Converting to Judaism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any converts here? For many years I’ve felt inexplicably drawn to the religion. Yesterday I picked up “Choosing a Jewish Life” by Anita Diamant and am reading with interest.

What books/resources are recommended? I’m nervous to start attending services but know that will be a natural next step. Many thanks in advance.

I'm not sure you realize what you're getting into. Being drawn to the religion is not seen as a credible reason to convert to Judaism.

What is a credible reason? [not OP]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No.

The Mikva bath is for women only, because they are considered unclean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No.

The Mikva bath is for women only, because they are considered unclean.

This is not true.

For others wondering why Jews don’t actively proselytize to non-Jews: there’s no sense that non-Jews need to be saved or anything. It’s just not part of our theology. A good synagogue should accept converts, but that’s not the same thing as believing we have a holy obligation to convert non-Jews.

There’s also the ethnic component. While many people have converted, most Jews are ethnically Jewish, in addition to perhaps being religiously observant. Being religiously observant is not a requirement for being Jewish, though. We joke that it’s a tribe, but it kinda is — a series of interconnected tribes, in a way. Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, etc. So it’s just fundamentally a different type of community than most Christian denominations.

[Anonymous]

Google the Boris the Terrible series about Jewish holidays, you'll probably enjoy it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

But it doesn’t have the same theological meaning as a baptism. Please stop trying to make Judaism into just a version of Christianity. Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No.

The Mikva bath is for women only, because they are considered unclean.

This is not true.

For others wondering why Jews don’t actively proselytize to non-Jews: there’s no sense that non-Jews need to be saved or anything. It’s just not part of our theology. A good synagogue should accept converts, but that’s not the same thing as believing we have a holy obligation to convert non-Jews.

There’s also the ethnic component. While many people have converted, most Jews are ethnically Jewish, in addition to perhaps being religiously observant. Being religiously observant is not a requirement for being Jewish, though. We joke that it’s a tribe, but it kinda is — a series of interconnected tribes, in a way. Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, etc. So it’s just fundamentally a different type of community than most Christian denominations.

What is not true about it? Do they think women are unclean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No.

The Mikva bath is for women only, because they are considered unclean.

This is not true.

For others wondering why Jews don’t actively proselytize to non-Jews: there’s no sense that non-Jews need to be saved or anything. It’s just not part of our theology. A good synagogue should accept converts, but that’s not the same thing as believing we have a holy obligation to convert non-Jews.

There’s also the ethnic component. While many people have converted, most Jews are ethnically Jewish, in addition to perhaps being religiously observant. Being religiously observant is not a requirement for being Jewish, though. We joke that it’s a tribe, but it kinda is — a series of interconnected tribes, in a way. Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, etc. So it’s just fundamentally a different type of community than most Christian denominations.

What is not true about it? Do they think women are unclean?

No, of course we do not think women are unclean. Women in Conservative and Reform congregations are not required to use the mikvah. In fact, I don’t think anyone is required to use it for cleansing purposes. I can’t speak to what Orthodox congregations do.

Non-Orthodox Judaism is exceptionally egalitarian. Women are often Rabbis and there is nothing women cannot do, from a ritual standpoint or anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

But it doesn’t have the same theological meaning as a baptism. Please stop trying to make Judaism into just a version of Christianity. Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own.

Yes, this is what I was trying to say before! Looking (arguably) similar doesn't mean they are theologically similar. They don't serve the same purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

But it doesn’t have the same theological meaning as a baptism. Please stop trying to make Judaism into just a version of Christianity. Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own.

Oh, stop. PP is degenerating baptism as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

But it doesn’t have the same theological meaning as a baptism. Please stop trying to make Judaism into just a version of Christianity. Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own.

Oh, stop. PP is degenerating baptism as well.

Huh? Do you mean “denigrating”? I don’t see any evidence that they’re denigrating baptisms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any converts here? For many years I’ve felt inexplicably drawn to the religion. Yesterday I picked up “Choosing a Jewish Life” by Anita Diamant and am reading with interest.

What books/resources are recommended? I’m nervous to start attending services but know that will be a natural next step. Many thanks in advance.

I'm not sure you realize what you're getting into. Being drawn to the religion is not seen as a credible reason to convert to Judaism.

What is a credible reason? [not OP]

Marriage and clear commitment to the community. Like another PP says Judaism is an ethnicity more than a religion. It's very different from Christianity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any converts here? For many years I’ve felt inexplicably drawn to the religion. Yesterday I picked up “Choosing a Jewish Life” by Anita Diamant and am reading with interest.

What books/resources are recommended? I’m nervous to start attending services but know that will be a natural next step. Many thanks in advance.

I'm not sure you realize what you're getting into. Being drawn to the religion is not seen as a credible reason to convert to Judaism.

Says who? Judaism is so diverse and so decentralized that there is very little consensus about anything. As the old saying goes, "Two Jews, three opinions."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jewish people have a ritual bath ceremony?

Is it anything like ritual of baptism and how some Christian denominations immerse themselves in water?

No, it's not really like a baptism. In fact, Orthodox Jews use the mikvah year-round for all sorts of ritual cleansing. Women go once a month following their period to be ritually cleansed. And following childbirth as well. Men and women go before their wedding. There are a lot of uses for the mikvah in addition to conversion.

A closer comparison to baptism (sort of) within a Jewish context would be brit milah (circumcision) for boys or a simchat bat (celebration of a daughter/girl's naming ceremony) for girls. Both of these rituals bring the baby into the Jewish peoplehood and the covenant with God.

I'm a Christian who's seen a lot of baptisms and I've also seen a mikvah for conversion. The mikvah for conversion looks A LOT like baptism to me. Except that the person is naked. I've never seen a naked baptism!

But it doesn’t have the same theological meaning as a baptism. Please stop trying to make Judaism into just a version of Christianity. Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own.

Oh, stop. PP is degenerating baptism as well.

Huh? Do you mean “denigrating”? I don’t see any evidence that they’re denigrating baptisms.

Yes, sorry, autocorrect. Just wanted to clarify that baptism is its own thing and should be respected as mikvah is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any converts here? For many years I’ve felt inexplicably drawn to the religion. Yesterday I picked up “Choosing a Jewish Life” by Anita Diamant and am reading with interest.

What books/resources are recommended? I’m nervous to start attending services but know that will be a natural next step. Many thanks in advance.

I'm not sure you realize what you're getting into. Being drawn to the religion is not seen as a credible reason to convert to Judaism.

What is a credible reason? [not OP]

Marriage and clear commitment to the community. Like another PP says Judaism is an ethnicity more than a religion. It's very different from Christianity.

Many people would strongly disagree with your statement that it is more an ethnicity than a religion.