teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz) (02/11/85)
As was stated many times in regards to the topic of conversion,
the present law in Israel requires halachik conversion. The recent
amendment was to require conversion by an Orthodox rabbi. Having been
involved in discussions with many converts, I find that many orthodox
rabbis do not tke conversions as seriously as they should, and that
there are conservative rabbis who do take it seriously.
My father and grandfather, both practicing orthodox rabbis, do not
get involved in conversions, for one simple reason. The rabbi who
performs the conversion is attesting to the converts total acceptance
of Judaism. It is hard enough to find born Jews who accept everything,
how can someone honestly say that after two or three years of study,
usually alot less, a person knows exactly what he is accepting upon
himself. I've been studying Judaism since I was a child, and I don't
know everything about Judaism. How can someone know it sufficiently
well after two years to say I'm ready to accept everything?
This is the main reason Jews are so reluctant to accept converts
and why we try to convince them out of their folly. Why would a
person want all the extra mitzvot. After all, if a non-Jew likes
Judaism so much, let him follow the 7 Noachide laws and he will get the
same reward as a Jew who abides by the 613 commandments. Why bother wit
th the other 606? And when you get a person who is adament about converting,
how will anyone be able to teach him everything about the religion.
I digress from the subject. The point in Israel is a few people
wanted to strengthen the orthodox position, at the expense of halacha.
What the law was trying to say is that the conservative and reform
have absolutely no connection with halacha. While this is for the most
part true, as is rather evident from their congregations ( in the
conservative seminary the story is different ), there are some rabbis
who have the highest regard for halacha and follow it closer than many
orthodox rabbis I know.
The law required halachik conversion. As long as the conversion was
proper, why should anyone care who performed it? If the conversion was
improper, then an orthodox rabbi's having performed it doesn't make it
any better. The issue in Israel wasn't halachik conversion or non-hal-
achik conversion. It was purely political.
When it comes to politics I get disgusted with the way almost every
one acts. But that was the issue. So let's not get the issues confused.
The opponents were not advocating non-halachik conversion ( actually
that might be what they were fighting for, but not what they acomplished ).
The only fight was the orthodox's opinion tat only they follow halacha.
Eliyahu Teitz.samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet) (02/17/85)
> My father and grandfather, both practicing orthodox rabbis, do not > get involved in conversions, for one simple reason. The rabbi who > performs the conversion is attesting to the converts total acceptance > of Judaism. It is hard enough to find born Jews who accept everything, > how can someone honestly say that after two or three years of study, > usually alot less, a person knows exactly what he is accepting upon While I respect the reluctance you mentioned I think, in fairness to all of the gerim, that you should have mentioned the other side of the coin, which is quite broad. I remember seeing in Iggeres Moshe a long convoluted analysis of the question of what a Ger thinks Judaism is. Rav Henkin's position is also widely known. I don't think you mean to be hard on Gerim, but someone might read this into your words. Yitzchok Samet