CCAR RESPONSA
American Reform Responsa
71. An Apostate Proselyte
(1980)QUESTION: What is the status of a proselyte who has decided to return to his/her original religion? What is the status of the children?ANSWER: Any convert to Judaism has acquired an entirely new status. Indeed, the Talmud has compared a proselyte to a new-born child (Yev. 22a). He or she has not only adopted the faith of Israel, but has also become a part of the people of Israel. For this reason, it has been customary to name proselytes “The son or daughter of our Father Abraham (Beit Yosef on Tur, Even Ha-ezer 129; Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha-ezer 129.20; Felder, Nschalat Tsevi 1.31, 124) or Sarah, our Mother” (Gates of Mitzvah, p. 24). It is, therefore, the almost unanimous opinion that converts who revert to their original religions remain Jewish and are to be considered Jewish for all purposes (Bechorot 30b). Their status was the same as that of Jewish apostates. This problem has been dealt with again and again with the same conclusion (Yev. 47b; Asher Ben Yehiel, ibid., Tur, Yoreh De-a 268; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De-a 268.12, as well as the commentaries on these passages; Freehof, Reform Responsa, pp. 192ff). The Shulchan Aruch and most of its commentaries agree that the child of an apostate female proselyte, or of a male married to a Jewish woman, would be considered Jewish and would need no formal conversion to Judaism. An adult proselyte who has become a Jew voluntarily cannot annul this process in any way (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De-a 268.2, 12). Isserles indicated that the Rabbinic ordinances, however, demanded of an apostate returning to Judaism or the child of an apostate woman (who had been born or converted to Judaism), repentance before a court of three, as well as immersion in a Mikveh (Radbaz, Responsa III, 415; Isserles to Yoreh De-a 268.12; Hoffman, Melamed Leho-il II, 84) for full acceptance into the Jewish community. Abraham Gumbiner (Magen Avraham to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 326.8) reminded us that ritual immersion was not legally necessary, but was a fence around the law. All this clearly indicates that Judaism does not recognize a permanent change in status away from the Jewish people. A convert reverting to another religion would be considered an apostate. We cannot, of course, deny individuals the right to adopt a religion of their choice. They have the freedom to adopt Judaism and the freedom to leave it. For all practical purposes, they will then be outside the Jewish community (in contrast to Bech. 30b), but we would always be willing to accept their return to us. Their children, too, will have full rights as Jews, should they wish to exercise them.Walter Jacob, ChairmanLeonard S. KravitzEugene LipmanW. Gunther PlautHarry A. RothRav A. SoloffBernard ZlotowitzSee also:S.B. Freehof, “Marrying Apostate Daughter of Jewish Mother,” Reform Responsa, pp. 192ff; “Status of Apostates (Children and Adults),” Recent Reform Responsa, pp. 120ff.
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