Ger toshav

Ger toshav (in ebraico גר תושב‎^?) era un'espressione composta dalle due parole ebraiche ger (lett. "straniero" o "privo della cittadinanza locale") e (toshav lett. "residente"), per indicare un gentile, vale a dire un individuo di origine non ebraica, che viveva nella Terra d'Israele^[1], accettando di osservare le Sette Leggi di Noè, un sistema normativo del Talmud dettato da Dio per i "figli di Noè", che sono identificati con l'intero genere umano sopravvissuto al diluvio.

I ger toshav formavano una comunità di cittadini con un minore numero di diritti, ma che potevano raggiungere una sostanziale eguaglianza dal punto di vista civile con la comunità ebraica autoctona, pur non convertendosi alla religione giudaica.^[2] I casi in cui ai ger toshav era lecito lavorare per un Ebreo durante il giorno sacro erano molto più restrittivi di quelli ammessi per un Gentile del tutto estraneo agli obblighi della legge ebraica.^[3]

^

«In order to find a precedent the rabbis went so far as to assume that proselytes of this order were recognized in Biblical law, applying to them the term "toshab" ("sojourner," "aborigine," referring to the Canaanites; see Maimonides' explanation in "Yad," Issure Biah, xiv. 7; see Grätz, l.c. p. 15), in connection with "ger" (see Ex. xxv. 47, where the better reading would be "we-toshab"). Another name for one of this class was "proselyte of the gate" ("ger ha-sha'ar," that is, one under Jewish civil jurisdiction; comp. Deut. v. 14, xiv. 21, referring to the stranger who had legal claims upon the generosity and protection of his Jewish neighbors). In order to be recognized as one of these the neophyte had publicly to assume, before three "ḥaberim," or men of authority, the solemn obligation not to worship idols, an obligation which involved the recognition of the seven Noachian injunctions as binding ('Ab. Zarah 64b; "Yad," Issure Biah, xiv. 7).
[...] The more rigorous seem to have been inclined to insist upon such converts observing the entire Law, with the exception of the reservations and modifications explicitly made in their behalf. The more lenient were ready to accord them full equality with Jews as soon as they had solemnly forsworn idolatry. The "via media" was taken by those that regarded public adherence to the seven Noachian precepts as the indispensable prerequisite (Gerim iii.; 'Ab. Zarah 64b; Yer. Yeb. 8d; Grätz, l.c. pp. 19–20). The outward sign of this adherence to Judaism was the observance of the Sabbath (Grätz, l.c. pp. 20 et seq.; but comp. Ker. 8b).»
^ David Novak, Zionism and Judaism: A New Theory, Cambridge University Press, 9 marzo 2015, p. 17, ISBN 978-1-316-24122-6, OCLC 1023347711. URL consultato il 27 novembre 2019 (archiviato il 27 novembre 2019). Ospitato su archive.is.
^ Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin (a cura di), Encyclopedia Talmudit, Fourth Printing, Jerusalem, Israel, Yad Harav Herzog (Emet), 1979.

[JE-1] 

«In order to find a precedent the rabbis went so far as to assume that proselytes of this order were recognized in Biblical law, applying to them the term "toshab" ("sojourner," "aborigine," referring to the Canaanites; see Maimonides' explanation in "Yad," Issure Biah, xiv. 7; see Grätz, l.c. p. 15), in connection with "ger" (see Ex. xxv. 47, where the better reading would be "we-toshab"). Another name for one of this class was "proselyte of the gate" ("ger ha-sha'ar," that is, one under Jewish civil jurisdiction; comp. Deut. v. 14, xiv. 21, referring to the stranger who had legal claims upon the generosity and protection of his Jewish neighbors). In order to be recognized as one of these the neophyte had publicly to assume, before three "ḥaberim," or men of authority, the solemn obligation not to worship idols, an obligation which involved the recognition of the seven Noachian injunctions as binding ('Ab. Zarah 64b; "Yad," Issure Biah, xiv. 7).
[...] The more rigorous seem to have been inclined to insist upon such converts observing the entire Law, with the exception of the reservations and modifications explicitly made in their behalf. The more lenient were ready to accord them full equality with Jews as soon as they had solemnly forsworn idolatry. The "via media" was taken by those that regarded public adherence to the seven Noachian precepts as the indispensable prerequisite (Gerim iii.; 'Ab. Zarah 64b; Yer. Yeb. 8d; Grätz, l.c. pp. 19–20). The outward sign of this adherence to Judaism was the observance of the Sabbath (Grätz, l.c. pp. 20 et seq.; but comp. Ker. 8b).»

[2] David Novak, Zionism and Judaism: A New Theory, Cambridge University Press, 9 marzo 2015, p. 17, ISBN 978-1-316-24122-6, OCLC 1023347711. URL consultato il 27 novembre 2019 (archiviato il 27 novembre 2019). Ospitato su archive.is.

[ET-3] Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin (a cura di), Encyclopedia Talmudit, Fourth Printing, Jerusalem, Israel, Yad Harav Herzog (Emet), 1979.

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