[(Lev. 1:1–2:) THEN THE LORD CALLED UNTO MOSES AND SPOKE UNTO HIM…: SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL …: WHEN ONE OF YOU PRESENTS AN OFFERING.] 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 (minim), is it necessary to have him repeat the benediction?¹⁰., Lev. 1:2. 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.¹¹. 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 Samaritan. R. Jose said: If a proselyte takes upon himself all the words of Torah except for one, they do not accept him.¹². 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. R. Judah bar Shallum said: You find forty-eight times in the Torah where the Torah warns against harming the proselytes and, with reference to them, it warns against idolatry.¹³ 59b; see Hor. 13:a. The Holy One 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 PROSELYTE¹⁴. 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.

footnotes: ¹⁰ Tanh ¹¹ yBer ¹² Cf. TDem ¹³ BM ¹⁴ Heb.: ger