Chicago Based Conversion to Judaism Program under Conservative Rabbinic Supervision

                          Converting to Judaism Online

          and Jewish Conversion Chicago

Conversions by a  Conservative Rabbinical Bet Din of Metropolitan Chicago

                             Sunday AM class and/or AN ONLINE AND CHICAGO TUTORIAL   PROGRAM

           rabbi@convertjudaism.org

 

847-331-3584

 

 Adult Education Program awarded Gold Medal from United Synagogue of Coservative Judaism 2009http://www.uscj.org/images/SolSchAwards2009_AdultEducation.pdf 

                               

Thank you!  I have been reading and listening to the UTube courses non stop since I spoke with you on the phone.  This is a wonderful set of classes and so informative.  This is wonderful.  Thank you again. Colleen

The course is great! We would recommend it to anyone seeking a path to conversion.
The amount of information is astounding. You put so much work into the course.
We thank you tremendously. David and Cynthia

 

Websites
www.ehnt.org
Esynagogue.org and JewU Online Courses
www.convertjudaism.blogspot.com/
www.onlinehebrewschool.blogspot.com/
www.judaismviavideos.blogspot.com/
www.judaismtochristians.blogspot.com/
www.pararabbitraining.blogspot.com/
www.barmitzvahbvatmitzvahonlinetraining.blogspot.com/
847-331-3584

4500 Dempster st.
Skokie, IL 60076
ph: 847-675-4141
fax: 847-675-0327

Jewish sources and values

JEWISH SOURCES ON CONVERSION

When a proselyte comes to be converted, one receives him with an open hand so as to bring him under the wings of the Divine Presence."

(Leviticus Rabbah 2:9)

 

"Dearer to God than all of the Israelites who stood at Mount Sinai is the convert. Had the Israelites not witnessed the lightning, thunder, and quaking mountain, and had they not heard the sounds of the shofar, they would not have accepted the Torah. But the convert, who did not see or hear any of these things, surrendered to God and accepted the yoke of heaven. Can anyone be dearer to God than such a person?"

Tanhuma (ed. Buber),
Lekh Lekha 6:32

 

"Beloved are proselytes by God, for the Bible everywhere uses the same epithet of them as of Israel"

(Talmud, Gerim 4:3)

 

"Wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried"

Ruth, a Moabite and the
great-grandmother of King David,
who chose to convert to Judaism.
(Ruth 1:16-17)

 

"You shall love the convert"

(Deuteronomy 10:19)

 

"You must understand the feelings of the convert."

(Exodus 23:9)

Historical Background

Throughout history there have been men and women who joined the Jewish people through conversion. In Genesis, after Abram has been called by God to journey to the land of Canaan, we read: "Abram went forth as the Lord had commanded him. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot ... and the persons that they had acquired in Haran". According to rabbinic interpretation, the "persons they had acquired" represented the first converts to Judaism and all converts, when they acquire their Hebrew name, are known as ben (son of) or bat (daughter of) Abraham.

The most famous example of a biblical convert is Ruth who, we are told, was the great-grandmother of King David. Since tradition says that the Messiah will come from the line of David, then the Messiah too will be descended from a convert to Judaism.

In the Talmudic period several well-known rabbis and scholars were themselves converts, or descended from converts, and there have also been interesting examples of group conversion to Judaism, like the entire kingdom of the Khazars in the eighth century.

4500 Dempster st.
Skokie, IL 60076
ph: 847-675-4141
fax: 847-675-0327