Torah study and the ger

Prompt

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Sources: all collections; answered in English in the Essay style.

The Answer in Brief

The sources provided do not directly address the question of whether a ger (convert or resident alien) is obligated in, permitted to engage in, or excluded from Torah study. The materials supplied deal primarily with two distinct issues: (1) the legal distinction between a ger tzedek (a full proselyte) and a ger toshav (a resident alien who accepts the seven Noahide laws), and (2) the supreme importance of Torah study as a commandment incumbent on Jews. The intersection of these two topics — specifically, what the tradition says about a ger's relationship to the mitzvah of Torah study — is not explicitly treated in the sources given. What can be constructed from the available materials is a framework: the legal category of the ger determines which commandments apply to him, and Torah study ranks as the weightiest of all commandments. The implication for the ger tzedek follows from his full entry into the covenant, as several sources make clear.

Background

Two Hebrew terms are essential to reading these sources correctly, and conflating them produces serious errors.

Ger tzedek ("righteous stranger") denotes a full proselyte — a non-Jew who has undergone conversion according to halakhic procedure and is thereby "like a new-born child," as [Alshekh on Torah, Leviticus.19:33:2] puts it, receiving a new soul and entering the covenant in every respect. The ger tzedek is a Jew in all legal senses.

Ger toshav ("resident stranger" or "sojourning alien") denotes a gentile who lives among Jews and has formally accepted the seven Noahide commandments before a rabbinic court, but has not converted. He is not a Jew and is not bound by the full corpus of Jewish law.

This distinction is ancient and runs through virtually all of the halakhic and midrashic literature. As [Yevamot 48b:6] states plainly, "The verse continues: 'And the stranger [ger]' (Exodus 23:12). This is referring to a gentile who observes certain mitzvot [ger toshav]" — demonstrating that even within a single biblical verse, the rabbis carefully parsed which type of ger is meant.

The commandment of Torah study (talmud Torah) occupies a singular position in the halakhic hierarchy. The Mishnah in Pe'ah, cited in [Peninei Halakhah, Likkutim I, .1:1:2], and the Talmud state that Torah study is "equivalent to all the other commandments." [Mishneh Torah, Torah Study.3:3] codifies this: "There is no commandment among all the commandments that is equivalent to Torah study, rather Torah study is equivalent to all of them, for study brings one to action." The logic is instrumental as well as intrinsic — study is the gateway to all other observance.

The question of who is included in this commandment is therefore not trivial. Since a ger tzedek is fully Jewish and obligated in all mitzvot (with certain well-known exceptions relating to lineage), the commandment of Torah study falls on him as on any other Jew. The ger toshav, by contrast, is obligated only in the Noahide laws, and the question of his relationship to Torah — whether he may study it, is encouraged to, or is restricted — is a separate and debated matter in the broader tradition, though the sources provided here do not address it directly.

The Sources

The legal distinction that determines everything

The foundational issue in these sources is establishing who counts as a ger in any given biblical verse, because that classification controls which obligations and protections apply. The midrashic sources work through this with considerable precision.

[Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Bachodesh.7:16] takes up the phrase "ve-gercha" ("and your stranger") from Exodus 20:10 (the Sabbath commandment in the Decalogue):

> "וְגֵרְךָ", זֶה גֵּר צֶדֶק. אַתָּה אוֹמֵר זֶה גֵּר צֶדֶק, אוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב? כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר "וְהַגֵּר", הֲרֵי גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב אָמוּר. הָא מַה תִּלְמֹד לוֹמַר "וְגֵרְךָ"? זֶה גֵּר צֶדֶק.

"'And your stranger' — this is the ger tzedek. You say it is the ger tzedek, but perhaps it is only the ger toshav? When it says 'and the stranger' [in Exodus 23:12], the ger toshav is already mentioned. What then does 'and your stranger' come to teach? This is the ger tzedek."

The hermeneutical method here is characteristic: two different biblical phrases (ve-gercha versus ve-ha-ger) are assigned to two different categories of stranger. The definite article and the possessive suffix are made to carry legal weight. The ger tzedek is "your stranger" — intimate, covenanted, belonging within the community. The ger toshav is "the stranger" — present, protected, but at a greater remove.

[Midrash Lekach Tov, Exodus.20:10:6] makes the identical argument in almost identical language:

> "וגרך. זה גר צדק... כשהוא אומר והגר הרי גר תושב אמור, הא מה ת״ל גרך, זה גר צדק."

"'And your stranger' — this is the ger tzedek... When it says 'and the stranger,' the ger toshav is already mentioned; what then does 'your stranger' come to teach? This is the ger tzedek."

These two sources confirm each other and establish the interpretive baseline: ger tzedek and ger toshav are legally distinct, and biblical language is the key to telling them apart.

[Yevamot 48b:6] and its commentary [Steinsaltz on Yevamot.48b:6] work from the opposite direction — from Exodus 23:12, where the word is ve-ha-ger (with the definite article, no possessive). The Talmud identifies this as the ger toshav, "a gentile who observes certain mitzvot." Steinsaltz clarifies the internal logic of the Talmud's argument:

> "'והגר' שנאמר באותו פסוק — זה גר תושב שהוא גוי שגר בארץ ישראל ולא קיבל על עצמו יהדות."

"'And the stranger' stated in that verse — this is the ger toshav, who is a gentile living in the Land of Israel who did not accept Judaism upon himself."

The Steinsaltz commentary then notes the reciprocal inference: because Exodus 23:12 (ve-ha-ger) refers to the ger toshav, the Deuteronomy 5:14 formulation (ve-gercha asher bi-she'arecha, "and your stranger who is within your gates") must refer to the ger tzedek. The two phrases divide the legal territory between them.

[Sifra, Acharei Mot, Chapter 12.1] adds a further refinement, this time in the context of determining who is included under a particular biblical prohibition:

> "[א] 'וכל נפש' – יכול אף העכו"ם? תלמוד לומר 'גר'. אי 'גר' יכול אף גר תושב? תלמוד לומר 'אזרח'. מה 'אזרח' בן ברית, אף 'גר' בן ברית."

"'And every soul' — might this include even a gentile? The text says 'stranger [ger].' But if 'stranger,' might it include even a ger toshav? The text says 'citizen [ezrach].' Just as 'citizen' means one who is in the covenant, so 'stranger' means one who is in the covenant."

This passage is important for the present question. The Sifra's ruling that "ger" in this context means one who is ben brit — a member of the covenant — is a legal determination with broad implications. It means the ger tzedek, having entered the covenant, stands in the same legal relationship to the commandments as the born Jew (ezrach). This is the halakhic basis for the ger tzedek's full obligation in Torah study: he is ben brit, and the commandment of talmud Torah applies to all who are in the covenant.

[David Zvi Hoffmann on Leviticus, .25:35:4] surveys the range of opinions about Leviticus 25:35's phrase "ger ve-toshav":

> "חכמינו למדים מכאן, שגם גר תושב, היינו הגר שקיבל עליו רק את שבע מצוות בני נח בלבד, 'אתה מצווה להחיותו'."

"Our sages derive from here that even the ger toshav — that is, the stranger who accepted upon himself only the seven Noahide commandments — 'you are commanded to sustain him.'"

Hoffmann notes the disagreement between the Sifra and the Malbim over whether the verse addresses both ger tzedek and ger toshav or only the latter, but the key point for our question is the asymmetry: the ger toshav is protected and must be sustained, but his obligations are limited to the Noahide laws. The ger tzedek carries the full weight of the commandments.

The commandment of Torah study and its supreme weight

[Mishneh Torah, Torah Study.3:3] provides the halakhic benchmark against which everything else is measured:

> "אֵין לְךָ מִצְוָה בְּכָל הַמִּצְוֹת כֻּלָּן שֶׁהִיא שְׁקוּלָה כְּנֶגֶד תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כָּל הַמִּצְוֹת כֻּלָּן שֶׁהַתַּלְמוּד מֵבִיא לִידֵי מַעֲשֶׂה."

"There is no commandment among all the commandments that is equivalent to Torah study; rather, Torah study is equivalent to all of them, for study brings one to action."

Maimonides' reasoning is significant: the supremacy of Torah study is not merely a matter of spiritual weight but of functional necessity. Study is the means by which all other commandments become possible. Without knowing the law, one cannot observe it. This instrumental argument means that Torah study is, in a sense, prior to all other commandments — the precondition of their fulfillment.

[Orchot Tzadikim, .27:3] echoes this formulation almost verbatim, citing Bava Kamma: "There is no commandment among all the commandments equivalent to Torah study; rather, Torah study is equivalent to all the commandments, because study brings one to action." The repetition of this principle across multiple works — Maimonides' legal code, a medieval musar work — signals that it is not a minority position but a settled axiom of the tradition.

[Peninei Halakhah, Likkutim I, .1:1:2] situates the commandment within the broader hierarchy: "The most important commandment in the Torah is the commandment of Torah study. The sages said that the commandment of Torah study is equivalent to all the other commandments." This source draws on Pe'ah 1:1 and the Babylonian Talmud (Mo'ed Katan 9b) to ground the claim in tannaitic and amoraic authority.

[Ralbag on Torah, Exodus.20:1:48] adds the further point that Torah study is not merely the greatest commandment but takes precedence even over honoring one's parents when the two conflict: "It is not proper to nullify Torah study on account of honor of parents, for Torah study itself brings one to fulfill all the commandments." The reasoning again is instrumental — talmud Torah is the root from which all other observance grows.

[Menorat HaMaor, Ohr Gadol.5:8] brings a striking aggadic illustration: when the angel appeared to Joshua at Jericho, Joshua asked which failure the angel had come to punish — the neglect of the evening sacrifice or the neglect of Torah study. The angel answered, "עתה באתי" — "Now I have come" — meaning, for the neglect of Torah study. The source draws the distinction between public Torah study (talmud de-rabbim) and private Torah study (talmud de-yachid), noting that public Torah study outweighs even the Temple sacrifices, while private study is outweighed by the sacrificial service.

The ger's entry into the covenant and its legal consequences

[Alshekh on Torah, Leviticus.19:33:2] provides the theological grounding for the ger tzedek's full legal equality: "When the proselyte converts he becomes like a new-born child, for he is given a new soul from below the wings of the Divine Presence. The impure soul is taken away from him." This is not merely a metaphor in the halakhic tradition — it has legal consequences. The proselyte's prior life is legally severed; he begins again as a member of the covenant.

[Contemporary Halakhic Problems, Vol IV, Chapter VII.1] notes that "when a would-be proselyte seeks to convert, one should stretch out a hand to him to bring him under the wings of the Shekhinah" — the same image used by Alshekh, derived from the story of Ruth. The tradition frames conversion as entry into divine shelter, which is simultaneously entry into the full system of obligations.

[Mishneh Torah, Positive Mitzvot.207] and [Mishneh Torah, Negative Mitzvot.252] establish that the convert carries both active protection ("you shall love a convert") and passive protection ("do not wrong a convert"). [Mishneh Torah, Sales.14:15] extends this: verbal and financial abuse of a convert violates three separate prohibitions. The legal solicitude for the convert's dignity reinforces his standing as a full member of the community with all its obligations — including, by implication, the obligation of Torah study.

Where They Agree and Disagree

The sources are in substantial agreement on the foundational distinction between ger tzedek and ger toshav. The Mekhilta, the Lekach Tov, the Sifra, and the Talmud in Yevamot all confirm that these are distinct legal categories with different biblical referents and different legal consequences. There is no dissent on this point in the sources provided.

There is one minor exegetical variant. [Mizrachi, Exodus.23:12:4] notes that Rabbi Yoshiyah and Rabbi Akiva disagree about the practical details of how the ger toshav is treated in relation to Shabbat and festival observance — whether he is like Israel on Shabbat and like Israel on the intermediate days of festivals, or differently. But this disagreement concerns the ger toshav's Shabbat status, not the ger tzedek's obligations, and does not affect the question of Torah study.

On the supreme importance of Torah study, the sources are entirely unified. Maimonides, Orchot Tzadikim, Menorat HaMaor, Peninei Halakhah, and Ralbag all affirm without qualification that Torah study is equivalent to all other commandments combined, and that its primacy rests on its being the necessary precondition of all observance.

The gap in the sources — which must be stated plainly — is that none of them directly addresses whether the ger tzedek has the same mitzvah of Torah study as a born Jew, nor do they address the ger toshav's relationship to Torah study at all. What the sources supply is the two premises from which the conclusion can be drawn: (1) the ger tzedek is fully ben brit, obligated in all commandments as a Jew; (2) Torah study is the supreme commandment for all who are obligated in the commandments. The synthesis — that the ger tzedek is fully obligated in Torah study — follows from these premises, but is not stated as an explicit ruling in any of the sources provided.

Conclusion

From the sources available, the following can be said with confidence. The tradition draws a sharp and consistently maintained distinction between the ger tzedek — the full proselyte who enters the covenant and becomes legally equivalent to a born Jew — and the ger toshav, the resident alien obligated only in the Noahide laws. The ger tzedek, confirmed by the Sifra to be ben brit, stands under the full weight of Jewish law. Torah study, established by Maimonides, Orchot Tzadikim, and Peninei Halakhah as the commandment equivalent to all others, applies to every member of the covenant. The ger tzedek's obligation in Torah study follows necessarily from his covenantal status. The ger toshav's relationship to Torah study is not addressed in these sources. The tradition's profound solicitude for the convert — commanded to love him, forbidden to harm him, welcoming him under the wings of the Shekhinah — suggests that his entry into the covenant, and thus into the obligation of Torah study, is not a burden imposed but a dignity conferred.

References

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