If you have a machzor set, you should review the Pesach machzor before Passover begins. It’s very helpful. I began reviewing mine, and the introduction has a very interesting description of the three reactions people have to exile (galus/galut). As exile is an important theme of Pesach, I thought I would share two discussions of […]
Adventures in Semantics: D’Oraisa v. D’Rabbanan
Just a quick vocabulary lesson today! There are many ways to classify mitzvot, and one of the major ways is by source: from the Torah or from the rabbis. Mitzvot d’oraita (mitzvos d’oraisa) are mitzvot directly from the Torah, both the Written Law and the Oral Law. The theoretical punishment (when there was/will be a […]
UPDATED: Why You Shouldn’t Date During Conversion
NOTE: The Kvetching Editor wrote a response to this post here. I just want to point out that her situation is not what I’m describing. I’m talking about a single who enters the orthodox conversion process and then begins dating people who are already orthodox. However, for the record, I think dating is probably a bad idea […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Good News Edition :)
I’ve been a bit of a negative Nancy lately, so here is some good conversion news for you: North American Rabbis Protest Conversion Policy. Sure, the rabbis have rallied to protect all orthodox converts’ rights to make aliyah, but I’m more skeptical that such a rabbinic “uprising” would happen as a way to pressure the […]
A Non-Orthodox Response to the Current Orthodox Conversion Issues
For those of you following the conversion/aliyah issues with Israel and the greater Jewish community, you may want to check out yesterday’s blog post at On the Fringe-Al Tzitzit, Conversion Crisis Update: the New Jewish “Papacy.” I won’t express an opinion on the content (or maybe my jury is still out?), but I did particularly […]
Other Bloggers’ Take on the Current Orthodox Conversion Hullabaloo and Kochava’s Proposed Solution
Frequent commenter Elle at On Becoming Devoted has written a post called The Reality of Conversion. I suggest that you all read it for another convert’s perspective on today’s orthodox conversion process! However, she focuses more on the after-conversion concerns, which can be just as painful (if not more so) than the initial conversion. I […]
The Monster that Orthodox Conversion Has Become
You’ve already heard that conversion is like falling in love. But you may not know that getting an orthodox conversion can sometimes be like an abusive relationship. In a cosmic sign that I can’t escape this topic this week, Frum Satire posted yesterday “Stop Screwing with the Converts Already!“ The world Jewish community and Jewish […]
UPDATED: How to Interview a New Jewish Community
Happy Half-Priced Candy Day! Now on to business… During conversion, you feel like you’re the one always being interviewed. And you are. But at some point, maybe even during your conversion, you’ll also get to interview someone: the rabbis and congregants of a new community. Hopefully you have a selection of communities! Even if not, […]
UPDATED: The Factors to Consider When Choosing to Convert
According to me, there are three major considerations when choosing where/how to convert. These three guideposts should help you decide a) the movement you want to convert with and then b) the community/rabbi/beit din you want to convert with. a) How you feel about your conversion. At the end of the day, this should be […]
Convert Rants: Discouraging the Conversion Candidate
Everyone hears that a rabbi “has” to discourage a conversion candidate 3 times. Some rabbis don’t hold by that at all. Some do exactly three and then will begin a congenial conversion learning process. Some may or may not obviously discourage before working with you, but will continue to discourage you regularly and to varying […]
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