Conversion to Judaism. This entails acceptance of the mitzvos, tevila (immersion), and for men, bris milah (circumcision).
9
votes
2answers
392 views
Can only the husband in a gentile married couple convert?
We are a gentile married couple and my husband wants to convert orthodox and im still not sure if i want to convert at all. i found out that the conservative would let my husband convert and stay with ...
-10
votes
3answers
243 views
Did the Rambam say it's OK for a Jew to convert to Islam? [closed]
I read that the Rambam considered a Jew who converts to Islam NOT to be an Apikorus(אפיקורוס)\heretic or an ovdei avodah zarah, as opposed to a convert to Christianity who he considered to be heretic ...
3
votes
2answers
734 views
Can a gentile go to Synagogue on Shabbat and what is forbidden on Shabbat for a gentile?
Is a gentile allowed to participate in Shabbat prayers in a Synagogue (of course he/she will not count for a minyan) if they do so in order to gain knowledge of Jewish customs for the purpose of ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Do people who are Jewish by ancestry but are descendents of apostates need to convert?
Suppose a Jewish woman converts to Christianity. Her children find out about their Jewish ancestry and decide that Judaism is right for them. Do they have to go through a conversion process? Does it ...
16
votes
6answers
622 views
First steps for someone considering conversion
I am 25 years old and I am truly interested in converting. I too also only believe in G-d. I live my life to certain rules that others I see aren't strong enough to live by. I want to know what I ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
Can the descendants of a mamzer ever become full Jews?
Is there any way for the descendants of a mamzer to ever become Jews with full rights, or are they stuck with mamzerus forever? For example, if a man who is a mamzer marries a non-Jew, and then their ...
3
votes
3answers
357 views
Recognition of Chabad conversions
I have read and heard in certain places that among certain Orthodox groups, if one converts with Chabad-Lubavitch that their conversion will not be valid, if someone were to convert with Chabad and ...
4
votes
3answers
348 views
Do Rabbis have to be Jewish by ethnicity?
I am under the impression that a person can be received into Judaism from a gentile nation. My question is whether or not that person could conceivably then become a Rabbi?
Please indicate whether ...
8
votes
0answers
127 views
Are we allowed to ask someone if he's a convert?
I remember learning that we are forbidden to "remind a convert of his past". The implication, as I remember it, is reminding someone that he used to be an idolater. (Though not all converts were.) ...
9
votes
4answers
265 views
Can a convert be a prophet?
I don't think there were any gerim amongst the nevi'im, but would it have been possible?
2
votes
0answers
48 views
Is a convert free to choose his own minhagim?
Back when Jews lived in the same communities for generations, they were obligated to follow the minhagim (customs) of their community. The classic example is that East European Jews held that one ...
5
votes
1answer
134 views
Does someone maternally Jewish, but without documented proof, need “giyur l'chumra”?
If a person is Jewish by maternal decent, but can't prove it conclusively through documents. Do they need to convert? Do they need normal conversion or giyur l'chumra? What are the steps involved?
I ...
4
votes
1answer
82 views
Would a convert/Ba'al Teshuvah have to remove any tattoos they may have?
A Jew is prohibited from tattooing himself. If a person with tattoos were to convert to Judaism, would they be required to have the tattoos removed?
Would a Jew who got a tattoo and later repented be ...
6
votes
2answers
302 views
A Convert taking on customs of ashkanazim or sephardim
When someone converts is there any determining factor on what minhagim (customs) they will take upon themselves in terms of Ashkanazim or Sephardim? Should it be dependent on the Beis Din they ...
2
votes
3answers
121 views
How many times does a Ger immerse?
How many times does a ger tovel (immerse) when converting? I know that a ger immerses first then makes the bracha (can't make the bracha yet until the person becomes a Jew). Does the ger then immerse ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Kitniyot for gerim? [duplicate]
How does a ger decide whether to follow Ashkenazic or Sephardic minhagim? In particular, can a ger eat kitniyot during Pesach?
0
votes
4answers
141 views
Are those who reject idolatry Yahudim (Jews)?
I found the following quote referencing Gemara from a book on converts in Judaism:
The Gemara (Megillah 13•) states that we find the appellation “Yehudi”
in Nach only three times: once for ...
-2
votes
1answer
73 views
How did the Non Bani Israel became the followers of Prophet Moses
What does the Tanach say on How non bani israelites embraced the religion of Prophet Moses at the time of Prophet Moses.
11
votes
4answers
392 views
Would a Karaite be required to undergo conversion?
If a Karaite who knows that his mother is Jewish (Karaite) wanted to join the Orthodox Jewish Community - would he be required to undergo a conversion?
-2
votes
1answer
102 views
How did foreign biblical people became the followers of their respective prophets [closed]
How did the foreign people enter the fold of believers in biblical times of Moses and prior.
One scenario to better understand this question:
In biblical times, A foreign person would have entered ...
6
votes
6answers
209 views
Is there any benefit for a gentile to convert through one denomination versus another?
Despite being raised Conservative, it has been my impression that the only conversion that "counts" is an Orthodox one. I suspect this is the case for making aliyah, but under what other ...
12
votes
2answers
469 views
Can a non-Jew don tefillin?
May a non-Jew or a person who is in the conversion process don tefillin? If not, what are the reasons that they cannot?
8
votes
3answers
189 views
Observance of the convert
Are converts expected to be more observant than the community they are joining? For example, if most married women in a community don't don a wig or head scarf, would this be acceptable behaviour for ...
1
vote
2answers
108 views
If a gentile commited murder and then converted, can he be executed?
Assuming these are witnesses who warned him of the penalty immediately before he acted, as specified in Sanhedrin, if a gentile committed murder (or any other violation of the Noachide Law) and then ...
1
vote
1answer
223 views
Have recently-published allegations that Shlomo Carlebach was a sexual predator led to any bans of his music or conversions?
Even before his death, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was, at best, controversial. Many people loved his music and some congregatins organized "Carlebach minyans" that emphasized spirituality through music, ...
1
vote
2answers
187 views
What happens if someone converts to Judaism and then reverts?
For example if someone in Islam today converted, and tomorrow they return back to any other religion, then:
Crime has been committed.
And must be condemned
His Actions will be punished
Is ...
15
votes
2answers
502 views
If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew?
If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew once born?
5
votes
1answer
491 views
I want to be a Jew, but I'm born as a Muslim
I'm from Algeria, but I'm now living in France. I was born as a Muslim, but since I was 13, I realized that Islam wasn't for me. Since two years, I'm now looking for a new religion, and from what I've ...
4
votes
0answers
200 views
How is giyur le’chumra different from a standard conversion in practice?
I am interested to know how giyur le’chumra is different from a standard conversion in practice? Does anyone have any personal experiences?
My understanding of the meaning of giyur le’chumra (from ...
16
votes
2answers
181 views
Why Not Eight Days Until a Convert's Circumcision?
Why doesn't a convert dip in the mikveh and then wait eight days until he gets his circumcision? The gemara (Yevamot 97b) says ger shnitgayeir kekatan shenolad dami (A convert is like a newly-born ...
3
votes
2answers
105 views
“But Rahab the harlot … dwelt in the midst of Israel, unto this day”
This is from Yehoshua' 6:25.
Assuming she was a harlot and not, as some suggest, an innkeeper, what exactly does this mean? Did she convert? Did her conversion remove the stain of being a harlot from ...
5
votes
2answers
195 views
Can a convert become a synagogue president? Why or why not?
I understand that the National Council of Young Israel has a rule that women and converts may not be elected president of a Young Israel synagogue. I think I saw a gemara -- or a comment to a gemara ...
17
votes
6answers
455 views
When did Avraham Avinu become Jewish
Avraham Avinu is often called "the first Jew".
When did he become Jewish. Was it when:
He recognized G-d?
G-d spoke to him for the first time?
Covenant Between The Parts?
When G-d changed his name?
...
11
votes
1answer
159 views
if a convert later finds out she was Jewish anyway through her mother's mother, does she need a new ketubah?
If a convert (orthodox) later finds out she was Jewish anyway through her mother, does she need a new ketubah since the one she has says bas Avraham and giyorta? Would the answer be different if the ...
0
votes
3answers
221 views
Were there any other religions before Judaism that their followers should convert to Judaism?
You could imagine that with the advent of a new religion, any followers of the last religion would be required to convert to the new religion.
Which followers of which religion converted to Judaism, ...
2
votes
1answer
89 views
Does a ger say yizkor?
A convert's biological parents are not their parents in a halachic sense. In some senses the converting beis din is "responsible" for the convert in the way of parents. In name, at least, the ger's ...
12
votes
2answers
343 views
May (or should) a convert recite kaddish after his biological parents' deaths?
May (or should) a convert recite kaddish after his biological parents' deaths?
I think the answer is that yes, he may do so out of respect for them (even though, in a strict halachic sense, he is no ...
2
votes
0answers
73 views
Are there any statistics regarding how many people convert yearly?
Are there any statistics for the last 50-100 years as to how many people convert and become Geirim yearly?
10
votes
6answers
526 views
Am I liable to be stoned for my devotion to Hashem and the Jewish people?
I have spent over 2 years to this day praying for the Jewish people from the Koren Siddur and Machzorim. I have with my Rebbe's help tried to follow Jewish customs and laws, to my best ability. ...
8
votes
2answers
295 views
What should I do about a fake convert?
I know someone who converted to Judaism, yet throughout the whole process was telling me personally (so I can't tell the Rabbi) that she wasn't interested in keeping Torah AT ALL but was telling the ...
5
votes
2answers
234 views
If a convert's parents convert to Judaism, do they become his halachic parents?
If a convert's parents convert to Judaism, do they become his halachic parents? I understand that a ger is thought to be "reborn" upon conversion to Judaism; therefore, his birth parents are not ...
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Converts, kibbud av v'eim, and non-Jewish holidays
A convert is required to honor his parents. This does not apply when fulfilling their requests violates halacha. I suspect that many parents of converts, who are not knowledgable in halacha and ...
9
votes
3answers
166 views
What shevet did a convert in the midbar belong to (if any)?
During the time in the midbar or when the land of Israel was apportioned by shevet, if someone converted what tribe (if any) would s/he belong to?
The purpose of this question is to deduce a ...
2
votes
2answers
129 views
Go out to receive the Torah then come back to convert Egypt
I just heard from my uncle a novel idea about the Exodus. Apparently, the original intention was for the Jews to go out of Egypt to receive the Torah, and then come back to convert the Egyptians.
...
5
votes
1answer
82 views
Is a Ger first or almost last for assistance?
The Pri Megadim in OC Siman 156 Ashel Avraham Sif-Katan 2 (it's a long piece) cites from the Rambam in Hilchos De'as Perek 6 Halacha 4 that the Mitzvah of Ahavas HaGer (loving a convert) is really 2 ...
3
votes
0answers
131 views
Children of Converts and Specific halachos
The Pri Megadim in OC Siman 156 Ashel Avraham Sif-Katan 2 writes that a child that was conceived in kedusha (sanctity) and born in kedusha to a mother and father that had both converted (i.e. these 2 ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
Is it true that proselytes immersed in their birthday suits in ancient times?
I was told that Jewish proselytes immersed in their birthday suits in ancient times. Is this true? If so, could you please provide sources stating this fact?
7
votes
2answers
159 views
Does a ger have to tovel their dishes?
When a ger finishes their conversion, must they tovel (immerse in a mikvah) their dishes? Does it matter if they had toveled them previously?
0
votes
1answer
128 views
Post-conversion ketubah
She's Jewish. He wasn't. 2+ decades later, he converted. (I don't know when he first intended to... these are the parents of co-workers of a friend of mine.)
Can they get a ketubah now? Should they?
...
9
votes
2answers
285 views
Was Judaism ever a proselytizing religion?
It is often asserted that up until the time of Constantine or so, Judaism was an actively proselytizing religion. This can be contrasted with the common practice today of rejecting potential converts ...
