What is the Jewish perspective on proselytizing? Is there a written law, or an accepted law that Jews are not a missionary people (although I know that we once were.) What caused the change, and why do we maintain this practice?
I guess it all depends on your definition of proselytizing. Indeed, our great forefather, Abraham achieved greatness primarily for his seeking out the one and only God and attempting to bring the world towards monotheism. To this day, the Jews, as a nation, are meant to be an example to the world regarding the service of God. So in the sense of teaching monotheism, yes, we do believe in “spreading the word.”
However, it has never been the practice of the Jewish nation to seek out converts to Judaism. On the contrary, as you mentioned, we generally try to discourage or at least dissuade those who are considering conversion. In fact, there have been times in our history when converts were not accepted under any circumstances. This will also be the case during the Messianic Era.
Our current practice of dissuasion can be traced back to the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Yevamoth 47b. There, based on a verse in Isaiah, the Talmud describes the negative effects insincere converts can have on the spiritual integrity of the Jewish people. Therefore, it has always been our practice to turn away all but those most sincerely desiring conversion.
Sincerely,
R’ Daniel Fleksher