Entering the Congregation of Hashem

The Torah lists various individuals who are not allowed to “enter the congregation of Hashem.” This means that they are not permitted to marry a Jewish girl of proper lineage.

They are only allowed to marry a convert or a woman known as “Mamzeret,” the product of a forbidden or incestuous relationship. This demonstrates that it is a privilege to be part of the Jewish people, and the law makes very clear rules as to whom may marry whom.

An example of the prohibition of “entering the congregation of Hashem,” applies to a male convert from Ammon and Moav. They may only marry a convert or Mamzeret. An Egyptian convert must wait until the third generation before they are allowed to marry any Jewish girl.

In the case of the Egyptian convert, they showed cruelty to the Jewish people by enslaving them, but they were kind to them before the slavery began.

Ammon and Moav were connected to the curse of Bilaam. They were cruel people and they were ingrates. They were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Avraham Avinu, who went to battle to rescue him when he was taken captive.

The combination of cruelty and ingratitude make it difficult for us to accept such people into our congregation. Pharoah was also an ingrate to the Jewish people because Yosef turned Egypt into the superpower of the world.

He did not acknowledge Yosef or the G-d of the Jewish people. We are a nation that is merciful, modest, and does acts of kindness. We have great difficulty tolerating cruelty and ingratitude. We must distance ourselves from individuals that demonstrate these negative characteristics. We must keep our sanctity intact and not allow such negativity to infiltrate our lives.