Kiddushin, Daf Ayin Vav, Part 5

 

אושפזיכניה דרב אדא בר אהבה גיורא הוה והוה קא מנצי איהו ורב ביבי מר אמר אנא עבידנא סררותא דמתא ומר אמר אנא עבידנא סררותא דמתא

אתו לקמיה דרב יוסף אמר להו תנינא (דברים יז, טו) שום תשים עליך מלך מקרב אחיך כל משימות שאתה משים לא יהיה אלא מקרב אחיך

 

R. Adda b. Ahavah s host was a convert, and he and R. Bibi were arguing, each claiming, I will be the administrator of the town.

They went in front of R. Joseph. He said to them: We have taught this: You shall surely set over yourself a king from among your brethren (Deuteronomy 17:15): all appointments which you make must be only from among your brethren.

 

R. Joseph rules that just as a convert cannot become king (this is like the rule that the President of the US must be born in the US), he also cannot become even the town administrator.

 

אמר ליה רב אדא בר אהבה ואפילו אמו מישראל

אמר ליה אמו מישראל מקרב אחיך קרינא ביה הלכך רב ביבי דגברא רבא הוא ליעיין במילי דשמיא ומר ליעיין במילי דמתא

 

R. Ada b. Ahavah said to him: Even if his mother is a Jew?

He said to him: If his mother is a Jew, we say about him, from among your brethren.

Therefore let R. Bibi, who is a great man, give his attention to Heavenly matters, and you pay attention to affairs of the town.

 

Interestingly, the person who is originally called a convert actually has a mother who is Jewish. This might show us that it was not always so clear that the child of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father is not a convert. In any case, since this host can be the town administrator, R. Bibi should sit down and go back to Torah study. Interestingly, R. Bibi seemed to want to be town administrator instead of studying Torah.

 

אמר אביי הלכך מאן דמשרי צורבא מדרבנן באושפיזיכניה לאשרי כרב אדא בר אהבה דידע למהפיך ליה בזכותיה

 

Abaye said Therefore, when one provides a Torah scholar with residence in his boarding house, let him provide it for one like R. Adda b. Ahavah, who is able to argue in his favor.

 

You definitely want a guest like R. Adda b. Ahavah!

 

רבי זירא מטפל בהו

רבה בר אבוה מטפל בהו

במערבא אפילו ריש כורי לא מוקמי מינייהו

בנהרדעא אפי’ ריש גרגותא לא מוקמי מינייהו

 

R. Zera would deal with them [converts]; Rabbah b. Avuhah would deal with them. In the west [Eretz Yisrael] they would not appoint them even as an Inspector of Measures.

In Nehardea, they would not appoint them even as irrigation superintendent.

 

We can see here the mixed attitudes towards converts. Some rabbis appointed them to positions, but in some places they seem to have been utterly shunned as far as leadership roles. I think this short piece is a good representation of attitudes in general to converts in rabbinic literature. There are times when rabbis celebrate converts, and even claim that some great rabbis of the past were either converts or descendants therefrom. In other places, a more negative attitude is espoused. This is probably true to this day with regard to populations regarded as different.