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Non-Jews who wish to convert to Judaism may do so. This reflects the fundamental Jewish belief that people have the potential to transform themselves (unlike some belief systems, which maintain that people cannot change). Therefore, anyone who wants to join the Jewish people may do so. Following conversion, a convert is fully Jewish, and there is a mitzva to treat him or her with even more respect than other Jews. For even a minor slight is likely to be very hurtful. Therefore, the Torah demands that we be very careful about this.
Someone who hurts the feelings of a convert is transgressing three separate prohibitions. First is the prohibition of hurting any Jew. Additionally, two more admonitions pertain to a “stranger,” which the Sages understand to mean a convert: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:20), and “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him . . .” (Leviticus 19:33-34). Similarly, loving a convert is mandated by two positive commandments. Besides the mitzva to love every Jew (Leviticus 19:18), there is a specific mitzva to love a convert: “You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19). Converts deserve to be doubly loved, since they left their people and homeland of their own free will and chose to join the Jewish people.
As a direct result of welcoming converts, the Jews have been blessed. For example, Moses married the convert Zipporah. Later, when her father Jethro wanted to convert, he was happily accepted. As a result, he offered excellent advice, which is recorded in the Torah portion named for him. Boaz married the convert Ruth; as a reward, their great-grandchild was the righteous and heroic founder of the Jewish royal dynasty, King David. Rabbi Akiva too, one of the great Tanna’im, was a descendant of converts.
