22 Elul – 8 September 2023
“Gather together the nation, the men, the women, and the small children and your stranger who is in your gates so that they will hear and so that they will learn and they will fear Hashem your God, and they will be careful to perform all the words of this Torah”
According to the Ibn Ezra, ‘your stranger who is in your gates’ is not referring to a ger tzedek (a full convert to Judaism) because he would be included in the nation. Rather, this is referring to a ger toshav – a non-Jew living in the land of Israel who is dedicated to following the Noachide laws. Ibn Ezra writes that even though a ger toshav is not obligated to observe all the commandments of the Torah, he is encouraged to join the special national gathering called Hakhel because it may serve as a catalyst leading to full conversion.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
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