Questions About Conversion
Real questions, submitted by actual OU Torah followers, with their real answers. NOTE: For questions of practical halacha, please consult your own rabbi for guidance.
Q. I’m enrolled in an IB World Religions Class, and for this class’s final paper, I decided to research the process of conversion to Judaism. I was wondering if someone would email me back about beliefs about the conversion process, what someone would have to do to truly convert, and if you believe it’s even possible?
A. Thanks for your message and for your questions. Conversion to Judaism is indeed possible but, unlike most other religions, we do not actively encourage it. (Judaism believes that righteous non-Jews can earn a place in the Next World, so we don’t need to “save” them.) In fact, we actively discourage those who inquire but if someone persists, we accept them as a candidate for conversion. This is learned from the Book of Ruth, in which Naomi actively tried to discourage Ruth but ultimately relented.
In order to convert, one would have to study with a mentor for about two years, then meet with a Jewish court called a beis din (or beit din, or beth din, depending on how one renders the Hebrew in English). If one doesn't live in an area with Jewish resources (a synagogue, access to kosher food, etc.), one would likely have to relocate. When one is ready, they would have to agree to keep the Torah and immerse in a ritual bath called a mikvah. If the candidate is male, he also must be circumcised.
--------------------------------------
Q. Do you all do adult male circumcision? How?
A. Thanks for your question, which was forwarded to my attention. Since we generally circumcise infants, adult circumcision is mostly relevant to converts or, in rare cases, to Jews raised irreligious who embrace their faith later in life. The circumcision is performed in the usual manner, although somewhat more privately than when circumcising an infant, plus an adult doesn't need to be held in anyone's lap. Medically speaking, adult circumcision is a simple outpatient procedure, generally performed with a local anesthetic.
--------------------------------------
Q. Just women convert to Judaism, no men?
A. Both men and women can convert to Judaism. What made you think otherwise?
--------------------------------------
Q. I have an Ashkenazi Jewish Y chromosome – haplogroup r-m512. I'd like to understand what this means for me as far as the law of return and conversion to Judaism
A. Thanks for your question. Genetic data doesn’t mean very much as far as the law of return and conversion since Jewish identity relies upon having a transmitted tradition that one is Jewish. Genetic data in and of itself is not proof that one is Jewish, though that it might be considered in combination with other evidence, like marriage contracts.
Rabbi Jack's latest book, Ask Rabbi Jack, is now available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.