D23-9: The Three Main Social Classes In Israel And What It Meant To The Gentile

We are continuing our discussion of the meaning of the word KAHAL which in most of our English Bibles is translated into the words “congregation” or “assembly”?

So let’s get right to down to the crux of the matter, shall we?

In the context of Deuteronomy 23, what exactly does KAHAL mean? 

The best definition I can muster up is to say this.

In the context of Deuteronomy 23, KAHAL is referring to the broadest possible governing body of Israel.

Now that’s a mouthful and probably not as clear a definition as I wanted to communicate.

So here’s another way to put it.

KAHAL refers to all citizens in full standing who have been given all the rights as a full-fledged member of Israel.

I need to add more nuance to that definition however.

You need to understand that in Israel (as in any society), there existed a variety of different social groups each with different degrees of privilege, social and civil rights.

Let’s take a look at the three main social groups that existed in Israel.

They are as follows:

NOKRI
Probably the best way to describe the NOKRI is to call them “resident aliens”.  These folks were not allowed to be part of the “assembly” or KAHAL of Israel.  A NOKRI was a foreigner who lived near Israel or inside Israelite-controlled territory under friendly terms but was not considered an official member of Israel and he himself had no intentions nor desire to become an Israelite citizen.  Because they were living inside the land, they agreed to follow certain Torah laws that HASHEM required of all resident aliens but they were NOT worshippers of the God of Israel and thus the civil rights and freedom they had in Israel was limited.  

I was going to say the closest thing to a NOKRI would be a Noachide, in other words someone who obeys just the bare minimum of Torah in order to get along in Israel but that wouldn’t be correct because one of the seven Noachide laws is that one must accept the God of Israel as the one and only God in the universe.  Based on what I’ve learned, I’m thinking a NOKRI could very well be an adherent of another religion.  For example, there are many Christians and Muslims who live in Israel.  I think they could best be classified as NOKRI.

GER
Like the NOKRI, a GER is also a foreigner who lives among Israel.  However, the big difference is he worships the God of Israel and even obeys the Torah.  Yet he is still not accepted as a full-fledged citizen because he has not undergone a circumcision.  Thus, a GER is also excluded from the KAHAL or “assembly” of Israel.  That said, one interesting difference between a GER and a NOKRI is that a NOKRI could never own land in Israel but under certain circumstances a GER was permitted to own land.

NATIVE-BORN ISRAELITE
Okay, so obviously an native-born Israelite was considered the cream of the crop in Israelite society.  He was a full-fledged citizen, he could be in the military, he was allowed or I should say expected to marry a Hebrew girl, he could sacrifice at the Tabernacle etcetera.  So with regards to Deuteronomy 23, it is THIS class of person to whom the KAHAL or the “assembly” of Israel is referring to.  Having said that, if a GER decided to convert by becoming circumcised, then societal prejudice aside, his legal status was to be considered the same as a native-born Israelite.

Although this is somewhat a loose analogy, let’s put this in modern immigration terms as pertaining to the United States of America.

If a foreigner is lucky enough to get a Green Card to come to the United States, he will have all the rights under our laws BUT…

…he will not be allowed to participate in certain parts of the government institutions of the United States.

He won’t be allowed to vote for government representatives, enter military service, serve in public office or even serve as judges or lawyers.

Do you see the difference?

There is a difference between a foreigner who can come to the United States and participate to a limited degree in our society compared to an American citizen who can participate at every level of government including becoming President of the United States (if he’s born in the USA).

I’m done.