Converting to Judaism
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Anonymous
Never said it shouldn’t. |
Anonymous
I would say it’s equally an ethnicity and a religion. |
Anonymous
It's actually the opposite. Marriage is a weak reason, while feeling drawn to the religion is a strong reason. |
Anonymous
Plenty of people convert "for" marriage, but I wouldn't say it's seen as a "credible" reason to convert. Marriage is often seen as a suspicious sign among born-Jews, like converting for marriage is not a commitment to the religion/community, just to one person, and that's not good enough. That said, we often also treat people who come to Judaism completely on their own with only a "clear commitment to the community" like their desire to join us is utterly bizarre and we can't possibly understand the appeal of our own community. It's a weird little Catch-22 quirk that we all have. I wouldn't say Judaism is an ethnicity MORE THAN a religion. The two are certainly intertwined in ways that can make them difficult to navigate at times, but we have always accepted converts. In fact, Jewish law goes out of its way to negate your claim: 1. We are commanded to love the convert and not oppress the convert. Constantly reminding the convert that they can never be fully Jewish, because they aren't ethnically Jewish (which is essentially what your claim does), violates this commandment. 2. The tradition of giving a convert the Hebrew parents "bar/bat Avraham v'Sarah" in their Hebrew name is explicitly designed to insert converts into our shared lineage/descendancy. 3. We share the belief that every Jew who is/was/will be stood together at Sinai, including converts to Judaism. We are also only four weeks away from the holiday in which we are commanded to see ourselves as the Israelites in Exodus. These mental exercises are a great opportunity for us all to practice different ways of seeing ourselves and others within our shared history and community. |
Anonymous
Men can be ritually impure and required to use mikvah. Women can be ritually impure and required to use mikvah. Men tend to lie more so they deny that they are ritually impure. 
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Anonymous
Fair enough. This comment "Let us have our own rituals that exist on their own" seemed to imply baptism wasn't important, but I'm willing to confess that I've had a horrid day and am probably reading into things. |
Anonymous
That’s not at all what I intended. I didn’t like that that poster kept insisting it was like a baptism. |
Anonymous
Culture, traditions, nationality and religion. You can find almost all ethnicity in the community. |
Anonymous
There are lots of ways that both men and women can be considered ritually impure. Regardless, most non-Orthodox Jews don't visit the mikvah regularly, if ever. I have only been to a mikvah once in my life (for my conversion). My born-Jewish mother-in-law, who has belonged to Reform and Conservative synagogues throughout her life, has never been to the mikvah. My husband has only been once as part of his Birthright trip in Israel when all the boys were required to go (meanwhile, the girls went shopping). There are lots of modern-day reasons why someone might want to go to the mikvah - to mark an important milestone in life or to symbolically reset yourself after an illness or hardship, for example. |
Anonymous
Fascinating theories but the practice is quite different. I know people who have struggled for years and seen with constant suspicion when trying to convert in the absense of a Jewish spouse and very supportive in-laws. |
Anonymous
...Yes, I said that too:
PP (you?) claimed that marriage was a "credible" reason to convert and I pointed out that it often is NOT seen as a good reason to convert, while at the same time, coming to Judaism on your own is also viewed with suspicion. Basically, we are suspicious of converts' motives no matter what they are. That doesn't mean that the convert's motives (whether for marriage or being drawn to Judaism or whatever else) aren't actually credible, just that we as a Jewish community have a trust problem. 
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Anonymous
So what's your advice for OP? |
Anonymous
I suggested a number of books for OP, which is what they asked for, and some next steps if they decide to move forward with conversion. I'm the poster from 03/03/2023 21:03 on page 3. Did I miss the part of your post where you offered advice? Or did you just want to let OP know that their interest in Judaism isn't enough? |
Anonymous
| Why not just follow the Noahide laws? That's how gentiles (like you and I) go to heaven according to Orthodox Judaism. |
Anonymous
Only 7 laws Vs 613. I don’t think it is about heaven, It is to be be considered a moral person . |