Most of you are familiar with one thing batei din do in the modern world: convert people. But what else do they do? You’d be surprised. A beit din can do most of the things a secular court can, in addition to presiding over pure halachic issues. What doesn’t a beit din do? Hear criminal […]
Can You Be an Orthodox Jew Who Happens to Be Vegetarian or Vegan?
YES! But uh…it depends on who you ask. There is a halachic basis for the rabbis who declare you must eat meat on Shabbat. (Though even they will admit there was a great rabbi-whose name I forget-who was vegetarian every day but Shabbat.) I find most of these rabbis tend to be far to the […]
What If You Don’t Like One of the Mitzvot…Can You Still Convert Orthodox?
One of the biggest disagreements about conversion is kabbalot ol mitzvot, the acceptance of the yoke of the commandments. In case you don’t remember, yoke mean burden, not to be confused with a yolk. Fun fact: the “stock” from “being put in the stocks” is a human yoke. Criminals and slaves were put in stocks. […]
Immediately After Conversion, What Needs to Be Done?
You’re in the mikvah. You have your dips in the water and officially cross over into the obligation in mitzvot. What happens once you get dressed? First mitzvah/bracha. This should not happen in the mikvah because you shouldn’t say a bracha while nude. I think some people hear about the “here, have a candy!” bracha […]
Why I’m Not Going by My Hebrew Name
It’s been almost two months since my conversion. I have been shocked that the most common question I am asked is, “So what do I call you now?” Of all the things to ask about a conversion, that’s the first thing that comes to mind?? Maybe it’s the most polite (and practical) thing to ask, […]
Nullifying Conversions vs. Questioning Conversions
If you’re going to convert, you need to understand a key distinction. There’s a lot of talk since 2006 about nullifying conversions. While a few nullifications have occurred, the general problem is questioned conversions. Nullified conversion: the conversion is void. It was invalid at the time the conversion was performed. The person was never halachically […]
“How Did You Know You Were Ready to Convert?”
This question comes up a lot. It’s funny, since what the conversion candidate thinks about his or her readiness is often irrelevant. The beth din is the final decision on when a candidate converts, and their opinion on readiness is really the only one that matters. The beit din may ask the candidate whether he […]
How Do You Congratulate a New Convert?
This has been a surprisingly contentious issue. What do you say to someone upon finishing their conversion? Congratulations in English is a simple, easy way to do convey all the possible emotions. Out of the 200+ congratulations I’ve received in person and online, almost all people said “mazal tov!” to me, and I think that’s […]
Is a Circumcision Absolutely Required for Male Conversion?
I’m reading an interesting book I plan to review on the blog soon. The book describes a halachic issue that never occurred to me before: Can a man convert if a medical condition prevents him from getting a circumcision? Apparently, according to most authorities, no. In fact, at least one great Rabbi (Rabbi Yehiel Yaakov […]
UPDATED: Menstrual Cycles and the Mikvah
You’re a smart cookie, so you already know that the laws of taharat hamishpacha require a married woman to go to the mikvah after a waiting period that comes after the period ends or a certain number of days. So that means you have to plan your conversion mikvah date equally carefully, right? Not necessarily. […]
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