Précis: Like most rabbis, Rabbi Price held that it is appropriate to convert non-Jewish spouses, even if they do not intend to observe mitzvot, in order to preserve the Jewish identity of the Jew and their descendants.Rabbi Price explained in depth that the essence of conversion lies in the convert's belief in the unity of God and rejection of idolatry. He also added a national consideration: after the Holocaust, for the sake of the Jewish people, converts from intermarriages should be welcomed in order to strengthen and expand the Jewish nation.
Having been rescued from the horrors of the Holocaust-where close to two hundred of his relatives perished-Rabbi Price rejoiced deeply at the establishment of the State of Israel. His writings contain rich halakhic discussions, debates, and original insights on major and minor topics rarely found elsewhere
Encountering Rabbi Price's Works
In a previous column, I wrote about the remarkable personality of Rabbi Avraham Aharon Price, and in this one, I will focus on his books and how they arrived at the community of Har Bracha.
About three years ago, my colleagues at the Har Bracha Institute and I examined the question of whether, in pressing circumstances-to prevent Jews from assimilating-it is right to convert the non-Jewish spouses and children of Jews who seek a Jewish identity, but are not committed to religious observance. We aimed to summarize this issue comprehensively through the views of the leading rabbis of recent generations.
During this effort, Rabbi Maor Kayam shlit"a, head of the Har Bracha Institute, showed me the writings of Rabbi Price, who, like most rabbis, maintained that such conversions should be carried out to preserve Jewish continuity.
Until then, I was not familiar with Rabbi Price's books. Rabbi Maor, an avid collector of sefarim (Torah books), told me that when studying Sefer Chassidim, he had looked for a deep and explanatory commentary and found it in Mishnat Avraham, learning from it with great enjoyment. Through my own study, I realized that Rabbi Price was a brilliant scholar with a broad outlook who dealt honestly with complex questions, producing well-reasoned and original insights. His students testified that his engagement with worldly matters helped him develop a comprehensive and profound understanding of Torah.
"There is not one (except perhaps one in many years) who converts out of recognition of the truth that the Jewish religion is authentic. Nor do they intend at all to observe the mitzvot after undergoing the formal process of conversion. Thus arises the question: what is the status of such converts in our time?"
He elaborates that the essence of conversion depends on the convert's belief in God's unity, their rejection of idolatry, and their declaration before a rabbinical court that they accept Judaism and its commandments. Once this declaration is made, the conversion is halakhically valid. This explanation aligns with the position of leading rabbis such as Rabbi Groibart, Chief Rabbi of Toronto, as cited in Chavalim B'Ne'imim (vol. 3:72; vol. 4:54; see Masoret HaGiyur, pp. 736-738).
A National Perspective
Rabbi Price added a collective-national argument: that after the Holocaust, for national and historical reasons, it is essential to bring converts from intermarriages into the fold, in order to increase the Jewish people. He reasoned that the authority of the rabbinical courts allows them to consider the circumstances prevailing at the time:
"There are times when we are in great need of converts-such as in our own day, when millions of our finest were destroyed by the accursed oppressor in Germany, and the number of Jews in the world has frighteningly diminished. Likewise, intermarriage and assimilation, growing daily in America and throughout the Diaspora, reduce our numbers. At the same time, the State of Israel needs more Jews to settle the Land, as it is surrounded by enemies. Without sufficient Jewish settlement, surely those enemies will make war against us. Therefore, in such a time we must surely seek to increase the number of Jews and welcome converts."
Other Halakhic Innovations
When later dealing with complex laws regarding b'nei Noach (non-Jews) and idolaters, I encountered a major question: on one hand, the Torah commands us not to allow idol worshipers to dwell in the Land, yet it also describes a case where an idolater owns a Jewish slave, without commanding his expulsion-commanding only the redemption of the slave.
Rabbi Price was one of the few to explain this. In Mishnat Avraham (SeMaG Part I, Negative Commandment 48), he wrote that the prohibition "Lo techonem" ("Do not show them favor") does not apply to idolaters who practice "partnership worship" (b'shituf, i.e., belief in one God, but with intermediaries). Such people may live in the Land and even own a Jewish servant (see Peninei Halakha, Emunah u'Mitzvoteiha 3:10:8).
He also expounded at length on "Love your fellow as yourself" (Mishnat Avraham on Sefer Chassidim, vol. 3, p. 140), proving from many sources that one must love even sinners, hating only their misdeeds-not them personally-and doing everything possible to bring them back. He added that sins between man and his fellow man are more severe than sins between man and God.
His View of the State of Israel
Like most rabbis of his generation, and in light of his surviving the Holocaust in which close to 200 of his relatives perished, Rabbi Price rejoiced deeply at the establishment of the State of Israel.
In the introduction to Mishnat Avraham (Responsa, vol. 2), he wrote:
"This book of mine merits to be published at the end of two thousand years of exile. Blessed be He who keeps His promise to Israel, His people. After the destruction of most of our brethren in Europe-among them nearly all the great sages of Israel, the glory and splendor of our nation-we have been privileged to witness a time that heralds the beginning of redemption. The joyous voice from the waves announces that freedom has been granted to our land, that no foreign rule remains over our holy soil. Our people are returning to life in their homeland, and the gates of the State of Israel are open wide for her children returning each day from the lands of blood and exile. As in the days when we left Egypt, the Master of the universe shows us wonders, restoring the Holy Land to the seed of Jacob, as prophesied:
'For thus said the Lord: Sing with joy for Jacob, shout for the foremost of nations; proclaim, praise, and say: Save, O Lord, Your people, the remnant of Israel' (Jeremiah 31:6)."
But he added:
"Yet this promise requires us, the people of Israel, to fulfill the condition on which it depends, as stated: 'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel... I will put My Torah within them and write it upon their hearts' (Jeremiah 31:32). There is no doubt that Israel's political redemption depends on its spiritual revival. Sadly, we have not yet fulfilled this condition upon which our very life depends."
"About a year ago, I traveled to the U.S. for a conference on conversion. While there, I met some relatives, including my uncle, David Wallerstein, who lives in Toronto but was spending Shabbat in New York. I told him about the conference and about the book Masoret HaGiyur, and asked if he knew of any rabbis connected to our research on conversions in Canada. It turned out my uncle had known Rabbi Price in his youth and had studied under him for a time. From him I heard valuable things about Rabbi Price.
"My uncle told me that at a certain point in his life, Rabbi Price limited the number of halakhic questions he would answer, saying that his main life mission was to write his books. Even when people came to discuss important matters, he said his time was precious and he needed to return to writing. This insight helped me understand that Rabbi Price viewed his writings as his true calling. Indeed, his books are filled with discussions and insights on topics large and small, rarely found elsewhere. He knew his writing was unique, and he invested greatly in it. He aimed to cover a wide range of subjects, including many that other great Torah scholars had not addressed. My uncle added that Rabbi Price was financially independent, which allowed him to stop answering public questions and focus fully on writing."
Rabbi Maor continued:
"In that same conversation, I told my uncle how sad it was that Rabbi Price's books were no longer available. My uncle said he had a few volumes at home-his father had donated money to Rabbi Price's yeshiva, and the rabbi had sent him books in thanks-but that they were heavy, and he hoped to bring at least one volume on his next trip to Israel.
"A few months later, my uncle called to say he had discovered that a friend of his was married to Rabbi Price's granddaughter-and that in a warehouse in Toronto there were many boxes of his books! They didn't know exactly how many or which volumes. My uncle urged them to send the books to Israel, saying there were Torah scholars here who would treasure them. The family was pleased by the idea, and Mr. Bob Shor kindly arranged to ship the boxes in a container with a family making Aliyah to Israel, generously covering the costs of delivery all the way to Har Bracha."
The Joy of Their Arrival
Out of great excitement-being a true lover of sefarim - Rabbi Maor enlisted his colleagues at the institute to help carry the heavy boxes of Rabbi Price's books to storage. He immediately shared the news online, and with the help of the yeshiva office, the books have already been distributed to libraries and Torah scholars interested in them. Some copies are still available.
Although the works of Rabbi Price are accessible digitally, Rabbi Maor remarked:
"There is a kind of redemption in this - for learning from a book is not the same as learning from a screen. And needless to say, on Shabbat Kodesh, when we must dedicate half the day to Torah, there is no better time to set aside proper hours to study the teachings of Rabbi Price."