Dear Rabbi (Teacher),
During your last lesson you spoke, not only of The Good Traits of a Teacher, but also of keeping the mitzvohs. This is a subject I would love to hear and study more about. I would love to find out how to celebrate, as someone who wants to please Hashem, the Jewish Holy Days. I try to celebrate all of them to honor G~d, but are there certain holidays a follower of the Noaich laws should celebrate? Also there is the question of how to pray! Though I haven't entered the Covenant of Avraham, I wonder if I can pray using Tallit, with it being a commandment. Am I also allowed to put a mezuzza on my door post and say the bracha for it? Though I attend Shul I am not able to talk to the Rabbi yet, because he wants me to study for one year on my own and attend shul to see how serious I am about converting. So, I turn to you my, how I call it, private teacher. You have a great knowledge of Torah and its Mitzvohs and so I feel that I can turn to you for some help. I have many questions, some were already answered by your sites, but there are still many I need to ask and get answered. Though I am converting to Reform Judaism and many/all Orthodox Jews don't recognize that mode of conversion, I feel that conversion to Judaism in general is a big step for a gentile, whatever Jewish denomination it is. May I be able, with the help of Hashem, to study hard and may He allow me to become, one day, a Frum member of his people. May the Alm-ghty bless you, your family and all those who study Torah.
Sincerely,
Marco
Shalom Marco,
Thank you for your kind and wonderful blessing. May it be so! I love blessings, I love to give blessings. One of my favorite blessings is:
May Hashem, Creator of the universe, bless you and all of your loved ones!
Now to discuss your questions:
Part A: On Mitzvohs
There are 613 Mitzvohs of Torah. Jews are required to observe all 613 Mitzvohs as they apply to their lives. This means that Mitzvohs which are meant for the Kohein / Kohanim {preist / priests} in most situations do not apply to non-Kohanim. Jews who are not born as a Kohein can NEVER be a Kohein. The same holds true for the Levium. So most Jews have approximately 400 mitzvohs to observe. The Spiritualist has approximately 63 Mitzvohs contained within the pillars of the Seven Noaich Commandments. Now the Eh Ved {servant} of a Jew is in between the Jew and the Spiritualist with many more mitzvohs to observe. So the Spiritualist, the Eh Ved and the Jew share many of the same observances of Torah mitzvohs. I suggest that you read the article entitled, Spirituality - Eh Ved - Judaism. The article is located at: http://www.jewishpath.com/parsha/shemos/spirituality_eh_ved_judais.html
In another article I explain that Spiritualists are not required by Ha Torah to observe any holidays, even Jewish Holy Days. In fact, that article explains why it is better not to observe them even though it is not forbidden. The article is entitled Spiritualists Observance of Days and Holidays it can be found at: http://www.7commands.com/spiritualists_observance.html
Marco, it is a great blessing that you mention this because for some reason this article was by mistake omitted from being posted on 7 Commands. For this we are sorry!
As to how a Spiritualist is to pray this was discussed in the article entitled,
G-d Is To Be Honored With All Our Prayers.? This article can be found at: http://www.7commands.com/g-d_is_to_be_honored_with_.html
Part B: On Jewish Conversion
Marco, we are developing a nice communication between us and our other classmates. Honesty must always be a part of our communication, so even though you have not asked I must mention several important points regarding conversion to Judaism.
First, I do not recommend any conversion less than that of full observance.
Second, when an individual begins the conversion process and completes it, regardless of the level of observance, it cannot be undone. It cannot be undone even if it was performed by a less than observant rabbi. It cannot be undone even if the person making the commitment made a less than an observant commitment. This point is very, very serious because if one makes a less than observant commitment that one brings great problems into their life. I am saying certain groups do not observe all the mitzvohs of Torah. Certain groups do not interpret the mitzvohs of Torah as Hashem Intended them. So even though your conversion is not recognized by the observant you are accountable to fulfill all the mitzvohs of Torah just as if you were totally observant. This means that you would be bring great problems into your life, G-d Forbid! Today you are a Spiritualist desiring to convert to a less than observant form of Judaism. This is not good! It would be better to wait until you are ready for a full conversion.
Marco, conversion is an area that one should not think of as in a series of steps moving from a less observant group to a more observant group and eventually arriving at the position of full observance. This is not good! Now it is not my position to demand that you do anything only that you be totally aware of what you are doing from a position of observance.
Third, once a person chooses a rabbi, even if that rabbi is not recognized by the observant, that person is required to direct their questions to their rabbi. In Judaism your rabbi is your teacher. So you must direct the questions regarding Prayer, Tallis and Mezuzza to your rabbi. I cannot interfere in how your rabbi chooses to teach or not teach you. Your rabbi is correct in stating that you should study for a year and attend shul to determine your level of seriousness. Your rabbi, like most good rabbium, realizes his responsibility before G-d in your conversion. He obviously takes his responsibility seriously as he should. I commend him!
Finally, 7commands.com and JewishPath.org both recognize Jews to be more observant or less observant. We try not to use any denominational label. Ha Torah does not support this type of division. There are Jews and there are Spiritualist! That's it! Our world has many divisions. Both Judaism and Spirituality are beliefs that were never intended to grow into divisions. While we must show respect to those who call themselves whatever, we must at the same time understand that the end result will be only observant Judaism and observant Spirituality!
Now while I deeply enjoy your inquisitive mind, in the future you must direct your questions to your rabbi if you have entered into a conversion agreement with him. A conversion agreement is where your rabbi requires you to study certain material, attend certain classes and at a designated point in time will require you to begin observing certain levels of Judaism up until your conversion. You should have been provided with a guide to explain what is required of you and the costs involved with conversion. If you have entered into this type of agreement then you should only consult another teacher if instructed to do so by your rabbi.
If your conversion process is anything less that this you should terminate it immediately. One should never enter into anything without asking for a full explanation of all that is required.
In Judaism a teacher is for life. One can never eliminate their Judaism or their teacher.
To the rest of our classmates: Sometimes we want something so much that we allow ourselves to be caught... entrapped... deluded by what we want or think we want. The world is filled with things to attract us... even Spiritual things. We must be very careful. G-d has many good things for us to have, hold and experience. Patience is one of the most important ingredients of anything worth having. Husbands require patience. Wives require patience. Children require patience. Patience is one of the Creator’s greatest attributes. So in this sense we can allow ourselves almost unlimited boundaries of growth. Torah study requires patience and steadiness.
I want to thank Marco for his excellent questions. G-d Willing, we have been able to learn much through these discussions.
With great love for those who desire to learn,
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk