Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Is a conversion appropriate in this circumstance?
rafeli18:
Thanks, I appreciate your advice and hopefully things will change for the better.
Asides from the aftermath of converting, how did you find the actual course of conversion? It's undoubtedly a very hard process that requires sincerity and determination. I'm willing to devote any amount of effort if the occasion ever arises.
Israel Chai:
--- Quote from: rafeli18 on July 14, 2013, 04:47:22 PM ---Thanks, I appreciate your advice and hopefully things will change for the better.
Asides from the aftermath of converting, how did you find the actual course of conversion? It's undoubtedly a very hard process that requires sincerity and determination. I'm willing to devote any amount of effort if the occasion ever arises.
--- End quote ---
I was born Jewish but I never knew anything about Judaism until I found JTF, so I can say, it's definitely a pleasure for me to read ideas from Torah and then commentaries from 5-20 rabbis on it that contradict or are on other levels, and then decide which ones I believe and try to develop a real understanding on why those words were put there and how they tell me to live more freely through morality, and do good for the Jewish people and their mission to make the world a better place and merit the coming of the Moshiah.
Someone link her to What does it mean to be Jewish by Rabbi Meir Kahane on youtube or his Mantle of heaven. Those are really what made me want to look further, and the more you do, the more you more you feel obligated to do many time-consuming things, and the more you wonder how you did more than half of anything right without it.
Sveta:
Welcome Rafeli. You will find that a lot of people here will love to help you.
You are young and on your way to a great journey! About conversion, it is hard but there are many people who do complete the program. Naturally, a Rabbi will have to tell you about the possibility of remaining a Noahide. And you must keep an open mind of entertain the idea of remaining a Noahide. But if your soul yearns for more and if you persist and if the rabbis see that you persist, then they will help you become Jewish.
What you must do, if you don't do so already, is pray a lot. Every day. Morning and night. Place all your faith on Hashem, that He may give you what you need. I think a good book I can recommend is The Garden of Emuna, by Rabbi Shalom Arush. You must build on strengthening your your Emuna.
Obviously, study the Torah (even write down questions for when you are assigned a teacher by the Beis Din). Study the 613 mitzvot. And you will also have to experience the Jewish Holidays, to know their meanings, their observance and history.
I think a great way to learn about the 613 mitzvot is the 24 part lecture series by Rabbi Mizrachi on his website. Where he talks about all the mitzvot one by one. http://www.divineinformation.com/category/the-613-commandments-series/
What I will also recommend is that you start to give tzedakah to any organization you want.
The list goes on. I think you are in the right place to get help.
Sveta:
I forgot to mention...
The conversion process could be a year or two. More or less, depending on your knowledge. So that is why it is better to build yourself up now and pray a lot (and give to charity) so that when you do meet with the Beis Din, Hashem will help you when meeting with them.
You also have to start becoming part of the Jewish community. Even if it is not a community that does conversions, at least start to become part of them. Go to the events, go to the services. Chabad is usually good for this, maybe they won't help you for the conversion but at least it is good to be part of their events so that when you do go to a Beis Din, they will be able to see that you have indeed been part of a Jewish community. They could be your reference as proof to a Beis Din that you have been part. Also, if you go to Chabad services, they do not charge you for a seat. And you could go for the High Holidays.
Lastly, save up money because you will have to move to a Jewish community. Eventually. Maybe you can find yourself a Jewish roomate and share a place that keeps a kosher kitchen. And is within walking distance of an Orthodox shul. Otherwise, no Beis Din will be able to convert you if you do not have a kosher kitchen and live close to a shul.
Also, note that your family will stop being your family. They will always be your blood relatives and will owe them your love and respect, but your new family will be your fellow Jews and your father and mother will be Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imanu.
rafeli18:
Thank you for your detailed and quite moving response. You mentioned joining a Jewish community a few days ago I signed up for the Israeli organisation Standwithus. Would the Beis Din consider this relevant as it involves different religions rather than having a primary Jewish focus.Also regarding your second main point though there are 2 synagogues within my area they're quite far. It would probably take me around 45 mins to reach the Orthodox one so this may become an issue. So would it therefore be advisable to perhaps keep looking for other areas whilst I'm at university? I'm quite interested in quite esoteric forms of Judaism such as Kabbalah. In fact wearing it around my wrist seemed to give me a lot of fortune when I was doing my exams which is part of the reason I started to believe in Hashem.
This site is really informative and quite helpful as you said :)
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