Giiur - what is it? The conversion of a non-Jew into Judaism. How to become a Jew

Choosing Judaism as the only true life path, a person who is not born Jewish, but who wants to become a Jew, must be ready for all kinds of obstacles and obstacles. After all, the adoption of the system of values and postulates of this religion is not a mere formality. It is preceded by real trials of beliefs and righteous aspirations. If a candidate for Jews passes them with dignity, he is expected to have a giyur. What is it and why is it needed? Gyur is an appeal to Judaism, which includes rituals that mark the appearance of yet another representative of the chosen people.

Hyery: general information

Before Beit-din, the so-called rabbinical court, a candidate for Jews, irrespective of sex, undertakes to observe the 613 commandments of the Torah. The man who took this yoke must go through the following Jewish rites: Brit-Mil (circumcision) and Twilah (ritual ablution). Women turn to Judaism differently. They should only make a twill. Each ceremony has its own special meaning and performs certain functions when making a guillary.

Brit Mila: Features

Brit-mile symbolizes the union between the Creator and Israel. From time immemorial, this ritual was an obligatory procedure for a person professing Judaism, and Jews still consider it irrevocable, when it comes to gyura. For circumcision preserves the sanctity of man, and the man to whom it is counter-indicative will never become a Judaist.

Gentiles are advised to undergo a Brit Mila under local anesthesia so that they can concentrate on taking commandments, but if there are compelling reasons, complete anesthesia is allowed.

In the event that the candidate was circumcised earlier, he must undergo the procedure atafat dam-brith instead of Brit-mila to perform the giyur. What is it and how is it implemented? Ataphat da-Brit is a symbolic release of a few drops of blood through a small puncture in the place where circumcision is usually done.

She, like Brit-Mila, is conducted in the presence of the judges of Beit Din. The circumcising moeel gives a blessing upon his graduation and drinks a glass of wine. After the ceremony, a man must recover physically to commit a twill. This usually takes two or three days.

How is the twill?

Twilight implies entering into a mikvah, a reservoir with rain or spring water. This ritual must be carefully prepared: wash, brush your teeth and comb your hair.

A person enters the mikva naked and sinks under the water with his head. After the first dipping, the woman leaves the pool and puts on a large robe. It should not prevent the body from touching the water when it re-enters the mikvah. Such vestments will allow to conduct the ceremony correctly and feel comfortable in the presence of the judges. A man, unlike a woman, does not dress and remains in the water. The judges hold a small interview with the candidate, ask them to accept the commandments again and say the blessing for a second dip.

Ablution in this case will be a sign of spiritual rebirth of the goy (gentile), his purification and becoming a hero, that is, a new convert. At the end of the Twilight, he is called a Hebrew name. His man chooses in advance. Thus, the conversion of a non-Jew to Judaism ends. Upon its completion, the newly-baked ger receives a certificate of passing the gyur.

Causes of Guilt

People who sincerely dream of living according to the laws of this religion, fulfill all the commandments of the Creator and observe the traditions of the chosen people are being decided upon. Among them there are many Jews by nationality, but not by the laws of Judaism. This means that they have Jewish relatives only on the paternal line. Such people want to return to their roots.

The question of nationality regarding the conversion to Judaism is not fundamental. The presence of Jews in the genealogical tree, of course, will have a positive effect, but the decisive factor for the rabbis will still be the purity of intentions.

Appeal to Judaism for any self-serving reason, for example, for the sake of marriage in Israel or because of a momentary desire to make fundamental changes in life, is considered unacceptable. For people obsessed with such ideas, the rabbis are forced to refuse, otherwise the fictitious giyur will be accomplished. What is it and what consequences will it have? A fictitious conversion to Judaism is considered if the applicant in the Jews was not going to keep the commandments initially or did not begin to execute them after the conversion, and the intentions to lead a righteous way of life were a farce.

Rabbis try to avoid such precedents. However, they do happen. Liar's giur can be recognized as invalid after years, which will turn into big life difficulties for his family, so it is necessary to think in advance whether it's worth to go for deception.

What should I remember?

People who sincerely want to practice Judaism must be clearly aware that their way of life, when they accept giyur, will undergo significant changes. After the accomplishment of the Twilight, they will have to look and behave like true Jews. In Russia, as in other countries with a different religion and culture, converts may well encounter misunderstandings from Christian relatives or even outsiders.

Men will grow a beard and paces on temples. In public places they will wear headgear (kippu or hat). About flashy colors in clothes and some items of wardrobe, such as shorts or T-shirts, will have to be forgotten. They will need to be replaced with suits or frocks. Do not forget about the traditional for the Jews talit-katana.

Women will give up shoes with high heels, clothes with deep decollete, bright make-up and give preference to a modest and chaste way. Married ladies will cover their heads with a handkerchief or wear a wig.

On Saturday, a new convert must refrain from work, and spare time on other days to devote to religious self-education. Habits in food will have to change. From pork and rabbit, for example, it will be necessary to refuse. And these are only isolated examples of changes in the way of life.

HERA AND GYURAS

If they do not frighten a person, then he can apply to the rabbinical court. However, it should be understood what kind of giur he wants to take: reformist, conservative or orthodox. It is worth noting that only the latter is recognized in Israel as true.

Reformist and conservative trends in Judaism deny the fact that the commandments are created by the Creator. The laws of the Torah for their representatives are nothing more than a form of behavior that can be changed in accordance with the requirements of the present, while for orthodoxes recognition of the divine origin of the commandments and their fulfillment are mandatory conditions for the conversion.

Such courts are not authoritative. Their verdicts are subjected to numerous attacks. Hers who have undergone reformist or conservative giyuras will not receive recognition from the Israeli people. Most likely, they will have to make the procedure for applying to Judaism again, but in another court.

Where is the orthodox gyur performed?

In Moscow, the central rabbinate, headed by Berl Lazar, deals with the issues of guillurgy . Under the leadership of the Chief Rabbi of Russia, meetings of Beit Din are held. They decide the fate of candidates for Jews. In Russia, only there from the goya can be reincarnated as a full-fledged hero and be accepted by the people of Israel for their own.

Go to the Central Rabbinate for a reception on the issue of guilloche and immediately pass the rite will not work. Long training precedes it. Courses are free of charge, but are private. To get to them a person has a chance only with the permission of a rabbi, interviewing potential applicants. However, making an appointment is not so easy. First you need to get written recommendations from the rabbi of the synagogue in your place of residence. This condition is mandatory for execution.

The question arises: how to become a Jew to a person in whose settlement the synagogue does not exist? In this case, the Central Rabbinate recommends moving to another city. And this is only the first test on the way to becoming a hero.

The first visit to the synagogue

It goes without saying that the person who decided to go to the rabbi already has a small amount of knowledge. He read a lot of information on the topic of interest, perhaps even began to study the Torah and learn Hebrew. So many potential candidates for Jews do. In Russia there is no shortage of books and textbooks, so everyone can take up self-education.

Having minimal knowledge of Judaism and the spiritual need to continue learning the religious tradition, a person goes to the city synagogue to talk with the rabbi. In a conversation with him, a future candidate for Jews honestly shares his experiences. The rabbi, in turn, can allow visiting the synagogue, praying, attending special classes on the Torah, and introducing members of the Jewish community. And this is very important, because, by conducting active activity, a person recruits experience and knowledge, establishes contacts. If the rabbi is convinced of his sincerity and reasonableness, he will give the necessary recommendations.

Conversation with Rabbi

Having received them, a potential contender for giyur can sign up for admission to the Central Rabbinate. He must come there at the appointed time and fill out a short questionnaire. After this, the rabbi will talk with the future candidate.

The subject of the conversation will be primarily the reason that prompted a person to think about giyur. The rabbi will ask many questions about the life of the candidate, his relatives, contacts with Jewish communities, read literature on Judaism and plans for the future.

Answer them is true. The rabbi, who is versed in the questions of gyur, is perceptive, and in any case will get to the truth. As a rule, he holds more than one conversation with the future candidate to find out why he decided to accept Jewishness.

Of particular interest are family relationships of man. If the candidate is married or just going to enter into it, the rabbi will ask him to come along with his couple. After all, the gyur will become possible only if all members of the family are obliged to observe Jewish traditions.

Preparing for the Guillermo

When the rabbi verifies the pious intentions of a person, he will determine it for classes. If the applicant has a family, then all of its adult members participate in the training. Children are required to attend Jewish schools.

In the classroom, the goy will have the opportunity to thoroughly study Judaism. The basic concepts of this religion, such as kashrut and Saturday, as well as prayers and commandments, will be explained to the candidate in the course of training. And during it a pretender to gyur knows not only the theoretical side of the question.

He must regularly visit one of the Moscow synagogues, establish friendly relations with the Jewish community. One of the Jewish families will take patronage over the candidate.

The Gentile Lifestyle of the Gentile

Periodically, the applicant is summoned to the rabbinical court to check how the training goes and to make sure that his intentions are still serious.

At each meeting, the candidate receives instructions as to which commandments he must follow. After all, the maintenance of a completely Jewish way of life before conversion to Judaism is considered a sin. For example, you can not fully observe the Sabbath before accepting the Gyur. What is it, the teachers explain in the courses, and how to observe it, will recommend the rabbinical court. Self-will in such matters is unacceptable, especially as the rabbis closely monitor each ward and regularly consult his members and teachers on his affairs.

Preparation of the candidate takes an average of two to three years. When his knowledge is strengthened, and he himself is ready to lead the way of life of a righteous Jew, then he will be summoned to the meeting of Beit Din.

Court appearance

There the candidate is with an identity card, as well as all kinds of letters of recommendation: from the rabbi of the synagogue, members of the community and the accompanying family.

It is not recommended to go to the rabbinical court alone. Plus, there will be the appearance of religious friends and neighbors. A course teacher, a coordinator and a guardian family should attend the trial. If a candidate has a spouse or spouse, a potential husband or wife, their turnout is required, since they must demonstrate their knowledge of religion and readiness to keep the commandments.

The judges will also interview the children of the goy. However, if they are very small, then the parents should share their plans for their upbringing.

What can the judges ask?

Beit-din, led by Berl Lazar, will issue a verdict based on the results of examining the candidate's case, letters of recommendation, as well as direct conversation with him.

The questions that judges will ask may concern Jewish history, traditions, prayers, main events and figures of the Torah. When did the Temple of Solomon fall ? How to cook kosher fish? Where did the prophet Moses grow? How do the Jews celebrate the feast of Purim? Sometimes judges are asked to say excerpts from prayer. The fundamentals of Judaism goy, claiming the status of a hero, must know perfectly.

The conversation will be long and thorough. In the course of it, the judges may try to convince the candidate to accept giyur, telling about all the misfortunes of the Jewish people. This is a test of the applicant. When the judges receive enough information from the conversation, they will ask the candidate to leave the room for a while. After a short meeting, a verdict will be announced before him.

The court's decision

Judges can make a negative or positive decision regarding the ruling. In the first case, they will indicate possible gaps in knowledge and advise you to wait with such a responsible decision. The new meeting will take place in a few months.

In case of a positive decision of the judges, the candidate must choose a Jewish name. As a rule, he does it in advance. However, if the candidate does not have options, the judges will offer him several options, after which they will give the person a direction for Brit Mil and Twil.

A pregnant female applicant must inform the judges of her situation, since the giyur will apply to the child as well. And, if he is conceived after the Twilight, he will be equal in status to the man born to the Jew, and if not, then - geru.

Hera in Judaism

The question is interesting, but what is the position of converts in Jewish society? Are they full-fledged representatives? What do the eyes of the Jews look like? In the Tanach (Holy Scripture) it is said that Jews should treat the new converts respectfully, as to their equals: not to oppress, not to offend and not to deceive. In addition, many goyim of antiquity, reincarnated in gerov, became significant personalities, to which people still remember.

Thus, in the Tanakh mentions the Moabite Ruth, who adopted Judaism and became the great-grandmother of the great King David. His image of the ruler is considered ideal. According to one of the Jewish traditions, it is from his kind that the Messiah sent by the Most High will come forth to save the world and bring relief from suffering to the people of Israel.

They accepted the tricks and father-in-law of the founder of Judaism, Moshe Itro, and Rahab, the foremother of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. As Tanakh shows, being a hero is no worse than a Jew. However, there is one difference. Converters can not be bound by marriage to koans (priests).

Finally

So we figured out how to become a Jew. It remains only to overcome all the obstacles on the way to the goal. But let them not embarrass a man who is determined to join the people of Israel. The truly believing gates to the righteous life are always open, and he can be sure that all the trials on the way to them will pass with honor.