Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism

The next of the 48 ways is loving justice. This means that I try and do the right thing and stay away from anything that is crooked or deceitful. Even if people wouldn't necessarily catch a person on it, they don't want to be part of it at all!

There are times in a person's life that we may be searching for loopholes. Even if the loophole is permissible according to the letter of the law, is it something that I should partake in even if the likelihood of any repercussions for that action is negligible.

That is what this character trait teaches us. In that situation, a person should navigate a straight and honest path whereby there is no one that can have anything bad to say about them. This is not an easy thing because there are probably many people that do not care about and will rely on the particular loophole.

Loving justice allows one the ability to judge someone favorably as well. If someone is involved in a court case, for instance, and their name has been splashed all over the news, it is very hard to look at that person objectively. Justice is something that we look at as something positive.

Unfortunately no one wants to have to go through a trial and all the trouble that it entails. At the same time, justice is required to keep the world in check and let it function.

We should pray that G-d gives the wisdom to his judges that they are able to judge with fairness and righteousness.

The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is loving rebuke.Why would someone want to get rebuked, and then actually like it? This will depend on where the rebuke is coming from.

If indeed the person giving rebuke is telling his friend what he is doing wrong because he actually cares for his well being, then the friend will be ever so grateful for the kindness the other one is doing for him. The reason is because his friend is trying to help him change and become a better person.

The problem is that sometimes our ego's get in the way and even if someone is trying to help us, we will be reluctant to accept the help and want to work things out on our own. Not only that, but we may possibly resent the other person for "meddling" into my business. If it is done right, though, this person may indeed be saving the friend's life.

There is a famous story with the Chofetz Chaim that illustrates this point. There was someone in the yeshiva in Radin who smoked on shabbos. Word got back to the Chofetz Chaim and he called to speak to the boy.

The boy came in and the Chofetz Chaim looked at him, grabbed his hand very tightly, began crying and said the word "Shabbos" That was it. From that day on, that boy never smoked again on Shabbos and continued to be a religious Jew the rest of his life.

Rebuke like that which comes straight from the heart will have its affect. Only a mentor who knows his student well must be able to give rebuke in a way that the student can handle it and grow from it. Today, we don't know how to give rebuke and a person has to be very careful if he does give it.

The most important thing to know if one give's another rebuke is to do it out of love and general caring. If it is done that way, then it has a chance of being accepted and acted upon.

The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is loving righteousness. This means understanding our obligations and fulfilling them. The question really is how do we look at obligations, are they good for us or not?

Obligations are not easy because they require hard work. At the same time, they give a person structure and gives a person a sense of importance and pride. They can help us in our everyday life and show us the importance of giving to others and helping them.

Sometimes things that we are obligated to do aren't fun. Who likes to clean their room or take out the garbage anyway. Each one of can pitch in and help which then things get done and make the home function in a more orderly fashion.

Wouldn't it be fun just to do what we want and not worry about what I have to do. If I do it because of my own free will then I will enjoy what I do much better. The answer is that even if I have to do things because I am obligated teaches us a fundamental lesson.

Just because I have to do something I don't enjoy builds character, isn't that what we are told! Yes and no. In reality, doing something I don't like or rubs me the wrong way helps me overcome it and give to someone else. This builds a relationship between people and helps us go beyond our normal comfort zone.

At the same time, I may come to resent it but really I should look at it as a time to grow and do things I don't necessarily like to do. Don't resent it, thrive in the situation and overcome your desire to do what you want.  This will help a person's soul tremendously and help us reach our true potential!

"For any soul who will not be afflicted on this very day will be cut off from its people" (Vayikra 23:29) Unfortunately we see many times that people who transgress the Torah and are obligated to be spiritually cut off (Kares) and have their lives shortened, live long prosperous lives. How can we reconcile this possible contradiction?

Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita brings in his commentary on Chumah (Ta'am V'Da'as) that Kares is not necessarily describing physical body and death but rather spiritually and being cut off from the source (G-d himself). In reality, they desecrate all aspects of the Torah and live their lives without any  spiritual connection whatsoever.

In reality, they are really considered dead (spiritually dead), that is even if they are alive in this world. There are so many people today that don't have any connection to Judaism or their spiritual heritage. Not only that, they send their children to secular schools and intermarry at an alarming rate.

The only way to cure this ailment is through learning Torah and keeping mitzvos. Without that, it is like the soul is starving and decaying.

There was a story a number of years ago of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail.  The prisoner saw one of his jailers that day and asked him, "It says in your Torah that on the festival of Passover, you are not allowed to eat unleavened bread (chametz) and here you are eating a sandwich. How do you explain that?

The jailer said, "Those are antiquated laws, for things that happened thousands of years ago. That doesn't apply today. We are the new Israel! We don't need those old laws!"

The Palestinian terrorist understood that it will be only a matter of time before Israel hands over the land to the Arabs. He understood that this person has no connection to his heritage or to his history. A person who has no connection to that, will eventually give that up.

This is a lesson for us to know that one of the worst things that can happen to us is to lose that connection to the source of all life and to the One that sustains us. Losing that connection and going in the ways of the non-Jews and the secular world is akin to cutting yourself off spiritually!

May we merit to keep the fire of Torah burning and get tremendous enjoyment of the mitzvos that we do.

Good Shabbos

The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is loving G-d and loving mankind. Loving G-d is not the easiest thing to do since we know He runs the world and is in control, there are many times that we don't understand His ways. We are obligated here to love Him because it would seem that anything else is insignificant.

If we look at our lives and see the good things that we have, shouldn't we be thankful to Him for everything He has given us? No matter what life throws our way, life could be even worse, couldn't it? Is the cup half full or empty?

We says this every day in the Shema that we have to love G-d. He has done so many things for the Jewish people throughout history which continues until this day. Probably the most important reason we should love Him is because He has given us life. I guess if we don't have life we are dead, and that probably isn't good so at the very least we should be grateful for that.

Performing mitzvos because we love G-d enhances our observance and helps us to reach high spiritual levels. It is only because I give of myself and try to emulate G-d's ways that allows me to do this.

The next part after loving G-d is love humanity. This comes after loving G-d since loving G-d is essential for our existence and observing mitzvos, loving humanity is just as crucial. Loving people that you like is easy but what about people that we don't like or annoy us?

This is more difficult but the idea is that the more people we love and want to give to and help make us better people. This helps us to go beyond our comfort zone so-to-speak and go beyond ourselves. By giving to others, we look at their virtues which makes us appreciate them even more.

We need to look at the good in others and focus on the positive. The problem is that we often focus on a person's faults which hinders any relationship. Isn't there enough negativity in the world as it is, why do I need to add to it?

When we look at other's virtues and good qualities it is easier to give and respect them. This in turn makes us feel good and boosts our self-esteem. When we appreciate even the small things that others do for us, it gives us great pride that we are part of this world and that we can make a difference.

The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is being beloved. This means that this person has perfected their character traits to the point where people would like to emulate them. They either love to help others, give of themselves and are selfless as well as being all-around good people.

The commentaries tell us that if a person looks for recognition and fame, it will not come to them but if someone is truly humble, they will get the recognition they deserve. The reason is simple. People like this strive to help others and don't expect anything in return. It is this presence that gets them recognized.

Another reason that people are beloved is because of how much they are willing to give to others. We say the Shema twice a day. In the first paragraph, we say "Ve'Ahavta es Hashem Elokecha..." "You should love the L-rd your G-d..." The root of the word to love is Ahav or it's Hav. The word Hav in Aramaic means to give.

If we want to love anyone, we must learn how to give of ourselves. This giving allows us to go beyond ourselves, so to speak and let others benefit through my actions. When I give, I give of myself. This is why parents love their children most of all.

We can give to others in many ways. We can visit people in a hospital or have guests at yourself for Shabbos or a holiday. When we do this with the right attitude, we inspire others and ourselves as well.

The Ramchal in Mesilat Yesharim (Path of the Just) tells us that G-d created the world to give to us, for us to benefit from it.  G-d is showing us how we must emulate Him and give to others which is a strong benefit for us.

Why is it that there are people interested in converting to Judaism but they don't end up finishing the process? Not only that, the ones who do start the conversion process, do not end up finishing the process!

There are many obstacles that converts to Judaism go through that sometimes they are not able to overcome. One of them is family issues. Many times family, who still may be of a different religion, may try and convince the potential convert to come back to their "old" religion and not to convert to Judaism. This puts a lot of pressure on the potential convert and sometimes family pressure can really be difficult.

Another potential problem is the issue with fitting into a community. The pressure of wanting to fit in and always being under the microscope by people in the community even after the conversion is finally over! This makes the potential convert feel self-conscious and always being looked at.

There are also issues in communities that the potential convert sees and wonders why they want to be part of the Jewish people in the first place. This is how religious Jews act? Why all the negativity from people? This can grind on people as well which can confuse and dissuade the potential convert to Judaism.

Another important issue that makes life difficult for the potential convert to Judaism is money. Moving into a religious Jewish community means that it will undoubtedly cost more money. Kosher food is more expensive, schooling  is expensive....This can put a tremendous strain on the family.

At the same time, to be an Orthodox Jewish convert, you have to live within walking distance of a synagogue and there must be a number of Orthodox synagogues and schools in the area, to be part of a thriving Jewish community.

These are but a few of the problems that a potential convert to Judaism may go through but if one wants to succeed, they must be vigilant and strong in their beliefs and actions to persevere the conversion process!