So much of conversion is about acquiring knowledge and then learning how to translate that to real life situations. Input followed by output. But what kinds of knowledge should you import into your poor, overworked brain in order to produce the right output? It’s not as simple as “learn halacha. Read More »

I have a well-documented enjoyment of the Groggers. They released a new song on Valentine’s Day, and I wasn’t planning to comment on it. It’s the first song off their upcoming (as yet unnamed, apparently) album: Jewcan Sam (A Nose Job Love Song) . As always, power pop/punk combined with satire makes me happy. Read More »

Claudius Templesmith has two announcements for you this morning! (Mandatory nerdy reference while re-reading the Hunger Games. Sorry.) 1. I’ve added several interesting blogs to the Blogroll page linked above. Peruse and enjoy. 2. For your statistical pleasure, I’ve added a pageview counter to the upper right-hand corner of the page. Read More »

This has been a surprisingly contentious issue. What do you say to someone upon finishing their conversion? Congratulations in English is a simple, easy way to do convey all the possible emotions. Out of the 200+ congratulations I’ve received in person and online, almost all people said “mazal tov!” to me, and I think that’s appropriate. Read More »

Born Jews are very quick to throw out the advice that a conversion candidate should “try being a Noachide!” They’re very enthusiastic about this, but I find that they rarely know what it entails, much less what it is really like to be a Noachide. Most can’t even name the seven laws. Read More »

I’m reading an interesting book I plan to review on the blog soon. The book describes a halachic issue that never occurred to me before: Can a man convert if a medical condition prevents him from getting a circumcision? Apparently, according to most authorities, no. Read More »

Disclaimer: All names in this post are completely made up (and often from random name generators). If I happened to accidentally choose your name, I apologize. Well, except for the famous names. I just felt like using those. It’s very common for converts to take on a Hebrew name as their “everyday” name, even if only in some parts of their lives. Read More »

You’re a smart cookie, so you already know that the laws of taharat hamishpacha require a married woman to go to the mikvah after a waiting period that comes after the period ends or a certain number of days. So that means you have to plan your conversion mikvah date equally carefully, right? Not necessarily. Read More »

So you’ve heard of the mikvah because a conversion requires it. But did you realize there are different kinds of mikvahs?? The women’s mikvah , of course. That’s where all conversions happen, female or male. It’s the nicest and usually also the cleanest. It’s made for single-person use and is primarily used for taharat hamishpacha reasons. Read More »

As most of you have figured out at this point, my conversion was finished a month ago. So what happens to the blog now?? My current plan is keep on doin’ what I’m already doin’. There is clearly a need for this kind of information and discussion. This isn’t going to turn into a “what to do as a new Jew” blog. Read More »

I’m sure the topic of this post confuses you. Of course you can’t use a computer on Shabbat! That’s right. But there are still some computer issues that could create the appearance of using a computer on Shabbat, and that might just get a conversion candidate in hot water with a rabbi or beit din. But there’s no need for it. Read More »

Maybe you’re considering getting another conversion. But what about the mezuzahs you already have on your doors? In your new community (even if it’s within the same geographic area), you are not (or “might not” be) halachically a Jew. Mezuzot on your doors could confuse people, and technically, you aren’t obligated in the mitzvah. Read More »

There’s an interesting thing going on in Manhattan in the month of February! The Seforim Sale has conquered the Yeshiva University campus. It is the largest seforim sale in North America, and almost everything is being sold at a reduced price. There’s books, cookbooks, music, children’s books, all kinds of things. Read More »

I have a big rallying point that I try to drive home in the born-Jewish community: Conversion candidates are the canaries in the mine of Judaism. If you don’t know the analogy, here’s what Wikipedia has to say : “Canaries were once regularly used in coal mining as an early warning system. Read More »

In short: Just pick one. Your options: A full 6 hours5 hours and one minute3 hours1 hour (Almost no one does this, and you better be able to say you’re Dutch or in a Dutch community. I have a Dutch name, I really should have considered this option.) I believe there is one or two other options, but these are the primary contenders. Read More »

When you first become “religious,” you’re passionate. You’re motivated. You’re going to be the best Jew ever . This is called “frumming out.” Conversion candidates do this just as much as baalei teshuva. And are just as unpopular for it. You might just drive everyone you know crazy. Read More »

Parnassa (also written parnassah) means livelihood. It is your income and your ability to support yourself. Traditionally, it has meant your “living” in the sense of “making a living. Read More »

I debated on if/when/how to write about this on the blog. My conversion was finalized on Jan 12, and I’m very happy with the conversion experience. It had its difficulties early on, but a new location and new rabbis gave me a conversion that was as respectful and as painless as a conversion can be.  Nothing feels different, really. Read More »

It’s been a while since we enjoyed a pop culture post, so let’s tackle the “Stuff Xs Say” theme. They’re reasonably safe for work, but you probably shouldn’t be watching them at work anyway. The original, and probably the best made: My second favorite: “I love waiting 6 hours between meat and milk. …It gives me time to reflect. Read More »

You’ve got your first meeting with the beit din (or the head of the beit din)! Yay! So what do you wear? In general, you should dress very conservatively, even if it is not what you would wear on a daily basis. This is not dishonest, it is respectful. Read More »