(Lev. 1:1:) “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses.” Let our master instruct us: When the one who leads the prayers makes a mistake by not saying the benediction on the cursing of the heretics (birkat haminim), from where do we know that it is necessary to have him repeat [the benediction]? Thus have our masters taught: When the one leading the prayers makes a mistake in any of the [other] benedictions, they do not have him repeat; [if he does so] in the [twelfth] benediction concerning the heretics, they force him to repeat it.9YBer. 5:4 (19c) (bar.); Ber. 29a (bar.). See Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 16:4; 47:4; 93:4; 95:4; 96:2; 108:31; 117:3; 137:2; Epiphanius, Panarion (Haereses), 29:9; Jerome on Is. 2:18; 49:7; 52:4. This benediction has been the subject of much scholarly debate by many interpreters, including myself in “The Gospel of John and the Jews: The Story of a Religious Divorce,” AntiSemitism and the Foundations of Christianity, edited by Alan T. Davies (New York, Paulist, 1979), pp. 84–88, 95–97, and in “The Date of Luke-Acts,” Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the Society of Biblical Literature Seminar, edited by Charles H. Talbert (New York: Crossroad, 1984), 56, 61, 62. We suspect that he may be a heretic and therefore have him repeat, so that if there is a heretical side to him, he will be cursing himself with the community responding, “Amen.” So also [do we treat] whoever does not say [benediction 14], "who builds Jerusalem," since they will suspect that he may be a Cuthite (Samaritan). R. Assi said, “If a proselyte takes upon himself [all] the words of Torah except for one, they do not accept him.10Cf. TDem. 2:6; Bek. 30b. And not only that, but [the same rule applies] even in the case of a single minute detail out of [all] the minute details in the Torah or out of the minute details from the scribes (rabbis). R. Judah bar Shallum said, “You find forty-eight times in the Torah where the Torah warns against [harming] the proselytes and, corresponding [to these forty-eight warnings], it warns against idolatry [forty-eight times as well].11BM 59b; see Hor. 13a. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘It is enough that he forsakes his idolatry and comes to you; therefore I am warning you about him, because I love him, as stated (in Deut. 10:18), “and [He] loves the proselyte12Heb.: ger. Although this word meant “sojourner” in biblical times, it had come to mean “proselyte” and is so understood here. in giving him food and clothing.”’”
וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה. יְלַמְּדֵנוּ רַבֵּנוּ, הָעוֹבֵר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּבָה וְטָעָה וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר בִּרְכַּת הַמִּינִים, מִנַּיִן שֶׁמַּחְזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. כָּךְ שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, הָעוֹבֵר לִפְנֵי הַתֵּבָה וְטָעָה, בְּכָל בְּרָכוֹת כֻּלָּן, אֵין מַחְזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. טָעָה בְּבִרְכַּת הַמִּינִים, מַחְזִירִין אוֹתוֹ וְאוֹמְרָהּ בְּעַל כָּרְחוֹ. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה מַחְזִירִין אוֹתוֹ. חַיְישִׁינַן שֶׁמָּא מִין הוּא, שֶׁאִם יְהֵא בּוֹ צַד מִינוּת, קִלֵּל עַצְמוֹ וְעוֹנִין הַקָּהָל אָמֵן. וְכֵן מִי שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, מַחְזִירִין אוֹתוֹ, חַיְישִׁינַן שֶׁמָּא כּוּתִי הוּא. אָמַר רַב אַסֵּי, גֵּר שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ חוּץ מִדָּבָר אֶחָד, אֵין מְקַבְּלִין אוֹתוֹ. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ דִּקְדּוּק אֶחָד מִן הַתּוֹרָה אוֹ מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שָׁלוֹם, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה פְּעָמִים הִזְהִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַּתּוֹרָה עַל הַגֵּרִים, וּכְנֶגְדָן הִזְהִיר עַל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, דַּיּוֹ שֶׁהִנִּיחַ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וּבָא אֶצְלְכֶם, אֲנִי מַזְהִירְךָ שֶׁתֹּאהֲבֵהוּ, שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹהֲבוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאֹהֵב גֵּר לָתֶת לוֹ לֶחֶם וְשִׂמְלָה וְגוֹ' (דברים י, יח).
(Lev. 1:1:) “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses.” Let our master instruct us: When the one who leads the prayers makes a mistake by not saying the benediction on the cursing of the heretics (birkat haminim), from where do we know that it is necessary to have him repeat [the benediction]? Thus have our masters taught: When the one leading the prayers makes a mistake in any of the [other] benedictions, they do not have him repeat; [if he does so] in the [twelfth] benediction concerning the heretics, they force him to repeat it.9YBer. 5:4 (19c) (bar.); Ber. 29a (bar.). See Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 16:4; 47:4; 93:4; 95:4; 96:2; 108:31; 117:3; 137:2; Epiphanius, Panarion (Haereses), 29:9; Jerome on Is. 2:18; 49:7; 52:4. This benediction has been the subject of much scholarly debate by many interpreters, including myself in “The Gospel of John and the Jews: The Story of a Religious Divorce,” AntiSemitism and the Foundations of Christianity, edited by Alan T. Davies (New York, Paulist, 1979), pp. 84–88, 95–97, and in “The Date of Luke-Acts,” Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the Society of Biblical Literature Seminar, edited by Charles H. Talbert (New York: Crossroad, 1984), 56, 61, 62. We suspect that he may be a heretic and therefore have him repeat, so that if there is a heretical side to him, he will be cursing himself with the community responding, “Amen.” So also [do we treat] whoever does not say [benediction 14], "who builds Jerusalem," since they will suspect that he may be a Cuthite (Samaritan). R. Assi said, “If a proselyte takes upon himself [all] the words of Torah except for one, they do not accept him.10Cf. TDem. 2:6; Bek. 30b. And not only that, but [the same rule applies] even in the case of a single minute detail out of [all] the minute details in the Torah or out of the minute details from the scribes (rabbis). R. Judah bar Shallum said, “You find forty-eight times in the Torah where the Torah warns against [harming] the proselytes and, corresponding [to these forty-eight warnings], it warns against idolatry [forty-eight times as well].11BM 59b; see Hor. 13a. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘It is enough that he forsakes his idolatry and comes to you; therefore I am warning you about him, because I love him, as stated (in Deut. 10:18), “and [He] loves the proselyte12Heb.: ger. Although this word meant “sojourner” in biblical times, it had come to mean “proselyte” and is so understood here. in giving him food and clothing.”’”