Another Bad Road Paved With Good Intetnions

Image for illustration purposes (Jerusalem Post)

I am with the Charedim on this one.  As is the Centrist rabbinic organization, the RCA (Rabbincal Council of America).

There is a new ‘Orthodox’  conversion court (Beis Din). An op-ed by Rabbis Adam Mintz, Jonathan Leener, and  Avram Mlotek in the Jerusalem Post describes their efforts to make the path for those seeking to convert to Judaism a bit friendlier and more welcoming. A truly noble goal. They explain that: 

…the current hurdles to entry at many Orthodox beit dins are almost impossible for the individuals who wish to join our ranks, and the process leaves a lot to be desired.

I agree. Converting to Judaism ain’t easy. Aside from undergoing a circumcision (for men) and immersion in a Mikva (for both men and women) it requires an unequivocal commitment to follow ALL the Mitzvos of the Torah as interpreted by the sages throughout history and to the present day.

Indeed, it can’t be easy to commit to a lifestyle filled with obligations which were mostly unknown to them. Obligation they are required to learn and to follow. And accept a new lifestyle that is drastically different from what they were used to. Something they are all asked to think about when applying for conversion. 

For those willing to make that kind of commitment, the learning process before conversion can take up to 2 years. And even then they may not know all of the obligations the Torah places upon the Jewish people. They are therefore told to continue studying even after conversion. Nonetheless, the Gemara tells us that after learning some basics, they can undergo conversion provided they continue to commit to following all of Halacha as they learn of it. 

That last point should not be overlooked in terms of how committed a convert must be. Imagine committing to do things you  have no clue about at the time of your  conversion. I’m not sure I could do that.

This is not what I would call a  user friendly process. As much as we value converts and even seek sincere ones, the last thing we should do is to mislead people by making it too easy for them. There is no such thing as converting someone to Judaism that is not fully committed to Mitzvah observance. 

To be absolutely clear, this doesn’t mean that if they sin - even on purpose - that their conversion is voided. They are still full fledged Jews who are subject to the consequences of sin. As the Gemara tells us: Af Al Pi SheChatah,, Yisroel Hu (Yevamos 47b). Even if they end up not being observant at all  (a Yisroel Mumar) they are still full fledged but sinning Jews - as long as they were sincere about following all the Mitzvos at the time of conversion, Once a Jew always a Jew. A convert cannot renounce his conversion.  

The description of the level of observance by converts of this new conversion court hardly meets that standard. The argument that their level of observance supersedes that of the vast majority of American Jewry is irrelevant. The fact that they sincerely observe some Halachos and reject others means they did not fully accept the basic requirement of doing all the Mitzvos. They therefore cannot be considered Jews.

Furthermore, even if this court finds some archaic loophole that would allow for coverts like this, the reality is that they are not accepted by the vast majority of mainstream Charedi and Centrist Orthodoxy. 

That will result in a nightmare of Jewish identity. It will become extremely difficult if not impossible to know who is or isn’t Jewish a few generations from now if their grandparents were converted. Were they converted by recognized conversions courts or renegade courts? 

There will be an unprecedented  need for Jews to prove they are really Jewish. Genealogical records will have to be methodically taken and stored for future reference. The irony is that these 3 rabbis actually acknowledge this point: 

...how we meet this pressing challenge will impact and determine what the Jewish community looks like for our children and grandchildren.  

Their way of meeting this challenge will only make matters worse. 

One more thing. I found the claim that they ‘care deeply about tradition’ it a bit odd if not humorous. One of the big arguments used by the extreme left to justify their innovations is that as long as basic Halacha is followed. tradition is not that important. This is the arguments used in favor of ordaining women for the rabbinate, That is clearly a break from tradition thye claim to care deeply about.

And yet. Rabbi Mintz is a faculty member of  Yeshivat Maharat - an institution dedictated entirely for the purpose of ordaining woman. . 

Rabbi Mlotik who was ordained by YCT broke with tradition in a major way by officiating at a gay marriage between 2 men.  

I don’t know much about Rabbi Leener other than the fact tat he too was ordained by YCT. A Yeshiva that seems to be devoted to breaking with tradition

 These rabbis are not bad people. As is often the case with both the religious and political liberals– their hearts are in the right place. There is a reason they are called ‘bleeding heart liberals’. They seem to focus on the downtrodden and seek to raise them up. That is surely a very noble and very Jewish goal. The problem is when they use the unorthodox means  to do that – well intentioned though they may be. They ultimately fail. Because that ends up separating us rather than uniting us.