15
votes
Accepted
When is a convert's Hebrew birthday?
Dinonline answers,
Although a Ger is considered to be “born anew” when becoming Jewish,
this is a halachic concept that relates to family relationship and the
like, and it is not a “biological ...
- 14.7k
15
votes
Can descendants of Amalek become Jewish?
We can see how the commandment to eradicate Amalek does not contradict the possibility of converting to Judaism, from Rambam's description of the eradication process (Hilchot Melachim 6:1-4, Touger ...
- 50.3k
15
votes
Accepted
How can a Jew Exit / Leave their Religion?
I believe you have misunderstood the text. The interviewee is saying that in Islamic law it is forbidden to change from any one religion to any other religion other than Islam. So according to Islamic ...
- 25.1k
15
votes
How Do Modern Orthodox Women Typically Dress?
There is a wide variety out there. I'd recommend Googling some synagogues that you might visit post-pandemic, and often there are photos there of its members. That should give you some sense. If you ...
- 136k
14
votes
Accepted
Circumcision for conversion of someone whose male genitalia have been removed
The Shulchan Arukh (YD 268:1) rules (like the Tur, quoting a Gaon; see too Tosfot Yevamot 46b) that a male whose genitals have been removed ("Nikhrat haGid") doesn't need Milah or Hatafat Dam Berit, ...
- 101k
13
votes
Does a transgender male convert require a Hatafas Dam Bris?
Here is an excerpt from Encyclopedia Halachit Refuit from Dr. Avraham Steinberg.
Translation (my own): A women who underwent surgery to appear like a man, even if they formed for her a male limb, ...
- 1,213
13
votes
Halachically, must a Jewish convert sever ties with his non-Jewish family?
Unless there were extenuating circumstances at play, I think someone has gone too far here.
Maimonides Laws of the Rebel, 5:11:
הגר אסור לקלל אביו הגוי, ולהכותו ולבזהו--כדי שלא יאמרו, באו מקדושה ...
- 136k
12
votes
Can someone convert to "Messianic Judaism"?
So-called "Messianic Judaism", meaning something that claims Jesus is the aforementioned messiah, is not accepted by mainstream Judaism. It is presumably possible to "convert" to ...
- 57k
12
votes
Accepted
Shelo asani goy- converts
The question of whether or not converts recite the blessing goes back many centuries.
Say it
Some hold that he does recite the blessing. (Cf. Ba'er Heitev (OH 46)).
Don't Say it
Abudirham (Birkhot ...
- 36k
12
votes
If I want to be a Jew, can I take any name from the Tanakh?
There is no law (halacha) requiring a convert to choose a certain name. So it would appear as well from a responsum of one of our great authorities, R. Asher b. Jehiel (§15:4).
Examples of converts ...
- 12.1k
12
votes
How can geirus (conversion to Judaism) be done without the prospective convert knowing at least the basics of ALL the mitzvos?
Viewing geirut as spelling out every detail of the b'rit seems impractical. Even many Jews from birth don't know the basics of all the commandments, and while it's reasonable to have a higher bar for ...
- 57k
11
votes
Why are Converts required to use "Ben Avraham" instead of "Ben Ysrael"?
Abraham was the first convert. He was not born into anything but the idol worshipping traditions of his day. He recognized G-D and served Him. He also brought others to that recognition. He was the ...
- 11k
11
votes
Currently in a marriage with a non-observant Jewish woman and I want to convert to Orthodox
Greetings and welcome to J.SE.
Many born-Jewish couples have worked out agreements whereby one spouse's level of observance is higher than another's. Some of the biggest questions involve matters ...
- 136k
11
votes
"She may marry any Jewish man"
They meant "other than a Kohen, she can marry any Jewish man that a born-Jewess can marry"; her status as a convert poses no additional issues. (In fact, she can marry more men than a born-Jewess, as ...
- 136k
10
votes
what percentage of Reform Jews are halachically Jewish?
Non-halachic Reform Jews are those whose mother was not Jewish, yet they consider themselves Jewish because of either a heterodox conversion or patrilineal descent. We can mostly figure out the ...
- 494
10
votes
Why cannot a convert make certain statements? I feel they are being pushed away at the same time respect is being given to them
You're absolutely right to compare this statement to saying "our fathers" in tefillah. The mishnah in Bikkurim 1:4 makes the same comparison and rules that a convert can't say either one.
We don't ...
- 9,421
10
votes
Accepted
What is the source for pushing away the convert three times?
It's in the Midrash [Ruth Rabbah 2:16]:
Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said in the name of Rav Yehudah ben Hanina: Three times is it written [in the Book of Ruth] "turn back", corresponding to the three ...
- 23.6k
9
votes
Converting Conservative Online
Such a conversion would not be accepted in the Conservative movement. A site offering an online-only Conservative conversion is at best extremely misguided, and possibly a scam.
For starters, ...
- 57k
9
votes
Can a woman divorce her husband and then convert to Judaism?
It sounds like whoever's asking this question is going through a great deal of upheaval of a both personal and religious nature, and would greatly benefit from speaking with a competent rabbi in-...
- 136k
9
votes
Non-Jewish family in an Orthodox Jewish Wedding
I was involved with someone who had the following situation (I don't know the sources involved in the decision, just the guidance that was given. HaRav Tzvi Berkowitz was the Rav being consulted):
...
- 59.1k
8
votes
How is giyur le’chumra different from a standard conversion in practice?
I went through what I think was an orthodox giur l'chumrah from 2008-2010. I say "what I think was" because the rabbi who referred me to the Beit Din told me that it was a giur l'chumrah. I don't ...
- 81
8
votes
Shelo asani goy- converts
It's a makhlokhet. According to Halachipedia, The Avudraham (cited by the Beit Yosef 46:4) says no because the b'racha is about how God created him. But the Shaarei Knesset HaGedola (cited by the ...
- 57k
8
votes
Accepted
How does one reconcile the fact that Avraham Avinu proselytized to non-Jews and yet Judaism is not a proselytizing religion?
I think there is a subtle difference.
To proselyte is to ask/convince someone to convert to a religion. In the case of Avraham there was no Jewish religion, it was just an acknowledgment of G-d's ...
- 34.5k
8
votes
Accepted
How does a Jewish community recognize a Jewish person they hadn't seen ever before?
There’s no Jewish identity card!
In theory, people who claim to be Jewish should generally be believed absent any specific reason to doubt them. For example, Rambam said (Hilchot Issurei Bi’ah 13:10) ...
- 2,602
7
votes
Statistics regarding how many people convert yearly
In the US, about 1.5% of self-identified Orthodox Jewish adults say they had a formal conversion, according to data from Pew's 2013 survey of American Jews. This amounts to about ~7000 people. (...
- 494
7
votes
Accepted
A piyut refers to the converts: Keni, Na'aman, Ovadiah, Rachav, Na'amah and Ruth. How come?
1) Keni was one of Yisro's names. (See Rashi who brings the Mechilta about his many names and Rashi further mentions there that he converted; Shmos 18:1)
He is famous for exclaiming that now he knows ...
- 11k
7
votes
Accepted
Why Jews feel no need to evangelize/convince others of their beliefs?
The only convincing we believe in is setting a good enough example of being upright human being so that people look and declare that God and His Torah is righteous.
The Jewish perspective is that ...
- 5,113
7
votes
Are converts to Judaism considered inferior in any way to Jews who are ethnically Jewish?
Note the Mishnah in Horayos 13a:
כהן קודם ללוי. לוי לישראל. ישראל לממזר. וממזר לנתין. ונתין לגר. וגר לעבד משוחרר. אימתי בזמן שכולן שוין. אבל אם היה ממזר תלמיד חכם. וכהן גדול עם הארץ. ממזר תלמיד חכם....
- 34.7k
7
votes
Why are Converts required to use "Ben Avraham" instead of "Ben Ysrael"?
When HaShem changed Avram's name to "Avraham" he explained that it stood for "Av hamon goyim," the father of a multitude of nations.
This shows us that every convert is considered the spiritual (not ...
7
votes
Accepted
Is it true that for one to become a Jew he has to be either born Jew or his mother is a Jew?
The sentence in your question is a tautology. Someone whose mother is a Jew is born a Jew
The definition of a Jew is the first example of a recursive algorithm. That is the rule is
A person is ...
- 43.5k
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