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Subject: Conversion To Judaism, Considering
Conversion Dear JewishPath,
Subject: Conversion To Judaism, Considering Conversion Shalom Robert, We need to ask several questions to better understand where you are: 1) When did you discover JewishPath? 2) What articles have you read on our "SIGHT"? 3) What books have you read regarding conversion? What books? 4) What is your present religion? Have you changed religions more than once? 5) Do you have specific questions? Regards, Rachel Gold
Subject: Subject: Conversion To Judaism, Considering Conversion Dear Rachel, 1. I discovered Jewish Path while researching Judaism on the Internet. It came up under a Yahoo search result. 2. I tried to read as many of the articles as I could in the amount of time that I had. This weekend I hope to do more. 3. In regard to the books I have been reading they include many religious reference books. Chief among them "The Handbook of living Religions" from Penguin Press. When I went to Washington to visit my parents I picked up the "Torah." This has proven to be the most influential of anything that I have read. I have also visited several sites on the Internet. The two that got me started are " The Conversion to Judaism Home Page", and an article I read on this link www.ny-bridge.com/Judaism/bg.html. If you need a more detailed listing I will make every effort to make it for you as soon as I can. My class makes it possible for me to be home only on weekends. I know that some of these references are vague. I beg you to understand that I am only an amateur reading without anyone to guide me. 4. My "faith" is and has always
been Roman Catholic. My mother's side of the family are first
generation Italians from Abruzzi, Italy. My father's side are
third generation Irish from somewhere in southern Ireland. I
wish to tell you that I have never changed religions before.
This is the first time. I feel that if I do convert, I know it
will be the last. I have very strong morals and convictions.
I feel that I have a very strong will. 5. When it comes to specific questions I am not sure what to say... I feel that I do not know enough to ask the right ones. I would just like some simple guidance. I have an extremely strong pull towards Judaism, and the Jewish people. It is absolutely amazing how much it has dominated my thoughts and dreams. For the last year and one half I have been planning a trip to Israel with my younger brother, who ironically also has a very strong interest. In conclusion I very, very much appreciate the time you have given me. Thank you so much for responding as swiftly as you have. I know that I keep repeating myself, but there is something pulling me toward Judaism. This may sound a little silly considering that I am not a Jew, but I feel a definite kinship. Thank you again for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon. Gratefully, Robert M.
Subject: Considering Conversion To Judaism Shalom Robert, Thank you for your detailed
response it helps us to better understand where you are. First, we have dozens of articles discussing the differences between Judaism and Christian / Messianic views. These articles listed on our "Response to Missionaries" page are there for a reason. They explain why a person cannot be Jewish and at the same time embrace Christian / Messianic views. In these articles Dr. Belk discusses many very sensitive issues. You seem to be leaping to conclusions about Judaism without carefully considering the consequences. It would be good to take the time to read these articles. They are eye openers... Second, conversion to Judaism is a lifetime decision. It can NEVER be undone. PERIOD. I am referring to a proper conversion. This does not include the web site on conversion you made reference to. In our view at JewishPath and in the view of the Bais Din {Jewish court in Eretz Yisroel}, conversions must be by a recognized Orthodox rabbi. In the United States only a limited number of Orthodox rabbium are recognized for conversion. For example, in Metro Denver, a community of about 60,000 Jews, at present only one rabbi is recognized by the Orthodox community for conversion. The conversion web site that you made reference to is questionable. It gives the impression that one can convert to less observant groups in Judaism and be considered Jewish. THAT IS NOT TRUE! For example: ...a non Orthodox convert desires to marry an Orthodox Jew.... The conversion is NOT recognized. It will be necessary to do an Orthodox conversion. ...a non Orthodox convert attends an Orthodox shul... He will not be counted as part of the minyan {quorum of ten men needed to conduct group prayer and Torah reading}. His conversion is NOT recognized. ...a non Orthodox convert attends an Orthodox shul... He will not be given an aliya, a call to arise, to come read from the Torah. His conversion is NOT recognized. Robert, at JewishPath we frequently hear of people who spend thousands of dollars to do a conversion through a rabbi from wherever but could not make aliyah in Yisroel. The conversion was not recognized! Third, non Jews are fascinated with Judaism.... Have you attended even one Orthodox congregation on Shabbos? How could one even consider conversion without at least a number of visits to different Orthodox congregations? This makes no sense. Fourth, you will learn if you continue on with your infatuation that converts are considered as if they have no parents. This means you will never again be able to sit down in your parents home or any non Jewish relative's home for a home cooked meal. Forget about eating out unless you live in a large Jewish community like London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. Observant Jews only eat in places under strict kashrus supervision. We purchase our meat and dairy products from kosher stores. Keeping kosher is expensive... This means Christmas, Good Friday, Easter and visits to churches are a thing of the past. This means that one completely surrenders any beliefs in the New Testament, in Jesus, in praying to Saints, in mass, confession, etc... Fifth, Judaism observes Holy
Days differently than other religions observe their holidays.
We have Shabbos each week in which we do not work or drive from
Friday before sundown until Saturday after dark. Also, there
can be as many as thirteen additional days that we observe like
Shabbos throughout the year. This is worth serious consideration.
Some of these Holy Days fall on weekdays on which we do not work,
drive, go on vacations, etc. These are Holy Days that we enjoy
with our families, friends, congregation and community - all
within walking distance. Many non Jews who think they are searching for Judaism are actually searching for the origin of religion. Originally G-d, the Creator, established a religious order for all mankind to follow. G-d gave Adam, the first man, six commandments from the Torah to follow. Later, in Noah's time, G-d expanded Adam's commands to seven. They are entitled "The Seven Noaich Commandments." {These are commandments observed within Judaism as well.} Dr. Belk has written about the Seven Noaich Commandments. {He charges a non refundable $5.95 American Dollars for his booklet plus $2.00 shipping and handling.} You should be aware that there are Noaich congregations scattered throughout the United States and other countries, especially since it is a Torah based religion. It would be worth your while to obtain Dr. Belk's discussion on The Seven Noaich Commandments before considering Judaism any further. You can order these by sending a check or money order to Dr. Akiva Belk at POB 25 Morrison, Colorado 80456-0025. In summary, consider first learning about the Seven Noaich Commandments. Also, you should read all of Dr. Belk's articles on our "Response to Missionaries" page on the JewishPath web site. Other recommended reading is, "Discussions On Conversion: What Is A Non Jew To Do?" on our "Readership Response" page. The entire section {comprised of several communications} is beneficial. Then if this does not satisfy your religious aspirations, feel free to contact us again and we will discuss further recommendations. Robert, I am not trying to make light of you or your desires to convert to Judaism, but it is a huge life change as you may find out. Best wishes in your quest for religious fulfillment. Best regards, Rachel Gold
Enjoyed the humor very much! Just one note for your webmaster from a former
English major, in the Response to Messianics page, what should
have been spelled "SITE" was misspelled Thanks.
At JewishPath we consider our site to be a place where readers receive "{ in }SIGHT." At least that is our goal... Thanks for your comment... Regards,
Subject: Angles Mixing Seed Dear Sir: My question to you though is not really related to that. You wrote/said: G-d's command to not mix seed (which angels were punished for and the world was destroyed over). I never heard of this before, could you tell me more about this thing with the angels and the world's destruction? This is new information to me, so I'd like to know more about it. Best Regards- Benjamin Jacob Rodkin
Subject: Angles Mixing Seed Shalom Benjamin Are you able to read and comprehend
Hebrew? Are you acquainted with the Regards,
Subject: Angles Mixing Seed I can read hebrew, but can't understand it. i must say that although i know of Rashi and his notoriety, i'm not very familiar with his works and though i do have lots of Judaica and of course the Tanach, i don't have a chumash. i'll get one though i hope soon. until then, you'll have to fill me up on this whole angel and destruction of the world thing. Sincerely- Benjamin Rodkin
Subject: Angles Mixing
Seed Your questions have been place on Dr. Belks request list. The list is long. Members have priority. Dr. Belk is a working teacher. Neither he or any member of his staff receive a salary from JewishPath. This is a work of love to the world. Please be patient. Regards, Rachel Gold
Subject: Angles Mixing
Seed Thank you for your patience in waiting to discuss the matter of Malachim cohabiting with the daughters of men as discussed in the Torah, Parshas Bereishis Bereishis, Genesis 6:1-4. There are several opinions on this subject. The difference of opinion exists over the third Hebrew word in verse two, Elokim. Some maintain Bi Nay Haw Elokim to mean "the sons of rulers" while others, myself included, maintain Bi Nay Haw Elokim to mean "the sons of G-d" {meaning angels}. This same terminology "Bi Nay Haw Elokim" is used in Job 1:6 but there it is understood to mean "sons of G-d," "Malachim". We will briefly discuss just the one pertaining to the Malachim cohabiting with the daughters of men. Malachim, angels, desired to come to earth on a mission approved by G-d to prove that they could live among men and not sin. They were warned by G-d that this was not possible, yet He permitted them to visit. They came to earth in verse two. They, the Malachim, looked on the daughters of men, both married and unmarried women. They could not resist. They took {stole} men's wives and daughters and had relationships with them. The results of these relationships were giants {as stated in verse four} who also did the same, G-d forbid. The word for giants as used in verse four can and is also understood to mean Naw Fi Loo, meaning "fell" and in this situation meaning Ha Ni Fee Leem "the fallen ones" {first Hebrew word verse four}. Malachim were created with the potential to reproduce but do not. They are not men. They are spiritual beings that can take on the appearance of men as seen in Genesis 18:2 as "three men." During Creation G-d stated over and over again as in Genesis 1:12 "that seed yielding herbs, fruit trees bearing fruit OF ITS OWN KIND" were not to be mixed. We have dealt with this issue in the article entitled "The Engrafted Tree." Read the story of Creation where every tree and animal, etc. was commanded to produce after its own kind, after its own seed. This is no different with man and woman. As a result, when Malachim cohabited with the daughters of women the result of that improper relationship was "the fallen". They entered into a forbidden relationship that had to be destroyed. In Genesis it was necessary to destroy the entire world but in Numbers 13:33 {where they, the Ni Fee Lemm, were identified by the spies} it was only necessary to destroy the immediate area when Kal Yisroel entered Eretz Cannan in Joshua. Remember, Kal Yisroel was commanded to destroy everything as in Joshua 6:20 - 27. Essentially, the purpose of destroying everything was to eliminate not only the idolatry and the places of idolatry, but also the Ni Fee Leem, the fallen. Wishing you the best, Akiva Subject: Error, Cannot Find Site On your page http://www.jewishpath.org/coloradojewishcommunity/cjcd.html
when you click on your link to As recommended by the Robot Guidelines, this email is to explain our robot's activities and to let you know about one of the broken links we encountered. LinkWalker does not store or publish the content of your pages, but rather uses the link information to update our map of the World Wide Web. Are these reports helpful? I'd love some feedback. If you prefer not to receive these occasional error notices please let me know. Roy B.
Subject: Error, Cannot
Find Site We followed your procedure but did not get the "Error, Not Found" as you described. What day and Time did this problem occure? Regards,
If A site error occures please notifice us by E- Mail. Thank You! Subject: Parsha Dedication Akiva, Rabbi Avie S.
Subject: Parsha Dedication Shalom Rabbi Avie S. Please send your sponsor contribution to: JewishPath Best regards, Rachel Gold Anyone desiring to make a dedication should follow the same procedure. Subject: Yeshiva Preparation Dear Dr. Belk, My name is Ben B., and I am preparing to go to Yeshiva in a couple of years. I am writing you in regards of the wonderful website that you and the staff of Jewish Path have put together. I thoroughly enjoy reading your interpretation on the parsha of the week! Anyway keep up the great job, and I look forward to next week's parsha! With regards, Ben
Subject: Yeshiva Preparation Shalom Ben, Your E- Mail caused tears
to flood my cheeks. It is always a very special pleasure to receive
communication from our dear readers. Each of us at JewishPath
thank you for communicating your feelings to us about our weekly
parsha. Remember to pray for JewishPath. Hashem uses us to reach
thousands Ben, it was especially nice to receive E - mail from a young man desiring to learn in Yeshiva. That is a very excellent goal! Your desire reminds me of another young man who wanted to attend Yeshiva. He used to spend Shabbos frequently at our home. It's a long story. It includes two short diversions for purposes of explaining the story. I hope you won't mind. It is necessary for me to change the names in this story. The Story Of Yaakov, The
Yeshiva Bucher Our first digression, Ben: My wife, Naomi, and I wanted to be a part of this exciting opportunity. We joined our friend the Rav as the only frum family in the new community. Now, thank G-d, there are many families in that area who have entered "frumland." We were very pleased to be a part of this new congregation for a few years. Our second digression, Ben: Now back to the story: He immediately responded, "Yes, but I have to first ask my father if that would be all right." Shortly he returned with a smile on his face. His entire countenance had changed. He could go with us. Yaakov came from a very good Jewish family. They observed Shabbos differently than us but they were good Jews. {We are NOT to judge our neighbor. Only G-d knows where our neighbors are at!} On our walk home that day and at our Shabbos table Yaakov related his gratitude. In no uncertain terms he stated that he was a frum Jew or at least he was trying to be. He was having problems with certain aspects of his life at home. They were very serious to him. One issue was kashrus. Another issue was Shabbos observance. Another issue was attending Yeshiva. He enjoyed eating at our Shabbos table because we observed kashrus, and when he ate at our home it cut his Shabbos walk to just 7 miles. His parents also expressed their gratitude. Yaakov often walked 3-1/2 miles to shul for Shacharis, then 3-1/2 miles home. He returned most afternoons for Minchah Maariv. Yaakov was very committed to Yiddishkeit. Ben, your brief note reminded me of Yaakov. He deeply wanted to attend Yeshiva. It was his vision as it is yours! It was his dream! He lived to attend Yeshiva. His parents were willing to send him to a Yeshiva that was strong in the English departments. Yaakov wanted to attend the local Yeshiva where he learned during the week. Eventually he went off to Yeshiva. {I honestly felt like his parents were stretching and applauded their attempts to work through this situation.} It was a very good Yeshiva in the Midwest. Yet his dream was to attend the local Yeshiva. He NEVER let go of his dream. I am proud of him for holding on to that wonderful dream! Some time later I bumped into him at morning prayers. He came to help us make our minyon. It was such a wonderful surprise! He was a Yeshiva bucher... and his dream to attend the local Yeshiva came true. Thank G-d for this young man's desire to be a Yeshiva bucher. Thank G-d for the Shul Rav who nudged his parents. Thank G-d for parents who support their son's desire to be a Yeshiva bucher. And, Ben, I thank G-d for your desire to attend Yeshiva. I can think of no greater desire than for a young man to attend a Yeshiva or for a young women to attend a Bais Yaakov. In our world we need more people like this. Ben, may Hashem bless you with the fulfillment of your dream to be a Yeshiva bucher. May Hashem bless you with your Hebrew studies, your Torah Learning, your English studies and all those things that you need to reach and support this goal! Please check back with us from time to time and let us know how you're doing. Wishing you the best, Akiva
Subject: Yeshiva Preparation Akiva, Thank you for the warm and wonderful letter that you send! I enjoyed it so much that I read it over through the course of the day at work (I would for the government) And while I do work during the day here that is related to ongoing audits for the Commonwealth, more and more of my free time I have here at work I devote to studying from the Chumash and try to do the best that I can to prepare for Yeshiva. What the amazing part is, while I feel I have not changed much, many people say that there has been a change within me and on the outside too. Sometimes I wonder if this is because of there is a long family history of great rabbis on my mom's side? My dad's side I do not know too much about except they came from Vilna, at one time the center of Jewish study. Yet, I feel I haven't changed much. I still listen to "rock music" and the such, however when I read Torah, and learn from the great teachers like Rashi, Heschel, and the Rambam, there is a flame within me that ignites that I cannot describe. It is something amazing, but at the same time most comforting and exciting. I guess most of all... Studying Torah, and indulging myself within what the rabbis, and sages taught in the past is FUN! And most importantly, the words they taught in their day still ring true today. An example is of how Maimonides back in the 1100's knew about the human condition, and knew that it was good for the human spirit to be well balanced. Even though I am at an early stage of learning; for example my Hebrew is not very good and I am literally scraping the tip of the ice berg, I can say I have learned so much and thirst for more. Most of all I have truly come to appreciate my past, the present and what the future holds. Once again thanks for the warm and encouraging words, and I will definitely keep you up to date of my progress. And most of all... :-) Have a wonderful shabbos! L'hitlarot! Ps. If you can recommend any books to read, I would greatly appreciate it!
Subject: Yeshiva Preparation
Change.... Story Your Closer To My
Home Than Yours "Yes!" replies Dovid, "One day Hashem and Chanoch were walking. It was a long walk, a very long walk." Hashem turns to Chanoch and says, "Chanoch, you're closer to My home than yours... so why don't you come on home with Me..." This simple story is actually quite profound. Ben, every Jew is on a path
leading to Hashem or away from Hashem. Some of us walk towards
Hashem, some stand still and others away. Those of us who walk
towards Hashem are walking away from our attachments. It's like
a force field... the closer we get to Hashem the greater the
pull. Baggage I prefer to look at Yiddishkeit this way rather than feeling the need to give attachments up, like rock music. Attachments will let go as we develop in the way of life Hashem pushes us towards. When Torah becomes more and more fun, your desire for rock music will dissolve. However, if your desire for rock music remains strong then it is your Yetzer Raw, your own individual satan... so to speak. Hashem has given you this desire as a challenge, as a test. Tests can be very good. It depends on how we view them. Why Are We Tested? Ben, we are tested by Hashem to make us stronger. Hashem dearly wants us to pass every test. Yet our challenge must be strong or it will serve little purpose in our development. Keep going forward and work on your Hebrew study. For Chumash study read Rashi, Sorotzkin and Munk; for Talmud, Artscroll's Schottenstein edition; for self improvement all of Pliskin's, Kaplan's and Dessler's sefarim are excellent. I base these recommendations on where you appear to be in Yiddishkeit at this time. Check several out then we can reanalyze. Wishing you the best, Akiva Subject: Lilith Deamoness, Orgin Of Demons Hello, sorry about this question, I realize that it might take a little research, but if you can't help me out without spending hours researching then I'll understand you not getting back to me. Recently in my religion class at school, the subject of Lilith came up, my teacher didn't know who she was so he asked a local rabi who explained that she was the first woman God created. She would not accept Adam dominating her though so God expelled her from Eden. Tonight on the web I found a little more information. It seems Lilith apears in Jewish folklore as a deamoness who throttles newborn babies and seduces men in their sleep. Lilith, it says was most likely first Lilitu, a Assyria demoness with wings and long hair. Also it said that the name was confused with the Hebrew word for night, layil. In Psalm 91, it is thought that Lilith is who is being refered to in the saying, "Thou shalt not fear any terror by night". Because of the closeness of the Hebrew word for night and her name, she is also refered to as the "night-fiend". In Genesis 5.3, it states that Adam lived 130 years and begot a son in his own likeness and image, thus implying that he had previous sons from his betrothal to Lilith in which it is said that demons were the offspring, for example Asmodeus, as well as many others. I was wondering if you have any other information on the subject as it has captured my interest and I would like to know more. if you could get back to me i would appreciate it. My name is Joshua L., my e-mail address is roadrunner_jnl@hotmail.com . If you could at least reply even if this is too time consuming to research or if you just don't know anything about the subject I would greatly appreciate it.Thank you. Sincerely,
Subject: Lilith Deamoness,
Orgin Of Demons Dr. Belk will not be able to address you directly without having the answers to a few questions: 1) Are you Jewish? 2) Do you read Hebrew? 3) What school? 4) What religious class were your making reference to at school? 5) What is your age? 6) Do you have access to the Talmud? The information that you request is discussed in the Talmud. If you do not have one, maybe a large library close to you would. Other religions discuss there theologicalviews regarding the origination of demons {disembodied spirits}. Dr. Belk's view on this subject
is that twice in Torah angels cohabited with the daughters of
men. On both occasions abnormal offspring were produced. So the
obvious question is, did the offspring have souls as normal human
beings have souls? There is room to look at it as they did and
as they did not. However, the more intriguing part to this situation
is the angels The equation that youre referring to is referred to as pre-Adamic man by scientists today. And other religions which make room for this possibility. They view it several ways, one being Genesis 1:2 where the world is void and darkness is upon the face of the deep. They argue that this was the first destruction of the world and that from Genesis 1:2 forward this was a re-Creation or a description of the original Creation which is out of chronological order. Josh, there is much to these subjects and they are very deep. Dr. Belk is acquainted with them but it is not an area most of our readers find intriguing. We hope this information will give you some direction and look forward to receiving the answers to the requested questions. You are on our immediate response list which means you next correspondence on this subject will be answered much sooner. Regards, Rachel Gold for Dr. Akiva Belk Subject: A Non Jews Experience
Subject: A Non Jews Experience
More Information On The Seven Noaich Commandments It was refreshing to receive your E-Mail and to learn that even though you have respect for Judaism you are not necessarily desiring to seek Jewish conversion. Certainly it is G-d who reveals all truth and, without question, each of us are accountable to G-d for our actions. Several staff members were quite impressed regarding the comment, I visited your site and read practically every article.< Our sight has about one thousand pages which is no small feat even for a fast reader Thanks for visiting the JewishPath and sharing some of your thoughts with us....
If you are interested you can order Dr. Belks booklet by sending a check or money order to Dr. Akiva Belk at POB 1075 Georgetown, Colorado 80444. You may also download this artice for non commercial use for private study only The SEVEN Noach Commands Best regards, Rachel Gold, JewishPath is a sponsor of B'nai Noach Torah Institute. As a sponsor we are permitted to offer one FREE E-Mail course on a limited basis per individual from BNTI's Introduction Courses. We invite you to visit and choose an E - Mail Intro Course. BNTI offers Intro Courses in Judaism and Spirituality {7 Noaich Laws}. BNTI Responses are NOT AUTO!!
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