Conversion to Judaism is more than the adoption of a new identity; it means acceptance of a demanding covenant. It means joining a people with a unique history and a lifelong argument with God and tradition. The convert chooses obligation freely—an act that challenges those born into it to reconsider their own commitments. Conversion reminds us that Judaism is not inherited passively; it must be embraced consciously, through study, struggle, and moral resolve.
You see things; and you say "Why?"
But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?"
"Back to Methuselah"
George Bernard Shaw
Dear Friends,
Some of you have asked me to elaborate on my earlier Thoughts to Ponder (215) concerning the serious problems which the State of Israel and the Jewish People encounter in relation to conversion. It is with pleasure that I respond:
Conversion is a serious matter. It signals a transformation and involves a tremendous amount of soul-searching. Human beings are more than just accumulations of plasma, complex robots, or tool-making creatures that can change and adapt at the drop of a hat. Human beings have souls and profound emotions. They experience spiritual and moral struggles in which religion plays a major part. Conversion is a far-reaching decision: it culminates in immersion in a mikvah, a ritual bath that symbolizes the mother's womb. "A non-Jew who converts is like a newborn baby", says the Talmud in Yebamoth 22a. Conversion also implies a deep commitment to Jewish tradition. It requires a pledge to follow a particular lifestyle, the observance of the commandments and a deep emotional connection with the Jewish people. (2) It means becoming part of this mysterious "Jewish soul", which remains unexplainable but is as real as it can be.
As the State of Israel and its rabbinical courts are heading for a major showdown concerning conversion, it is remarkable that not one of the participants, including the orthodox, have considered a major and most crucial question: Is conversion altogether possible? This may sound like a rhetorical question since the answer is in the affirmative. Yet this question goes to the very core of the problem and as long as we do not deal with it, all deliberations concerning this matter are more or less meaningless. The reason for this is very obvious: Logically speaking, conversion to Judaism should not be possible.
In Converting to Judaism, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Shavuot
As long as Judaism is taught as merely a luxury, something extraneous to life, it will be of little importance in the eyes of those who are asked to become Jewish. But when we teach it as being indispensable, it will become life itself and will make waves in the souls of all those we approach.