Are there any situations where it is halachickly advisable to encourage someone to convert rather than be Noahide?
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Oh, I saw the Noach-related tag and the title and thought the question was about עֵבֶר. – msh210 Oct 15 '13 at 18:14
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2I recall reading that the child of a Jewish father is not to be turned away. I will look for a source – Malka S Dec 22 '13 at 19:38
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Related: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/57339/what-is-the-definition-of-zera-yisrael-please-read-description?rq=1 – Binyomin Jan 06 '24 at 19:22
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Rabbi Anthony Manning in his source sheet (page 5-7) explores this question by quoting various primary sources that it could be a mitzvah actually to encourage anyone to convert.
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed in his collection Peninei Halacha about Conversion (in footnote 8) brings a long list of sources about authorities who believe that it is a mitzvah to encourage the conversion of a child of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father ("Zera Yisrael"):
לדעת רבים, למרות שלהלכה ילדים של אב יהודי ואם נוכרייה נחשבים גויים (קידושין סח, א), כיוון שאביהם יהודי הם נחשבים 'זרע ישראל'. וכשם שמצווה להציל את היהודי מהתבוללות וטמיעה בגויים על ידי גיור בת זוגתו הנוכרית, כך יש להשתדל להציל את זרעו מטמיעה בגויים על ידי גיור ילדיו.
According to many opinions, even though that practically a child from a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is not Jewish, but since the father is Jewish they are considered "the seed of Israel" (זרע ישראל). And just like it is a mitzvah to save a Jew from assimilation and absorption within the nations by means of a conversion of his non-Jewish spouse, so too it is important to attempt to save the offspring from being mixed in the nations by the conversion of the child.
Binyomin
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