How to Make Orthodox Judaism Part of Your Life
Orthodox or Observant Judaism is a religion of action and discipline. But because it is so disciplined, it is also very hard to convert to such a lifestyle. It's a tough process, but here are some steps to make Orthodox Judaism part of your life.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Decide if Orthodox Judaism is right for you. Make sure your family and friends are comfortable with your conversion. Do some preliminary research and make sure you can adhere to the tenets. Talk to people and learn what Judaism is all about.
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Read. There is a vast tradition of literature and philosophy associated with Judaism. Some good books to start out with are "To Be a Jew" by Halevy Donin and the "Handbook of Jewish Thought" by Aryeh Kaplan.
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3
Find a rabbi. Many Orthodox rabbis will be happy to help you explore your faith by guiding you towards reliable sources of information and directing you towards communities. Not all rabbis will be the same, however. If you are disappointed at first, try another.
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Begin the process. Once you find a community or rabbi to take you under its wing, you are ready to begin the long, arduous process of converting. This involves months of study that culminate in a test of your knowledge of Hebrew, Jewish history and culture.
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Follow through on your commitment. After you have passed the test, you may have to go through some initiations and rituals. After that you will have to adhere strictly to your new faith. You will need to perform Mitzvots, possibly have a Bar Mitzvah (or Bat Mitzvah) and get circumcised.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Be persistent. It is a tradition for some Orthodox rabbis to deny you three times before giving assistance.
Judaism involves many practices and lots of memorization. Be prepared.
Some Mitzvoth you can start out with include saying brachot over food, eating kosher, praying in the morning and investing in tefillin.
As a convert, be prepared for some flak. Although the world has grown more tolerant, there is still some anti-Semitic sentiment from the outside and anti-convert sentiment from within. As a convert, you may not be regarded the same as someone of Jewish descent.
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Comments
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Jewess
Jan 01, 2007
Conversion to Judaism (based on Wikipedia) A ger tzedek is a "righteous convert". The laws of conversion to Judaism are based on discussions in the Talmud. Jewish law generally discourages proselytizing, and conversion is also discouraged. This is partially due to the Jewish belief that all people have a share in the World to Come, and thus, do not need to accept upon themselves Judaism and live as Jews. Rather, righteous gentiles need only observe the 7 Noahide Laws. However, a rabbi convinced of the prospective convert's sincerity may allow him or her to follow the process of conversion, and then appear before an established three-judge Jewish religious court known as a beis din ("religious court") to be tested and formally accepted. There is no specific time frame for the conversion process and procedures. The prospective convert is taught the basic laws and beliefs of Judaism, and must show an ability to keep the laws and make a commitment to keep them. A male convert is known as a Ger (or Ger tzedek, meaning "righteous convert") and a female is a Giyores, from the Hebrew root word gar ( ?? ) (to "live" or "sojourn [with]".) Some denominations of present-day Judaism do not follow Jewish laws concerning conversion and mitzvos. AS A RESULT, THEIR "CONVERTS" ARE FREQUENTLY NOT REGOGNIZED BY OTHER JEWISH DENOMINATIONS. -
Jewess
Jan 01, 2007
1- This should be called How to Convert to Judaism, not How to Make Orthodox Judaism Part of Your Life (for people who were born Jewish.) 2- There can be no ulterior motives for becoming Jewish, such as wanting to marry a Jew, move to Israel, etc. 3- The "long arduous process of converting" involves YEARS of study and practice. 4- In a Torah true "Orthodox" conversion, you MUST immerse in a kosher mikvah (small ritual pool of natural "living" water. Men definitley must be circumcised first. 5- Judaism considers a true convert not as a former gentile, but as a "ger shenisgayer" a (potential) convert who converted. That is, their sould was always meant to become Jewish - almost like a Jewish soul trapped in a nonJewish body. It is absolutely not permitted to remind a convert in any way that they were not once part of the Jewish people. However, there are still people who would rather that their children marry someone who was always Jewish, whose parents observed the laws of family purity, etc. That is not to say that they look down at the convert. On the contrary, he is respected for his difficult decision and life change. I have found that it is usually NON-Orthodox people who do not truly accept a convert. One Conservative functionary I knew referred to people in his congregation, whom HE converted, as being intermarried -- that is, he himself did not really consider them Jewish! They felt truly offended by his statements, and justifiably so. The only conversion which is universally recognized is "Orthodox" conversion. Anything else is deceiving the potential convert.
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Jewess
Jan 01, 2007
1- This should be called How to Convert to Judaism, not How to Make Orthodox Judaism Part of Your Life (for people who were born Jewish.) 2- There can be no ulterior motives for becoming Jewish, such as wanting to marry a Jew, move to Israel, etc. 3- The "long arduous process of converting" involves YEARS of study and practice. 4- In a Torah true "Orthodox" conversion, you MUST immerse in a kosher mikvah (small ritual pool of natural "living" water. Men definitley must be circumcised first. 5- Judaism considers a true convert not as a former gentile, but as a "ger shenisgayer" a (potential) convert who converted. That is, their sould was always meant to become Jewish - almost like a Jewish soul trapped in a nonJewish body. It is absolutely not permitted to remind a convert in any way that they were not once part of the Jewish people. However, there are still people who would rather that their children marry someone who was always Jewish, whose parents observed the laws of family purity, etc. That is not to say that they look down at the convert. On the contrary, he is respected for his difficult decision and life change. I have found that it is usually NON-Orthodox people who do not truly accept a convert. One Conservative functionary I knew referred to people in his congregation, whom HE converted, as being intermarried -- that is, he himself did not really consider them Jewish! They felt truly offended by his statements, and justifiably so. The only conversion which is universally recognized is "Orthodox" conversion. Anything else is deceiving the potential convert.
