Jewish Martyrdom and Conversion in the Riots of 1391: The Early Signs

This study presented a series of halakhic rulings that preceded the riots of 1391 and provided the moral infrastructure for the conversion of Rivash and many other Jews. This ideological effort took place on several planes. The article shows that in many areas of halakha, Rivash adapted Jewish law to reflect the Christian norm. The willingness to subject the Torah's laws to Christian law is a step toward the recognition of the moral legitimacy of the prevailing faith. In this way, Rivash also minimized the gap between the communities …