CHAZAQ's Torah Talks #109 Rabbi Hertzel Hillel Yitzhak - Jewish Conversions

[Music] foreign thank you very much thank you for having me thank you for joining us all the way through Chicago what is good with an honor and uh we're gonna be speaking about conversions to Judaism but before we get to the topic the rabbit gave us a little bit of a background about yourself and the great work you're involved with okay background so I was born in Israel my family and I immigrated to uh to America in around 1985. we lived in New York for some time I wanted to finish the vote in New York uh I came to Chicago um over 20 years ago to get my doctorate in Clinical Psychology um at the same time I was pursuing um my smyrha and currently the last 14 years I've served I'm serving as uh the rabbi of a congregation in Evanston Illinois it's near Chicago called the sparta congregation it's interesting amazing the donors in the rabbis also involves with uh the CRC the Chicago Urban yes yes in the in the conversion Commission um overseeing the conversion process and as well helping those in the process of conversion right so that's what we're going to be speaking about uh Hashem so uh we all know that uh we don't promote converting to Judaism we don't uh seek out and we don't recruit so how does it work when one comes to the rabbi as your position uh in as a Diane in the CRC how does it work what inspires one to to come to to the Betty well everyone has a different story we can put all of them in the same category um when a person seeks the truth seeks to emit um and they don't find that where they currently are and they they taste a little bit of of Judaism and they want to taste more they want more when a person seeks the truth and finds the truth it's uh they're either blind or ignorant um or they want to pursue it completely I tell people in the process or or at least before the process begins um look it can be a very good non-jew this you don't need to convert to Judaism and you'll still have your what's that seven it's only seven correct you could you could have a share in the world to come as long as you uh by by the seven minutes um and very rarely seldom do I hear people say oh okay have a good day um we tell them look what's happening in the world with anti-Semitism why would you want to put yourself in that and um people really are especially now in when we see and and people seek the truth they they really want to want to convert and um even though it's difficult even though they realize that there's so many more obligations that they have to take up on themselves we're ready to go on full full force ahead amazing amazing I was actually doing a tour talk with another Abby was telling me that the amount of conversion that's gone on uh is historic the amount that people reaching out converted Judaism very very interesting so the rabbit the Quattro rabbis throughout the Torah mentions about the gear about the convert what are some of the do's and don'ts when we encountered so as Jewish people we're very curious we're very curious people and when we meet new people we like to ask them questions who's your father who's your mother what school did you go to convert Stone often want to stand out someone once asked me um when we speak about unconus was I was a great Rabbi you were written a translation of the Torah in Aramaic why is he um described or identified as a gas that you reading it incorrectly there's great pride in that there's great pride that um having come from where he came from and dropping everything he came from royalty and and pursuing what he what he wanted to pursue but nonetheless nonetheless converts do want to sort of fit in into the community they want they don't want to stand out um so to ask them probing questions once you do find their their converts asking something like Whoa so what does pork taste like you know or or what is this you know what have you done and you know there's a concept of of which means just like you now that have caused suffering by saying things to a Jewish person uh all the more so to a to a person converted to Judaism and one of the examples of the kamaha gives is a convert comes to learn Torah and you say to him you're learning just a few weeks ago you're not Jewish and you're eating you know Pig what are you coming to learn to laugh for so we have to be very very careful and um you know when we meet at Cal when we meet converts and not to be too nosy about about especially not when you first met them everybody has a story everybody has an amazing story uh to tell uh if they want to share that with you you know give them an opportunity but if they don't don't probe um because they are as any other person might might be very private um and they may not necessarily want to reveal this in the whole story I once had a woman who who's a mother passed away she's a convert and um somebody whose mother passed away you would assume there's a Shiva and everything else but as as Converse they don't they don't mourn they don't mourn they don't set Shiva they could mournik morning and suddenly but he knew that she was a convert she could have very well you know done certain things um it's sitting shiva even for her mother just for her not to not to stand out that's a separate point just again to illustrate that they do want to fit in they do want to um they don't want to stand out hundred percent hundred percent what is the process in conversion to duties how does it work they just walk into the bed thing and uh to and call it a day so the process is pretty rigorous process it's not that simple we have a a curriculum for them um first when we assess them when we assess we can hear the story why they want to convert um we do medicine to them things that I mentioned to you before that look it could be a good non-jew and you know to go through this whole process that goes on in the world and the things of this nature and that they continue on on wanting to convert um we find them as sponsoring Rabbi I also serve as a sponsoring rabbit but I don't sponsor everybody who wants to convert in Chicago um the CRC is a is a source that of bidding that people from around the country and around the world actually come to for conversion um because we're very very rigorous in our expectations uh we have a very rigorous program uh where they're required to read X number of books whether a sponsoring right back to really know the material much of the material revolves around um and it's amazing that when they when they complete a process they know a lot more laws than your average Jewish person uh it's funny that one person once told me that uh Jewish people have been asking uh him different different questions because it's so it's so um fresh in their minds because they've just studied all this so they usually after going through a particular set of books and curriculum um they meet with a betin with a sponsoring Rabbi and we ask them different questions and and ensuring their sincerity um and then there's a second curriculum again after after the master the second curriculum they meet again with the CRC um after the there's a third curriculum so there's three curriculums all together at which point if the CRC feels that they're ready to convert um that will take place not long thereafter um sometimes it requires longer than that so the average time is approximately one year from the point where they start to the point where they complete the process Bobby could you tell us a little bit more about the safarium as well that uh the rabbi published sure so um some time ago I I was um I wanted to write a set of svarim uh especially for svardim who did not understand Hebrew really well um so I started out in the laws of titsit and this is a book um I got a copy from the rabbi in many years ago so it's really really comprehensive it has pictures it has uh um illustrations it's really it's an encyclopedic um um a review on another Law's major laws of tset um rulings are mentioned here as well um I also have a book on called The Daily rituals both of them are available in Amazon this one deals as well with uh from the time you wake up all the different rituals um for both this first one is both for stardeem and ashkenazine and I also have a safer than I'm that I published a few years ago in Hebrew on different questions and answers called Celia um that um indifference on a second volume of uh of this response amazing very inspiring many more businesses thank you with I understand that uh seen in communities that uh there are cases I'm sure the rabbi has this as well of not just an individual but families how does it work with regards to the children at the environment if you could shed some light on that so if they're not Bar Mitzvah or bat mitzvah um we still convert to them but the uh they are under the auspices of betting in other words so not for converts yet when the boy turns 13 he has a choice and when the girl turns 12 she has a choice whether or not to continue their Judaism in other words if we converted somebody a boy at six years of age for example when the 13 we ask them is look you converted when you're you're six now you have a choice to either drop everything at which point everything will be retroactive and there's no no shama there's no there's no soul for that for that Jewish soul for that for that boy if they say no no I love Judaism I want to continue uh being a Jewish person and Performing the mitzvot then at that point they continue and there's no going back at that particular Point once a Jew once the person converts to Judaism there's no going back that's the only time that there's there is a going back um is when they were converted as a minor and now they're they're like a clean adults where they have that choice wow interesting how did it work with regards to me Hakim and Castor a question uh for example uh you know the Nissa praying so it really follows there's the sponsoring Rabbi if the sponsoring Rabbi is sardic usually the people go according to sponsoring Rabbi if he's uh whatever it is they usually follow follow him very very ranges as well and um the cases that the rabbi's been dealing with for all these years if there would be one or or case that sticks out to be interesting for their inspiration to come into Judy's and were their commitments to Judaism were how they did anything come to the rabbi's mind with regards to uh a family or an individual I'll tell you there were times on converts that I've met that since a young age they felt that they were Jewish they couldn't explain it they were born in a non-jewish family and they lived their whole lives as non-jews but they felt at a young age that they are Jewish and look a ballistically a person is uh a non-jew when it comes to gilgulim your incarnations and nanjo can never come back as a Jew but a jewel for whatever reason can come back as a non-jew and hopefully shed the the clipart the um these exteriors that they need to go through and then convert to Judaism um so that that that's the only explanation that I have for the art so these individuals who felt that they couldn't explain it as a child they were just Jewish their whole lives they're just gonna explain it unbelievable I know that there's been issues in different communities I've heard about this that there are certain families that unfortunately they're gonna interaree and then they try to do a whole thing with regards to conversion and uh is we all know that this love you know attached to something an individual something it's it's it's an issue uh how does that thing deal with it what's the right process what do we do in this scenarios that's an excellent question so I'll give you an example um if there's a man for example finds a non-jewish woman and says I want to marry her um and she's interested in converting to Judaism we weren't jumping the gun quickly to convert her because we want to make sure that she's not converting only for that reason now anybody converts for the wrong reasons it's just when a person converts to Judaism they receive an ishama says something really really beautiful that the nishama that they receive is from a special place um in that Hashem causing gives it a kiss and says go down to this this particular person who's converting to Judaism right now this is what's called a person who's really sincere in conversion and then there's something called it comes from a from a negative place where throughout their lives even post-conversion they're going to have difficulties with with observing Mitzvah they're gonna have difficulties with Judaism in general so we don't want to get to a situation where we're converting somebody who's going to have a Citra nishama you want somebody who's going to be a girl sadik um as such as such we we are very careful to make sure that this person is converting to the for the right reasons um to the point where we assess if this man was not in the picture would that person still continue to convert maybe when they first come in they're not as sincere um but when they see the beauty of Judaism when they see how how amazing tolay is the mitzvot um I'll share with you a story I'll try not to give too many details because obviously we want to keep the enemy of the people sure there was a um a person that that we met um who came from a from a family he met a non-jewish woman and um he slowly started to um to become less from um his family did not yet meet her they lived in a different country as a matter of fact at that particular point he told her let's go back to my house he'll meet my family um they did the family met her they weren't so thrilled obviously their son is married to a non-jewish woman um she was so inspired with pesach when they went back to their country she told them look I'm fascinating with Judaism I'm I'm going head on if you're either going to be on my level or I'm going to divorce you I'm going to convert yeah so he actually became more from as a result of her now that's very retroar we don't say Hey you know find a Nigel schwaman because maybe I'll be from and that's not that's not that's not what we're saying but um there could be so many different cases and so many different uh scenarios every case is so different every case is so um it's so fascinating really of how a person uh begins to convert but going back to your question uh we're very very careful we try to be very very careful to make sure that we have before us uh and get sadik and not just a girl right 100 uh we were discussing the process before uh with we what uh we all know is that uh a gentile shouldn't be keeping Shabbat so how does it work with regard to the process where they're you know they're studying and they have their responsing Rabbi which is teaching them and everything and they start working at CTC then I see this uh you know and they come to the shurium in the lectures and the classes and that can essential uh how does it work with regards to shabbat kodesh before and they get converted 100 so you mentioned three to three different things at once um making very good points so I do tell my my converts not to put on filling uh they need to they do need to be recognized as a person is going through the conversion process uh if they go to a show where I'm not there uh people can count them in the minion and things of that nature obviously they know better not to do that but at least not exceptionally but sometimes people may not necessarily notice and they could be the 10th person and obviously the people are should not be praying and wait for 10 person to arrive because this person doesn't count them in the minion uh with regards to shabbat we do tell them to uh to violate Shabbat Shabbat is a gift to the Jewish nation and only to the Jewish nation and nanjo is not allowed to observe Shabbat so we do it's for some of them it's very difficult because they've come to a point where they're so observant that to to break Shabbat is so difficult for them but they need to to break Shabbat and they cannot wait until to the point where they're able to observe Shabbat but we do tell them to Violet about I'm very very interesting Rabbi very interesting gems that you're telling all of us on this topic we have a custom we have I mean I got Torah talks which is a final message to take away the rabbit to give all of us we appreciate your time very very much forever until he stopped in Chicago and uh just a shout out to your wife's cousin Adam siona for putting us together and the welcome the rabbit has found me over here where I am queens and the regards to all of them thank you thank you a final message is um if you do come across a person um who is either in the process of conversion or has converted um whatever um whatever you have in your mind about conversions and converts um don't jump don't jump to conclusions there's a special mitsuba that we have to love the convert um loves the convert these are people who have sacrificed so much some of them their families have distilled disowned them they said if you go to Judaism you can pick something else you know if you're gonna do go with Judaism we're going to the Sonu and they decided to just sacrifice and and go with it uh because of their life their love for the Jewish people so that's my message um learn about it and and if you do encounter somebody with who has converted to Judaism um love them love them who they are and loved him for their for their journey and and there's a lot to learn there's a lot to learn about them um and and about us and the relationship between us and Them amazing rabbit hurts a hell eats from Chicago it was a pleasure and honor to have you on the program and very conversions to Judaism uh we want to thank all of our platforms for hosting kazak tour talks podcast uh special shout out to Tara anytime for hosting it as well daily giving a dollar a day really goes a very far away encourage everyone to check it out and the score is right now it's our busy season even though it's the summer many people go away we're working your man velaija day night primarily because it's uh the new school year is coming soon and we're on a mission little Jewel's child should be left behind every single Jewish god deserves Jewish Education and uh whoever's interested in the Jewish Education whether it's through our after school program their studies imagery programs and especially Sheila placed in the division where we transfer and help and guide the parents throughout the process hold their hands from public schools to Shiva about 1500 kids then I so far the last few years alone got dedications and future guest speakers suggestions are always encouraged these emails and info there are people at chazq.org once again thank you very much Hillary I really appreciate uh the rabbi's time and thank you for all that you do require yourself a bit to connect it and we didn't even mentioned inspiring that I know but at the rabbi wrote and uh and the the work you do with uh with the community in Chicago and uh and and the bad thing is