarding it.

Accordingly, it is difficult to understand why when this law came before the Knesset (Israeli parliament), Christian and Muslim members—and all those who do not believe in the existence or destiny of the Jewish people—did not refrain from voting or participating in debate on this subject. They should have explained their reason: when it comes to matters concerning Jews, Christians or Muslims should not express an opinion; those opposed to our people's very existence or uniqueness certainly should not express an opinion—this applies also to others among Knesset members (with apologies; their honor remains intact). Similarly regarding judges who declare that Torah laws are Nazi or cruel—they should announce they are unfit to rule on such matters; how much more so are they unfit to participate in international conferences defending Judaism against persecution.

Unfortunately not only did they fail to act thusly—I have found nowhere (in newspapers, journals, private correspondence etc.) where anyone raised this question: whether so-and-so had any moral, ethical—or even legal—right to participate or vote on such a matter.

One could take the familiar approach based on democracy—that democracy opposes any discrimination whatsoever; but if so then nothing can be restricted: one must abolish discrimination over who has a share in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) and who does not; likewise abolish discrimination requiring converts' officiants be specifically Jewish—for if sincerity alone suffices then better yet let conversion be overseen by a psychologist from any nation or faith—as long as he is trustworthy and competent—who after a brief conversation with someone seeking a slip certifying him as Jewish will determine by his wisdom that his intent is genuine (for "the Merciful One desires the heart")—and thus it suffices for him to grant such certification—a certified psychologist's certificate—that he is Jewish!

It pains me to elaborate further on this topic—especially during days when we seek merit for every Jew. Even what I wrote above follows what is taught regarding these days: "When there is judgment below there is none above," and here below there has been ample argument already. May it be G‑d's will that my writing fulfills my obligation—and may we merit victory for truth and nullification of falsehood—especially such blatant falsehood as deceiving non-Jews by telling them someone became Jewish (and "our brother you are"), deceiving society into thinking an achievement occurred when it is actually destruction—and ultimately deceiving oneself—in line with our sages' phrase "let my innards rejoice," as democracy triumphed, discrimination was abolished, hearts drew close together, barriers between Israel and other nations fell away—and all walls protecting our people for thousands of years were breached—leaving us prey for wild beasts etc.

Let us conclude positively with words from Rosh HaShanah prayers: "So grant honor L‑rd to Your people... joy to Your land... gladness to Your city... (and immediately after) prepare a lamp for David Your servant Mashiach—may he come speedily and redeem every single Jew wherever they are—from inner exile (of inclination) as well as literal exile. May this happen speedily in our days."

Summary

The Rebbe urges vigilance regarding conversion standards and questions non-Jewish involvement in defining Jewish identity through legislation. He stresses preserving boundaries essential for Jewish continuity while expressing hope for redemption and true unity among Jews.