Shavuot : A Study of the Giving of Torah Exodus 19-20; Numbers 28:26-31; Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17; Leviticus 23:15-16 Shavuot is the Hebrew word for weeks. This is the 50th day after the counting of 7 weeks( the Omer). 7 weeks from Pesach. The significance of this holy day, like most other festivals, can be largely understood by its name. In the passage in Leviticus 23, the day is called bikkurim or First Fruits, because it is a day of bringing first fruits as an offering to G-d. First fruits is one of the shelosh regalim, the three festivals for which every Jewish Male goes to Jerusalem if possible (Deuteronomy 16:16). This holy day is also known by two other names, Shavuot and Pentecost. It is designated as a time of thanksgiving for the early harvest. G-d’s faithfulness in providing the early wheat harvest increases hopefulness for an abundant fall harvest (Sukkot). Traditional Jewish Observances As recorded in the Torah, biblical observance centered around the grain and the animal offerings. Part of the Wheat offering was baked into two loaves of leavened bread, in contrast to the matzah during Pesach. Leaven as we have studied symbolically represents sin. These two loaves were brought into the
Temple and with great ceremony, waved in every direction before the Lord. According to the Mishna Bikkurim 3:2 , this act was a public statement of G-d’s provision for all His people. Another lesson of the feast relates to the presenters need for atonement. This can be seen in the animal sacrifices that accompanied the wheat offering. These symbolize the need for an innocent victim to remove sin from the people. Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar, it is the blood that makes atonement for ones life. These sacrifices foreshadow the sacrifice Yeshua made for our atonement. Since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, modern Jewish observances of Shavuot have changed. Rabbi’s discovered that the Israelites came to Mt. Sinai in the third month after Passover. Shavuot is the day Moses received the Law to deliver to the people. Thus, the rabbinic name for Shavuot is Zman Matan Torateynu, The time of the giving of the Torah.
The synagogue is usually decorated in greenery and flowers and baskets of fruit to symbolize the harvest aspect. The Scripture Exodus 19-20, Ezekiel 1 and the scroll of Ruth are usually read. Another custom Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Preparing for the Arrival of Shavuot, is when we stay up all night the first night and study Torah.Talmudic rabbis attributed a messianic significance to Shavuot. In Tractate Sanhedrin 93b, they talk about the scroll of Ruth. Spiritual significance is ascribed to the six measures of barley Ruth presented to Boaz(Ruth 3:15) some rabbis considered these measures represent six famous descendants of Ruth, These six include David, Daniel and King Messiah. Rabbi Weisz writes:Why is it that we read the Book of Ruth — the story of a Moabite woman who converted to Judaism and who eventually married a judge of Israel, Boaz — on Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai? Torah commentators offer two major theses to explain the custom:
- that Ruth was the model of Torah acceptance, and
- that without her Jewish history could not continue.
Both are puzzling as we shall see, and we shall explore them one by one.The first one seems quite straightforward, at least at first glance: Shavuot commemorates the acceptance of the Torah by the Jewish people, and the Book of Ruth describes the acceptance of the Torah by a single individual through an act of conversion.Inasmuch as we were all converts at
Mt.
Sinai, her experience is a reminder to us that we are all Jews only thanks to our own act of Torah acceptance. Judaism is not a racial trait and is not automatic for anyone; at bottom it is based on conversion and Torah acceptance even for the children of Abraham.Ruth was no ordinary convert. Her name gives us a clue to her essence. In Hebrew, Ruth’s name is comprised of the letters reish, vav, tav, which add up to a numerical value of 606. As all human beings have an obligation to observe the seven Noachide commandments — so called because they were given after the flood — as did Ruth upon her birth as a Moabite. Add those seven commandments to the value of her name and you get 613, the number of commandments in the Torah. Home observance:
Candles are lit, traditional blessings and prayers are said. The difference is that the meal is usually a dairy meal, because Torah is often described as milk. In the Renewed Covenant, the promised Ruach HaKodesh is poured out on the disciples exactly on Shavuot. There were, as recorded in Acts, about 3000 who came to believe in Yeshua as the Messiah. This is interesting for as we stated earlier this is a celebration of First Fruits and thanksgiving for the early harvest. \According to the book, G-d’s Appointed Times by Barney Kasdan, There will be an increase of Jewish believers in Messiah. That there will be a revival. In the book: Rosh Hashanah and the Messianic kingdom to Come, Joseph Good writes of the festivals. He quotes Hosea 6:3… and he shall come unto us as rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. As the Jewish festivals are all connected with times of harvest or agricultural seasons, so is the spiritual significance. The four spring festivals take us from the beginning of the ingathering of the barley harvest. The three fall festivals begin at the time of the ingathering of wheat and other crops. Naturally these agricultural seasons depend upon rain. In Israel there is a time of rain in the spring(the former rain) and a time of rain in the fall(later rain). According to Good, this division relates to the two appearances that Messiah is to make on the Earth. Not only do the four spring festivals have a historical and agricultural significance, but they are also prophetic of future events. The Hebrew word mo’ed, is used for these festivals. Mo’ed means an appointed time, or set time. The implication is that at these times or appointments, G-d was to perform something with Israel. Another word used in connection with the festivals is mikrah. Which in the Bible is translated as convocation. It literally means rehearsal, or recital. This implies that the mo’ed or appointed times is a rehearsal of the plans of G-d. Remember that from the day of the First Fruits of the barley harvest, the people of
Israel counted 49 days, the omer, before Shavuot. As the disciples of Yeshua were awaiting the promise He spoke of, they were also counting the days and anticipating the next festival. According to Good, on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers, G-d fulfilled this mo’ed. G-d revealed Himself as He did at Sinai, the fire, the wind, and the tongues….Exodus Rabbah 5.9 Shavuot concludes the four spring festivals, the time of the former rain, paralleling Messiah first coming. Pesach, his death, hag Hamatzah, his burial, First fruits, His resurrection and Shavuot for the revelation of G-d to His believers. Shavuot is not given a specific calendar date such as Pesach, it is given as a time of counting 7 weeks of 7, or 49 days from the waving of the sheaf of firstfruits. Jewish tradition attributes the giving of the Torah, Mattan Toran, as this day, for it is the only festival in the third month. (Exodus 19:1)
The word Shavuot, translated usually as Weeks, comes from the root: 7650 שָׁבַע [
shaba` /shaw·bah/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 2318; eight times, “oath” seven times, “adjure” three times, and “straitly” twice. 1 to swear, adjure. 1a (Qal) sworn (participle). 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to swear, take an oath. 1b2 to swear (of Jehovah by Himself). 1b3 to curse. 1c (Hiphil). 1c1 to cause to take an oath. 1c2 to adjure. (Strongs Lexicon) Exodus 24:7-8, tells us that the Israelites accepted the charge (Torah) of HaShem, and in doing so accepted the covenant.Exodus 19:1 says in the third month the Israelites entered the Desert of Sinai (Sin). The Hebrew word Sinai means thorny. It’s interesting that the Gematria (the Hebrew numerical value of the letters) of the word Sinai equals 130. Adam was 130 years old when he became the father of Seth. Seth is known as the Father of the generations, at Mt. Sinai, Israel, became the First born of G-d, as a people.The Hebrew word for desert is midbar, which comes from the root dabar which means to speak or command. A Midrash tells that not only did all Israel hear the voice of G-d, but they could see the sound waves of His voice. Of course the Midrash tells the story of Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai. The Hebrew word literally means under, so the Midrash explains that G-d held the mountain over the heads of the Israelites as if they had no choice to accept it. Also, the Torah was not given in the promise land, alluding to the fact that the Torah is for all nations, not just the Jewish People.
Another wonderful midrash states: When G-d asked what assurance the Jewish people were offering that the Torah would be studied, loved and cherished, the Jewish people offered our Patriarchs as security. But this was not accepted. We then offered the Torah scholars as the guarantors. This, too, was not acceptable. It was only when we offered our children as guarantors that G-d approved our proposal and gave us the Torah. The Fifty Gates of Wisdom are an essential concept found in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the Jewish Qabalah. The 50 Gates are really 49 days or 7 weeks of self-elevation and self-evaluation followed by one day of prophetic revelation, that the Israelites strived for from the time of the Exodus from Egypt until the time they received the Torah at Mount Sinai, where HaShem sealed His Covenant with them.It is said that all of Israel experienced prophecy at this time and heard the Kol HaShem (voice of God) declare the Commandments.How is it possible for an entire nation to be able to experience prophecy? This is the secret of the 50 Gates of Wisdom (also defined as the 50 Gates of Understanding).Being worthy of receiving prophecy requires character improvement. There are 49 aspects of character that the Israelites worked on developing while they wandered in the wilderness. These aspects correspond to the combinations of the 7 lower sefirot which are called midot or character qualities from the Hebrew. To understand this concept it is necessary to define the “Sefirot”:All of the Sefirot are God’s essence, and though appearing to be distinct, each has a relationship with the others. An illustration of this can be seen by the principle that God chastises those He loves. Here we see the God’s Sefirah of judgment acting with His Sefirah of mercy.The Sefirot are also considered to have a quality of “proximity” to the Eyn Sof. The “higher” Sefirot are closely associated with the fourth or highest heaven (that of the Eyn Sof), the lower Sefirot are linked to the lower three heavens and the physical world. It is also taught that when the Sefirot came into being in Creation, that they came in sequence, with the lowest one emanating from the ones before it, and so on, all the way to the “highest” one, which has the closest relationship to the Eyn Sof. It is important to remember, that although the Sefirot came into the existence of Creation, they emanate from the Eternal Eyn Sof, and therefore are, in this respect, “eternal.”Through a careful study of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures), the Jewish sages have identified ten Sefirot (ten being the number of Divine perfection). Listed consecutively from the “highest” to “lowest,” they are known by the following names and associated characteristics and alternative names: 1. Keter - Primary meaning: Crown; also known as: Upper Crown, Ayin (nothingness), Hokhmah Penimit (internal wisdom), Mahshavah Elohit (Divine thought), Ruach HaKodesh (Spirit of God), root of roots, mysterious wisdom, the origin, Ancient, will, Ahyah Asher Ahyah, (I am That Who I am), Atika Kadisha (The Holy Ancient One), Atik Yomin (The Ancient of Days), Arik Anpin (The Merciful).
2. Chokmah - Primary meaning: Wisdom; also known as: Revelation, the Primordial Torah (the Torah that existed before Creation), Abba, Father, Yesh me-ayin (being from nothingness), Beginning, HaShem.
3. Binah - Primary meaning: Understanding; also known as: Intellect, Teshuvah (Repentance), reason, palace, temple, womb, Imma, upper Mother, Jerusalem above, freedom, Jubilee, “HaShem pronounced as Elohim”. 4. Chesed - Primary meaning: Mercy; also known as: Grace, Love of God, right arm of God, white, El, associated with Avraham.
5. Gevurah - Also called “Din” - Primary meaning: Judgment; also known as: strength, severity, fear of God, left arm of God, red, Elohim, HaShem, associated with Yitzhak.
6. Tiferet - Primary meaning: Beauty; also known as: Harmony, Rachamim (compassion), the attribute of mercy, the written Torah, Bridegroom, Husband, Son, King, Father, Messiah, Tabernacle/Temple, the Holy Tree, (Tree of Life), heaven, the letter “vav,” Creator, Gate of Righteousness, “the Holy One blessed be He” (Baruch HaShem) HaShem, Adonay-Elohim, the Great Name, the Unique Name, open miracles, lulov [on Sukkoth], the shofar [as related to the mitzvot of blowing the shofar], green, Tefillin of the head, associated with Ya’kov.
7. Netzach - Primary meaning: Victory; aso known as: eternity, prophecy, orchestration, initiative, persistence, bitachon (confidence), right leg, “Adonay Tzevaot”, associated with Mosheh.
8. Hod - Primary meaning: Glory; also known as: majesty, splendor, reverberation, prophecy, surrender, temimut (sincerity), anchor, steadfastness, left leg, “Hosts of Elohim,” associated with Aharon.
9. Yesod - Primary meaning: Foundation; also known as: “Almighty God, Living God”, the “lower end” of the heavens, El Shaddai, El Hai, Tzaddik (Righteous One), pillar connecting heaven and earth, seal of truth, procreative power, Messiah, Covenant, hidden miracles, “all things,” purity, associated with Yosef.
10. Malkut - Primary meaning: Kingdom; also known as: Shekinah (Presence), Atarah (diadem), Kingship, Shabath, lower Crown, the attribute of justice, Kahal Yisrael (Assembly of Israel), Court of God, the oral Torah, Nukvah, Bride, Wife, lower Mother “the Spirit of His Holiness”, the lesser “hey”, Adonay, the Honorable Name, hidden miracles, the etrog [on Sukkot], queen, Tefillin of the hand, humility, associated with David.
There is an additional “Sefirah” called Da’at (Knowledge), that is counted when Keter is not considered. These ten Sefirot are further divided into two groups. The three “upper” ones, associated with the “higher heavenly realms,” are:Keter-Crown Chokmah-Wisdom Binah-Understanding When Da’at-Knowledge is mentioned it is considered as emanating from the realm of the above three.The remaining seven are considered the “lower” ones and are associated with Creation and the world:Chesed-Mercy Gevurah-Judgment Tiferet-Beauty/Harmony Netzach-Victory Hod-Glory Yesod-Foundation Malkut-Kingdom The names of the ten Sefirot are found scattered through the Scriptures. Speaking of Betzal’el’s qualifications for building the Tabernacle, God says that He gave him great insight into the three higher Sefirot:Shemot 31:3 - “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God (Keter), in wisdom (Chokmah), and in understanding (Binah), and in knowledge (Da’at), and in all manner of workmanship.”Here we see that Betzal’el was filled with the Sefirot of Chokhmah-Wisdom and Binah-Understanding. Note also that he possessed the “Spirit of God”, that is associated with Da’at-Knowledge.The seven lower Sefirot can be found in another Scripture:1 Dibre Hayamim 29:11 - “Yours, O HaShem, is the greatness(Chesed), and the power (Gevurah), and the glory (Tiferet), and the victory (Netzach), and the majesty (Hod): for all (Yesod) that is in the heaven and in the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom(Malkut), O HaShem, and You are exalted as Head above all.” The Sefirot are often arranged vertically in four groups. Each of these groups is associated with one of the four heavens. The four heavens are further linked to the carrying out of the will of God, represented as “four worlds”: of calling, creating, forming and making.These four worlds are found together in Yeshayahu 43:7:“Every one that is called by My Name; whom I have created, formed, made for My Glory.”These four levels of calling, creating, forming and making, recur throughout the Scriptures and throughout Kabalah. A common arrangement of the Sefirot with regard to these “four worlds” is as follows: Keter, which is so close to the Eyn Sof, and therefore unknowable, is considered distinct from and above the remaining nine. It is therefore not considered in the arrangement. Chokmah is the highest possible Sefirah that can be contemplated. It is associated with the aspects of time (the past), of “Father” and the “Y” in the Name of God. Binah, is the “Mother” aspect and associated with the dimension of time (the future) and the first “H” in the Name of God. The next six Sefirot are grouped together and relate to the six directions of the space continuum and represent the concept of “relationship”. Collectively, these six are called “Zer Anpin” (small face), and are associated with the “V,” the Vav, which has a numeric value of six. Tiferet is considered central to this group and often represents Zer Anpin in itself. Last is Malkut, the Sefirah most closely associated with God’s presence on earth (the Shekinah). She is the bride and the last or small “H” in the Name of God. The upper Sefirot of Chokmah and Binah relate to beginning and end (past and future), as God Himself is the Aleph and the Tav.
Malkut, being the Sefirah farthest from Eyn Sof, is simply said to be representing the direction away from God, although it is also the beginning point in a relationship with God.The relationship between the ten Sefirot is said to be ruled by three Divine principles: Mercy, Justice and Will. As such, the Sefirot are presented in three “columns” or “pillars.” This arrangement is known as the “Tree of Life”.
All of the Sefirot exist in each of the four worlds; the world of Azilut (Emanation) is said to be outside of the realm of time, and contains the other three worlds (Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah), as well as the purest essence of the Sefirot, “within itself.”
| Keter Chokmah Binah |
4th heaven - “Y” (Yod) (Atzilut - world Emanation) |
Pure Will Realm of Eyn Sof Godly Unity |
||
| Chesed Gevurah Tiferet |
3rd heaven - “H” (”greater” Hey) (Beriah - world Creation) |
Intellect/Thought Realm of the Throne |
||
| Netzach Hod Yesod |
2nd heaven - “V” (Vav) (Yetzirah - world of Formation) |
Emotional/Speech Realm of Angels |
||
| Malkut | 1st heaven - “H” (”lesser” Hey) (Asiyyah - world of Action) |
Physical/Actions Realm of the Shekinah and physical creation |
The counting is done backwards from the highest level to the lowest since prophecy is energy transferred from God to man: Chesed - kindness - Avraham (epitomized quality)
Gevurah - judgement power - Yitzhak
Tiferet - beauty - Ya’kov
Netzah - victory eternity - Mosheh
Hod - thankfulness - Aharon
Yesod - foundation - Yosef
Malkut - kingdom - David
Shavuot - the day of the giving of the Torah, the revelation and prophecy We are not capable of creating perfection; only HaShem can make something perfect. All we can do is strive towards it. But by counting for forty-nine days, it is as if we counted the fiftieth also. For the fiftieth level is the natural result of our achievement in securing the first forty-nine. This is the significance of Lag Ba’Omer as explained by the Maharsha (Moed Kattan 28a). The majority of the Omer count is reached when two-thirds of the time passes. That occurs on the thirty-third day. Once most of the period has passed successfully, one can be confident to be successful in likewise fulfilling the remainder. Lag Ba’Omer is a day to rejoice in one’s way towards perfection. The Midrash comments: “When are the days of the Omer perfect and complete? When we fulfill God’s will” (Vayikra Rabbah 28:3). It is the intensity of our quest for perfection in performing God’s will that infuses our counting of the omer with added meaning and effectiveness. May we strive for perfection in all that we do, so that our efforts will be crowned by success by HaShem, Who will bring us to the ultimate perfection, “granting His nation strength and blessing it with peace.” At that moment the upper three Sefiroth appear as one, as Binah. The Fifty Gates of Intelligence.Then, the Fifty gates of Wisdom are arranged in a progressive development as follows:
| 1 | Malkut within MALKUT | ||||
| 2 | Yesod within MALKUT | ||||
| 3 | Hod within MALKUT | ||||
| 4 | Netzach within MALKUT | ||||
| 5 | Tiferet within MALKUT | ||||
| 6 | Gevurah within MALKUT | ||||
| 7 | Chesed within MALKUT | ||||
| 8 | Malkut within YESOD | ||||
| 9 | Yesod within YESOD | ||||
| 10 | Hod within YESOD | ||||
| 11 | Netzach within YESOD | ||||
| 12 | Tiferet within YESOD | ||||
| 13 | Gevurah within YESOD | ||||
| 14 | Chesed within YESOD | ||||
| 15 | Malkut within HOD | ||||
| 16 | Yesod within HOD | ||||
| 17 | Hod within HOD | ||||
| 18 | Netzach within HOD | ||||
| 19 | Tiferet within HOD | ||||
| 20 | Gevurah within HOD | ||||
| 21 | Chesed within HOD | ||||
| 22 | Malkut within NETZACH | ||||
| 23 | Yesod within NETZACH | ||||
| 24 | Hod within NETZACH | ||||
| 25 | Netzach within NETZACH | ||||
| 26 | Tiferet within NETZACH | ||||
| 27 | Gevurah within NETZACH | ||||
| 28 | Chesed within NETZACH | ||||
| 29 | Malkut within TIFERET | ||||
| 30 | Yesod within TIFERET | ||||
| 31 | Hod within TIFERET | ||||
| 32 | Netzach within TIFERET | ||||
| 33 | Tiferet within TIFERET | ||||
| 34 | Gevurah within TIFERET | ||||
| 35 | Chesed within TIFERET | ||||
| 36 | Malkut within GEVURAH | ||||
| 37 | Yesod within GEVURAH | ||||
| 38 | Hod within GEVURAH | ||||
| 39 | Netzach within GEVURAH | ||||
| 40 | Tiferet within GEVURAH | ||||
| 41 | Gevurah within GEVURAH | ||||
| 42 | Chesed within GEVURAH | ||||
| 43 | Malkut within CHESED | ||||
| 44 | Yesod within CHESED | ||||
| 45 | Hod within CHESED | ||||
| 46 | Netzach within CHESED | ||||
| 47 | Tiferet within CHESED | ||||
| 48 | Gevurah within CHESED | ||||
| 49 | Chesed within CHESED | ||||
| 50 | Binah - EYN SOF |
According to Acts 1:3, Yeshua appeared to the talmadim over a 40 day period, then he was taken up in a cloud v.9. This would have happened on day 40 of the counting of the omer which is Tiferet within Gevurah. 5. Gevurah - Also called “Din” - Primary meaning: Judgment; also known as: strength, severity, fear of God, left arm of God, red, Elohim, HaShem, associated with Yitzhak.6. Tiferet - Primary meaning: Beauty; also known as: Harmony, Rachamim (compassion), the attribute of mercy, the written Torah, Bridegroom, Husband, Son, King, Father, Messiah, Tabernacle/Temple, the Holy Tree, (Tree of Life), heaven, the letter “vav,” Creator, Gate of Righteousness, “the Holy One blessed be He” (Baruch HaShem) HaShem, Adonay-Elohim, the Great Name, the Unique Name, open miracles, lulov [on Sukkoth], the shofar [as related to the mitzvot of blowing the shofar], green, Tefillin of the head, associated with Ya’kov. Also if you look at the 50th gate, which related to Keter, When the Ruach HaKodesh was given in Acts on Shavuot, just as Torah was given on
Mt.
Sinai.Acts 2:1-13 Let’s look at the similarities between, Giving of the Torah, and the Sending of the Ruach HaKodesh. Giving of the Torah: On Shavuot the 50th dayThunderLightningThick cloudShofar BlastSmokeFireMountain shook Ruach haKodesh On Shavuot the 50th dayV2. A sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind (thunder)V3. tongues of fire (torches) Voices( Languages) Expression Remember the Kabballah 1. seeing the voices2. the torches3. the shofar blast4. the smoking mountain–correspond to the consummate experience of the four components/letters of G-d’s Name:
| chocmah | wisdom | voices | yud |
| binah | understanding | torches | hei |
| midot | emotions | shofar blast | vav |
| malchut | expression | smoking mountain | hei |
Here’s a great e-mail that was sent to me by my sister-in law form Rabbi Shraga SimmonsQuestionJudaism believes that all Jews were present the moment that Moses presented the tablets. If Jews each have a spirit that continuously reemerges from one life to another, but always Jewish, then how can Jews accept a convert? Along the same line, if Jews are considered the ‘chosen ones’, then again, a Catholic or Muslim that converts, does he suddenly become a chosen one, or is he never seen as an equal Jew?AnswerGreat question!According to the Talmud, the souls of all converts were actually present at
Mount Sinai when the torah was given (Talmud - Shavuot 39a). This is derived from an interesting verse in the Torah, as I will discuss.On the last day of Moses’ life, he gathered all the Jewish people together who had wandered with him in the desert. There, God spoke to the entire nation of Israel, and said, “Not with you alone do I seal this covenant, but with whoever is here, standing with us today before the Almighty our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.” (Deuteronomy 29:13) This verse is rather perplexing. We can understand God saying, “I seal this covenant… with whoever is here,” because we can see that the people who are there are those who were wandering in the desert with Moses. But who is the group that God refers to as “whoever is not here with us today?!” According to the Talmud, this refers to converts who would convert in the future. It is from this, that we derive that the soul of all coverts were also at Sinai (Talmud - Shavuot 39a).A close look at that verse in the original Hebrew will also show something startling. If you look at the first part of the phrase, “but with whomever is here” you will see that the last letters of the first four words (in Hebrew) actually spell out the word “Yitro” which was the name of Moses’ father-in-law. Yitro was a righteous convert, and the archetypal covert of the Five Books of Moses. The fact that his name can be found in the verse “with whomever IS here” also indicates that converts of future generations were also there that day.The Talmud, continuing this idea that converts already have a Jewish soul inside of them, uses a very interesting phrase when discussing Jewish laws of potential converts. It is written, “a convert who comes to convert…” The phrase begs the question - why does it say “a CONVERT who comes to convert…”? Rather, it should say, “a GENTILE who comes to convert…”! The reason is because they already have a Jewish spark inside of them.Rabbi Yoel Schwartz writes in “Jewish Conversion” (www.feldheim.com): One of the most well-known converts was the Polish nobleman, Abraham ben Abraham. He converted to Judaism in the 18th century, and was sentenced by the church to death. He died sanctifying God’s Name. It is said that even before his conversion, unidentifiable feelings, which testified to the greatness of his spirit, would overwhelm him every Sabbath…. Abraham ben Abraham traced the roots of converts to the giving of the Torah. “Although the nations rejected the Torah,” Abraham ben Abraham is quoted as saying, “Individual members of those nations sought to accept it. Only the refusals of their peers prevented them from realizing their aspirations. The souls of these individuals appear in every generation as converts.”With blessings from Jerusalem,Rabbi Shraga Simmons
v v: verb
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
AV Authorized Version