What would conversion to Judaism entail?

For our conversion process at Benei Avraham, we require potential converts to participate in our community, begin learning Hebrew, and read several books. The goal is to both learn and also practice Judaism. Judaism should be in our hearts and minds, but it also needs to be part of our every day lives.

For community participation, we require attendance either in-person or online on Shabbats, and attendance in person for the shalosh regalim, or the 3 pilgrimage festivals. This includes the Pesach or the Passover week, Shavuot (a.k.a. Pentecost), and the Sukkot (a.k.a. Feast of Tabernacles). It is possible to miss a few of the holy days, if you have a local shul to keep them with instead. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, and Purim should also be observed in community, either online or locally.

Learning the Hebrew language is important because it is the language of our Holy Torah and the language of our nation. Remember, Judaism is not simply a religion, but the people of Israel are part of a nation, and every nation has a common language. Learning Hebrew is a very big endeavor, however a convert should at least learn the Alef-bet. The blessings that are said every day can be said in English, but every good Jew should strive to learn Hebrew as well. Many treasures from the Torah are opened only through knowledge of the Hebrew language.

We will discuss the required reading later. After these things are done, we will schedule a conversion ceremony along with others who are also pursuing conversion. We do these ceremonies about once a year. We have outlined what the ceremony is like in another lesson.

If you are interested in learning how to live a Jewish life and becoming a part of Israel, if you feel you are drawn to the beauty of Torah and you have a Jewish soul, we invite you to accept the Torah covenant, which is open to all people.