If a man converts to Judaism and follows Sephardic customs, and his son (who is Jewish-by-birth or has already converted) follows Ashkenazic customs, does the son have to follow his father and also observe Sephardic customs?
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2Why does the son have to be Jewish by birth? Would you think it’s any different if the son converted as well by a different Rabbi and therefore keeps different customs?– DonielFSep 10, 2019 at 13:34
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@DonielF If the mother is Jewish, then the son is Jewish. If the father is Jewish but not the mother, he is not Jewish and would have to either a) convert or b) remain a non Jew.– ShmuelSep 10, 2019 at 15:20
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4Related: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/12716/… The ger is not related halachically to his biological parents, even if the father happened to be Jewish. This would suggest that the answer is no.– DamilaSep 10, 2019 at 15:57
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1@Shmuel Read my comment again. I’m well aware of what makes one a Jew. I asked if the father and son converted separately if this question would be any different; I’m trying to flesh out where the OP is coming from so I can gauge a potential answer better.– DonielFSep 10, 2019 at 16:29
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@DonielF I agree with what you are doing regarding the OP's question.– ShmuelSep 10, 2019 at 19:17
1 Answer
If the son was born a Jew then his non-Jewish biological father was not his halachic father and the subsequent conversion of this non-Jew has no effect on the son's customs. Nor is this son required to show the traditional fatherly Kibbud Av to his mother's new husband if he were to marry her. The son should ask his Rav / Rosh Yeshiva how to proceed (as one should in all cases).
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Welcome! Are you the Rabbi Moshen whose book is cited in this answer? You clearly know a lot about the conversion process; surely you'd be able to spend a few minutes longer in improving your answers by adding your sources.– DonielFNov 20, 2019 at 18:52
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אֲמַר לֵיהּ בְּגַיּוּתָן אִית לְהוּ חַיִיס נִתְגַּיְּירוּ לֵית לְהוּ חַיִיס - When they are gentiles they do have family lineage, but when they convert they do not have lineage, as they now belong to the family of the Jewish people and their previous lineage is disregarded. Mar 14, 2022 at 14:18