Why Not Make it Easier to Convert?

Question:

I often hear rabbis complain that the Jewish people are shrinking due to intermarriage and assimilation. But it is you rabbis who are the major obstacle to Judaism growing! If you would make conversion a bit easier, many more non-Jews would join us. Why do you stubbornly insist on a long and difficult conversion process, when you are closing the door to many potential converts?

Answer:

I would like to nominate you to be the next prime-minister. You have come up with a brilliant formula that could greatly benefit the world.

You argue that the Jewish people would grow if only it were easier to become Jewish. If we apply your logic to some other scenarios, most of society's problems could easily be solved. We could reduce the number of people living below the poverty line by simply making the poverty line lower. And we could have many more millionaires around if you didn't need so much money to be one! The crime rates would drop dramatically if we just legalize criminal activity. And if we dropped the average life-expectancy people would live so much longer!

Either Judaism is truth, or it is not. If it is truth, then truth can't be saved by diluting it. And if it isn't, why bother saving it at all?

The road to conversion is a challenging one. I have seen the hard work sincere converts put in to become Jewish. They inspire me and I am proud to know them. And I have seen the sad consequences of "quickie" conversions too. To paraphrase Groucho Marx, how could someone respect a religion that bent the rules to let them in?

Perhaps the conversion system isn't perfect. That is something that the rabbis should indeed be working to improve. But we can only fight assimilation by presenting pure, unadulterated Judaism in an accessible and relevant way. That is a Judaism that can be respected - by Jew and non-Jew alike.

By Aron Moss

Rabbi Aron Moss teaches Kabbalah, Talmud and practical Judaism in Sydney, Australia, and is a frequent contributor to Chabad.org.

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January 22, 2013

RE: Jacob Miller

Some of the converts to Judaism in the Torah - who had to deal with MUCH more than spending time studying.... Yitro - coverted, and lost his position as both a consultant to the Paro of Mitzrayim and all the wealth and power afforded him as chief high priest of all idolatry in Midian. look what Rut had to suffer through, picking the corps as a poor beggar would, yet that showed she knew the Laws of Israel... the young man in Shemot who tried to join the tribe of Dan... etc...
However I do agree that while some make the process too difficult, there are those who don't do enough to properly prepare and educate what being Jewish really means...

Reb Yehonatan
Tel Aviv/Chicago/Reno

January 17, 2013

To Charles (and others)

I'm sorry that I did not notice your question earlier. I spent a year working (without any income) on a proposal for a type of Geruth half-way house. A residential institution of Jewish learning where those who are truly interested in conversion could finish their pre-conversion prep while working, attending university, etc. My partner (he is a Ger who converted several years ago) and I tried various sources, some who had direct connection with Gerim. We received encouragement from some very impressive rabbis but could not obtain any funding. Eventually I returned to my day-job. I constantly call or email rabbis and dayanim to ask them to help members of my group. I sometimes act as an advocate. And I've also told a Beith Din that a candidate was not worthy of conversion when I felt that she was not. Geruth work is hard, tedious, and sometimes thankless. But I know that I can rely on Avraham Avinu when my life is over to act as my advocate and justify the time I spend

Rabbi Aryeh Moshen
Brooklyn

January 17, 2013

The question misses the mark

I doubt that most serious converts would ask a rabbi to make conversion "easier." What does that mean? It seems to me that is a silly request after little research. If a higher level thinking individual knew the first thing about Judaism would they ask such a stupid question? That would defeat the entire point of becoming a Jew in the first place-observing the law in its entirety.

Certainly, Judaism has a problem with converts. The convert has to take on mind-numbing lifestyle changes while, embarrassingly, the vast majority of Jews today do not live by these precepts. What sense does that make? That Judaism pushes away too many born Jews with its baggage and attracts a small number of gentiles?

So the convert has to become a 'better' Jew than most Jews-observing Shabbat, etc.- while being questioned about their motivations ad nauseam and condescendingly reminded that "you don't have to do it; there's no obligation for you to be a Jew to have a place in the world to come."

Nicholas
Detroit

January 10, 2013

Study Until the End of the Course, and Then...?

All the stories I read of 'the tyranny of the Beit Din' are indeed daunting, but as I come from Islam I am used to having to deal with all elements of faith, from the most slack brother to the most ultra-hard-core sisters. A conversion court must do what it must do, of course, and although there is no such thing in Islam I am preparing myself through study as much as possible. What I am afraid of is that, due to my history, I will go through this long conversion process only to be told at the end, "NO!" While it would not dampen my fiath or love of G-d in any way, I'm sure it would be a great disappointment. In light of this, once a Rabbi accepts a student for conversion is that student "on track" as long as the marks are hit and the classes and studies are satisfactorily completed? Or is it a 'come on and do all of this and pay this or that and then we'll talk about it" situation? I hate to think of it in those terms, but I'm a realist about such things.

Yohanan
Birmingham, AL
chabadofalabama.com

September 12, 2011

To Rabbi Moshen

I've got a question for you. When would you say our father Abraham starts teaching a proselyte - as a father teaches his child?
Do you think he waits until a Beit Din says this child is now a Jew? To tell you the truth, I think he starts earlier than you might think. May I suggest to you that our father Abraham walks every step of the way through the conversion process hand in hand with the proselyte. This includes up the steps to the Beit Din and forever after, win or lose.
I agree to a large extent with what you say. But, I ask each Beit Din to do every thing in its power to not turn anyone away.

Charles K., Honolulu, HI
Honolulu, HI

September 9, 2011

Understand the dilemma of the Beit Din

If a Beit Din were to convert people unprepared for conversion then others would not only question the conversion of these unprepared people but everyone converted by this Beit Din. Therefore the Batey Din owe it to their converts to proceed in a judicious manner, and only convert those who are truly ready and willing to live as practicing orthodox Jews. Without their commitment and their studies, their conversion serves no one.

Rabbi Aryeh Moshen
NY, USA

June 12, 2011

Conversion and cruelty

The requirements given in the Talmud for conversion are far less stringent than those of orthodox Beit Dins today. Forcing people to wait for years can be deeply cruel in practice, especially for women who are losing valuable childbearing years.

The sheer agony of every day of waiting to reach the mikvah for those of us, like myself, who came into Judaism experientially, is indescribable. It literally becomes emotional and psychological torture.

Not only did my female cycles fall to pieces thanks to all I went through fighting my way to come home as the Jew I was supposed to be - and they never really recovered - I was physicallly ill, contracted dysentery and went to the very end of my emotional resources. Now, six years on, although I am happily married and life is good, I am still recovering from the huge trauma and have recently been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome for which I largely blame the cruelty and unfairness of the whole conversion system I encountered.

Anonymous
Jerusalem, Israel

June 9, 2011

The Convert's path

I agree w/Rabbi Tzvi's comment... find another Shul...
Sometimes there seems to be a misplaced zeal for "making the convert feel unwelcome so that they prove that they deserve to be Jews" - it is not your fault, its ours, and it is especially difficult on single women... Sarah, kol tuv, and here is a web site where u can ask Q's and maybe resolve some of the difficult emotions connected with the process

Reb Yehonatan Levy
Chicago/Tel Aviv, USA/Israel

June 7, 2011

Conversion

Invalidating a "conversion" in my point off view is impossible, If a convert does not live according to Halacha no person can invalidate the proces he/she has been through. G-d tells us in His Torah that being kind and loving to the "stranger" is a Mitzvah because we have been strangers ourselves. Telling a person that his/her "conversion" is annuled will only create adveseries, this is not what the Jewish people need nor want. Coming out or conversion should be done according to Halacha, no person should be turned away once they've shown they are willing to take upon themself the "yoke" of Torah. "Conversion shouldn't bee this hard and painfull!!! Chag Sameach to you all...

Nikki
Almere, the Netherlands

June 3, 2011

Always the same old excuses

I've never read in the Torah that people should have to jump through hoops to be Jewish and the main reasons everyone here seems to give for the hoops seem to be either 'It's tradition,' 'you won't appreciate it unless you suffer for it,' 'I had to work for it so why should anyone else have it any easier?' or some variation of the above. I wonder if the last living Jew, a hundred or so years from now will say 'Boy, I'm glad we made it so hard to be Jewish!'

Jacob Miller
Brooklyn, NT

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