Jewish conversion doesn’t come with a roadmap—or a progress bar.
There’s no checklist that tells you how far you’ve come, no little pop-up that says “Level up! You now understand 17% more Hebrew blessings.”
So it’s no wonder that so many of us reach a point—especially halfway through the year—where we feel lost. Like we should be further along. Like maybe we’re doing it wrong.
This isn’t a test. It’s a check-in.
In this post, I’ll walk you through five gentle areas to reflect on—your logistics, progress, identity, stuck places, and next steps. Whether you’re in the middle of your conversion journey or building Jewish life from scratch, this is a chance to pause, breathe, and notice what’s already growing.
You can repeat this process any time you need a reset, but July seems like as good a time as any.
Let’s reset—without pressure, and with intention.
You can find the Conversion Reflect + Reset Guide here.
Transcript below.
Transcript:
Jewish conversion doesn’t come with a progress bar, but what if it did? A spiritual Fitbit to track your mitzvot.
If you’re halfway through the year and wondering whether you’ve made any progress at all this year,
you’re not alone. And you’re not behind.
This isn’t a test. This is a check-in,
and you’ve already done more than you think.
Signs of progress in the conversion journey are often kind of quiet.
They don’t always look like mastering Hebrew grammar or lighting candles every week without ever forgetting.
Sometimes it’s the first time you catch yourself saying Baruch Hashem when you get a really good parking spot.
Or the first time you scroll past a Jewish meme on Instagram
and you get the joke.
Those things count.
Those are signs that your Jewish identity is moving from the outside in, that it’s becoming part of how you speak, think, and act in the world.
That’s what this reflection tool is really about.
Noticing the sacred shifts that aren’t always on a checklist… but also noticing the things that are on the checklist because you know your girl. I’m very practical, and I love a checklist.
The conversion process is long and usually unstructured
and filled with a lot of self-doubt.
Without stopping to reflect and reassess, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind even when you’re not.
And part of that is because the conversion process doesn’t come with a roadmap or that progress bar.
That’s why I created another tool that I wish I had had while I was converting.
I didn’t need more pressure.
I just needed someone to sit down with me and say, ” let’s look at what is and what’s next.”
It’s called the Conversion Reflection and Reset.
And it helps you pause, take stock,
and reset your direction for the next stage of your process.
Right now, we’re gonna use it as a mid-year reset because it’s July,
and this is such a good time to pause and reflect and set new goals.
But honestly, you can use this guide any time of the year and as many times as you want during the year.
Anytime you’re feeling a little lost or unsure where you stand.
So whenever you need a reset, this is here for you.
If you want the full reflection guide with all 40 questions, it’s available now at Building a Jewish Life.com, but we’re gonna talk through a midyear reset that you can do with or without that planner.
So in that guide I looked at five different areas.
Your logistics. Where are you on paper? Do you actually know what comes next? Is everyone on the same page?
This is the “on paper” part of your journey, not the emotional side, just the basic facts. Have you officially started with a program? Have you met a beit din?
Do you know what your rabbis are expecting from you right now?
And maybe most importantly, do you know what they expect next? Do you actually know what comes next?
Not in the vague, “keep learning and showing up” kind of way, but in a concrete step by step sense.
Because if you don’t, that’s probably not a personal failure. It probably means no one’s told you. And naming that gap is the first step to getting clarity.
Part two, your progress.
This is the stuff that’s so easy to overlook and undersell, but it deeply matters.
Did you finally remember to light Shabbat candles on time?
Did you say a bracha (blessing) before eating, even if you had to look it up?
Did you go to services and feel totally lost, but you showed up anyway?
All that’s progress.
It’s not just about how many holidays you’ve kept
or whether you’ve memorized the blessings.
It’s about showing up again and again, even when it’s awkward or emotional or invisible to everyone else. Celebrate it without minimizing it.
Because small steps repeated with intention are what actually build your Jewish life. And I promise you, you’ve done more than you think.
Part three, your identity.
This part isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about the kind of Jewish life you’re actually building and the Jewish person you’re becoming.
What Jewish values are speaking to you most right now? Which mitzvot feel most meaningful to you right now?
Not just required, but right for the kind of Jew you wanna be.
It is easy to get caught up in the performance trap: doing things because we think we should or to prove that we belong.
But this is your choice to step back and ask:
what parts of Judaism feel like they’re shaping me in return?
This isn’t about being the perfect conversion candidate.
It’s about building a Jewish life that’s alive, honest,
and rooted in who you truly are.
Part four, your stuck places.
This is where we tell the truth without judgment.
What’s felt confusing, heavy, or just plain hard lately.
Where are you feeling stuck, lost, or like you’re somehow not “doing enough,” even though you’re trying?
Maybe it’s Hebrew that isn’t clicking.
Maybe it’s showing up to synagogue and feeling invisible.
Maybe it’s that inner voice whispering, “you’re still not Jewish enough.”
Name the blocks.
Not to beat yourself up, but to set yourself free.
Because when we name the hard parts, we get to choose how to move forward.
With more support, with a different strategy, or with permission to rest and try again later.
You don’t have to carry the stuckness alone.
But first, it needs a name.
And the last part, part five. Next steps.
No pressure. No five year plan.
This isn’t about mapping out your entire Jewish future.
It is about asking what’s the next small, clear, meaningful step.
Not the perfect step, just the right next one.
Maybe it’s preparing for the next holiday in a deeper way.
Maybe it’s reaching out to someone you’ve been meaning to talk to.
Maybe it’s picking one mitzvah to focus on instead of trying to do 10 different things.
Small steps count, especially when they’re chosen with intention.
You don’t have to do everything. You just have to keep moving forward in the direction of the life you’re building.
If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t even know if I’m doing this right,”
or “everyone else seems to have it more together.” This was made for you because the truth is, nobody has it together and you are not failing.
If you want the full reset guide
with gentle journaling prompts and support for setting real next steps, it’s available now at Building a Jewish Life.com. This isn’t about pressure. Or getting it right. It’s about noticing what’s already growing and tending to it with care. You’re not here to be perfect. You’re here to build something real.
