𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬) 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥: 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮?

According to the Torah, what do you call a Sojourner who is not Jewish but loves the Torah and might even live Jewishly? What does the Law command in respect to these Sojourners? Who are they?

In the Torah, גֵּר / ger describes a Gentile who attaches himself to the God of Israel and chooses to walk in covenant loyalty, even when living outside the Land of Israel. Geography never silenced calling. Allegiance traveled with the heart. The most common Diaspora expression of this identity was the גֵּר תּוֹשָׁב / ger toshav — the resident sojourner. Though physically living among the nations, the ger toshav turned away from idolatry, worshiped the God of Israel alone, learned Torah, honored Sabbath rest and core commandments, and aligned his life with the Jewish community without becoming Jewish. In the Second Temple era these Gentiles were widely known as “God-fearers” (Acts 13:16 NKJV). Through Yeshua and the ruling of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, this path was fully affirmed rather than abolished. The apostles declared that Gentiles were not required to undergo circumcision or convert (ger tzedek) in order to belong to the covenant community or receive salvation (Acts 15:1–11 NKJV). Paul reinforced this teaching by instructing believers to “remain in the calling in which they were called” (1 Corinthians 7:17–20 NKJV). The ger toshav therefore became the normal, validated calling for Gentile disciples of Messiah living in the Diaspora — fully accepted by God while retaining Gentile identity.

A second calling remained open: the גֵּר צֶדֶק / ger tzedek — the Gentile who chose full covenant adoption into Israel. Even outside the Land and long after the destruction of the Temple, this path continued to exist, though now as a voluntary and vocational calling rather than a requirement for salvation or community entry. The ger tzedek embraced circumcision and the full obligation of Torah, entering the peoplehood of Israel and living as a Jew whether in Jerusalem, Alexandria, or Rome. Neither Acts 15 nor Paul abolished this calling. They removed only the idea that conversion was mandatory for belonging to Messiah. What they preserved was Torah’s original dignity of diverse covenant expressions: Gentiles who faithfully walk beside Israel as ger toshav, and Gentiles who cross fully into Israel’s covenant as ger tzedek. Scripture honors both paths without forcing uniformity, welcoming each expression of loyalty according to God’s design — many nations worshiping the One God, some alongside Israel and some joining within Israel — each faithful in their place among the peoples of the earth.

A couple of notes: Some believing Pharisees brought a challenge to the apostles about requiring circumcision and full obedience to the Law. They were arguing in favor of requiring Ger Tzadek (conversion of Gentiles to full Judaism not to becoming Jews). Thus being a Ger Tzadek is not wrong. It is just not a boundary marker, it is not a requirement. It is an option. Some Gentiles will choose this path. The Ger Toshav is by far the more common path for Gentiles. In both paths the person born a Gentile, remains a gentile.

So, as you think about your life, which type of Ger do you feel most called to be?

B"H!

𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐚.