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Occasionally, I run into someone who says they’re “looking into” Judaism. Now, Judaism isn’t like other religions. We believe that the righteous of other nations (ie. other religions) will “get to heaven” too…and that less is required of them! But, for a Jew, a whole range of commandments given by God come into play.

So, when I hear someone say they are looking into Judaism, I usually respond with some form of “Well, think hard about it”. Why? There are really two reasons:

1. Conversion to Judaism isn’t easy. You’re looking at about a year of study, coming before a Beit Den that will judge your sincerity and readiness, immersion in a mikvah and, if you’re a man, circumcision. Even if you’ve already been circumcised, they’re still going to draw blood from your penis in a procedure called a hatafat dam brit. If you haven’t been circumcised, you’re looking at a painful surgery for an adult.

2. If you have no intention of keeping the commandments, then do NOT take them upon yourself. I think that Jews-by-choice will be judged much more severely than Jews-by-birth. Why? Because the Jew-by-birth was born into it. He didn’t have a choice. But, the Jew-by-choice has a choice….and he CHOSE to be measured against all the commandments given by God.

A righteous gentile could become a sinful Jew. That’s not a situation that anyone would, in their right mind, want to be placed in. If you’re guaranteed a place in the world to come as a gentile, don’t jeopardize that by taking commandments upon yourself that you have no intention of keeping. This is why Jews do not proselytize. We don’t want to make sinners.

But, if you feel like this is the path God has given to you…. if you feel like this is the step he’s urging you to take… If you feel like you are finally home, then go for it. Every Jew-by-choice has his own reasons for converting. They’re not the same as my reasons and won’t be the same as yours. But, if you feel like this is where you belong, then welcome home.

Ruth 1: 14-19

They broke into weeping again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law farewell. But Ruth clung to her. So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods. Go follow your sister-in-law.” But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus and more may the Lord do to me if anything but death parts me from you.” When Naomi saw how determined she was to go with her, she ceased to argue with her; and the two went on until they reached Bethlehem.

I just read an essay over on the Forward called Kabbalah for the Masses: Re-considering the Elitism of Medieval Jewish Mysticism.  Basically, the author points out that one may think that Kabbalah was the stuff of elitists when looking at sources which are usually focused upon. However, at the same time these sources were making obscure Occultic works, there were authors out there making primers for the beginner. These authors operated on the edge where Judaism met Hermetic Gnosticism (aka Hermeticism) and Freemasonry.

Now, it may be the fact my sinuses have me almost bedridden today, but I think the author would have been well served if he focused a bit on Isaac Luria. Luria, the Arizal, would have never studied Kabbalah if he remained faithful to the usual prohibitions. He didn’t wait until he was 40 to begin studying. As a matter of fact, he died at the age of 38. Yet, he is considered the greatest Kabbalist who ever lived.

Kabbalah is, I think, one of those unique disciplines where ground rules are laid out, lines are drawn, and they await the person who is ready to cross them. Now, I don’t mean anything goes. Certainly, if one violates the Torah with their Kabbalistic renderings, then they have obviously went too far. Madonna’s teacher is a travesty, not a maverick. He’s not teaching true Kabbalah. But, one can be a part of the tradition, grounded in Torah, yet pushing the envelope on normal conceptions and accepted practice.

I think people learning Kabbalah is a great thing as long as they have some foundation in Torah first. They will begin to see not a series of “Thou shalt”s and “Thou shalt not”s, but a Divine interplay in which the individual recreates the universe through their actions.

As it says in this article that I found:

Q Let me read one 13th century passage from your book: “When sexual union is for the sake of heaven, there is nothing as holy or pure. The union of man and woman, when it is right, is the secret of civilization. Thereby, one becomes a partner with God in the act of Creation.” That’s pretty heady stuff.

A Sexual union is seen as imitating the divine and, at the same time, contributing to divine union. True sexual union, if done with right intention, brings about the divine union; through your union below you join together the divine lovers above.

It’s telling people to “Be careful how you relate sexually, because you’re having an effect on the upper world.”

But it’s also true of all the teachings. What you do below has its effects above. So the human being becomes integrated with the cosmos, and every action you perform has a cosmological effect. You’re either contributing to the union of divine lovers or splitting them apart. It’s very grounded in the material world, it’s a holistic spirituality. Through being in the physical world you can experience the divine.

I am a Jew. Not only am I a Jew, I’m a Jew by choice. So, it may seem odd that I’m making a post about embracing Judaism. OF COURSE I’ve embraced Judaism. Otherwise, I would not have undertaken the difficult journey to become a Jew to start with. But, what I have done and what I am doing has been very difficult and intensive. I will explain:

What is the difference between a Jew-by-choice and a Jew-by-birth? A Jewish vagina? Well, yes… but more than that. Someone born into Judaism has something that a Jew-by-choice does not have: history and tradition. They may be Reform, but their cousin may be Orthodox. They may be Reform, but their grandparents were Orthodox. You get where I’m going with this: it is very likely that they know about Orthodoxy, understand it to some extent, and can make intelligent and reasoned choices about their own practices.

Take for instance this girl. Now, at first glance, you might say “Wow…that’s pretty great” and you’d be right. You might even think about how Reform has gotten more traditional over the years, even pushing kashrut to some extent, and see this as a natural progression. But, if you stop and think, you might think “How did she know how to do this?”. How did she know the difference between shacharit, mincha, and maariv? How did she know the laws of kashrut? Now you see…

As a new Jew in the Reform movement, I felt handicapped. I knew that I was to examine the mitzvot (commandments), their traditional interpretation and application, and make an informed decision as to how they applied to me. As the Commentary on the Principles for Reform Judaism says:

Mitzvot. The Hebrew root of this word is tzadey-vav-hey, usually translated “command.” Since its inception, the Reform Movement has wrestled with the classic notion of God commanding us – it seems so frontal, so authoritarian, so hierarchical. But if God is in dialogue with us, perhaps we hear God’s commands as though God were calling out to us, in words that a beloved human being in our lives might use, “It is very important to me that you do this” – awaiting our response. We may respond to many of these calls by taking on these sacred obligations, building them into our lives; to others we may respond, “We need to dialogue more.” To others we may respond, “I cannot do this act – in terms of my present moral or communal understanding it seems meaningless, or even wrong.” And perhaps God responds as our beloved might: “Let’s keep the conversation going.”

But how, as a new Jew, am I exactly supposed to do this? I didn’t grow up exposed to the traditional interpretations. I don’t have family that follow the traditional interpretations. A dialogue with God? Great…but I need a remedial course before I can have that!

So, I did the only thing that seemed reasonable to me in this situation: I exposed myself to Orthodox Judaism. I came to terms with and accepted the similarities between myself and Orthodox Jews. I immersed myself in Orthodox podcasts. I started conversing with a local Orthodox rabbi. I attended an Orthodox shul for a Friday night service… I got book recommendations…. I even celebrated one Shabbat in Orthodox fashion.

In short, I’ve been trying to make up for that missing Orthodox relative or neighbor. Now, I wouldn’t say I’m versed in Orthodoxy now. I wouldn’t say I’m finished learning. I’m just starting. But, what I would say is that I’m starting to build a foundation. I’m beginning to make the tradition accessible to me. After all, as a Jew, tradition does not belong to the Orthodox. It belongs to all of us.

So, what has been the result of this so far? I’m starting to feel more confident in my studies. I’m starting to understand the Reform position more as well as the Orthodox. As I believe the mitzvot are Divinely inspired, I’m starting to incorporate them in a much more meaningful way. I wear a tallit to synagogue. I’m currently looking at electric razors and thinking about leaving my sideburns next time I shave. I’m not going to grow payot ha… I liked The Chosen, but I don’t care to look like an extra for the film. I don’t think it’s necessary in order to fulfill the mitzvah anyway.

I know that when I stood in front of that congregation, I accepted the mitzvot. I accepted my pact with God. At the time, I saw it as more as me making a pact with God. The more I perform the mitzvot, the more I realize that this is really God’s covenant with the Jewish people. This is really a two-way street.

Learning about the mitzvot means that I am beginning to learn what God requires of me. I may never come into a full realization of what God requires of me, but I am confident that, when I die, I won’t have to stand before God and hear the words “Why didn’t you try?”

I’m not a rap fan. I don’t listen to rap or country. I listen to pretty much anything else. So, I’m not the best to comment on how good a rap or country song is. But, that’s not the point of this post.

As far as the tune and rhythm, Drake’s latest video has a pretty catchy song. But, as a Jew, there’s a lot about this video I find disconcerting. I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud and I’m certainly glad Drake chose to proclaim his Jewishness. However, I feel that, in this video, he proclaimed his Jewishness and forgot to proclaim Judaism.

There are differences between Judaism and Christianity. You don’t need me to tell you that. It’s something that is very evident to anyone that comes into contact with both religions. In Judaism, you are born with a pure soul. There is no concept of original sin. Your soul is a blank slate on which to write your life. The world is also a gift from God. You are meant to enjoy life. As an old saying goes, a well-known and respected rabbi was taking a journey to visit the Swiss Alps. His students asked him why he was taking such an arduous and difficult journey instead of just staying there and studying Torah. He replied that, when he died, God would not only ask if he had studied and followed Torah, but “How did you like my Alps?”.

So, a party is not inherently offensive, even when blended with a synagogue. Drinking alcohol in moderation, enjoying yourself… dancing… laughing… having fun… these are all things that Judaism can and does embrace. It is not a dour and somber religion. It is a religion of life, love, beauty and joy. It is a religion that you can exude during the good times as well as the bad. When you’re so happy you can speak no words, just lift up your glass and laugh, God is there. When you’re so sad that you cannot speak, just lower your head and cry….God is there.

The profanity itself would not be a turnoff. Many adults, Jews included, use profanity at times. Rap music would be one of those times. A synagogue would not be. The fact he was filmed to appear to be liberally cursing in the synagogue was one initial problem I had with this video. Just because the lines are more lax than in Christianity does not mean they do not exist. Even if you have joy and celebration, it does not mean you disrespect God and holiness. The two can go hand in hand. Cursing liberally in synagogue, ripped a Torah cake apart and slamming down the Torah.. these things seem to disrespect Judaism even if they are accenting your Jewishness.

Then, there are the lyrics… Yes, much of rap music objectifies women. Women are viewed as toys for men’s pleasure. They’re not viewed as equal or worthy of respect. That stands in stark contrast to Judaism. Maybe it’s what sells records, but if you do a religious video, then one would think that the lyrics of that particular video would align with the faith being shown – not stand in sharp contrast to it. When you’re treating women like meat, even making references to slipping date rape drugs to women, etc. then you have firmly set yourself in opposition to religion. You’re not upholding a religion in those lyrics, so don’t marry them with visuals of that religion.

As a Jew in the Reform movement, which has a strong feminist movement within it, this video makes me very sad. Knowing that it was also filmed in a Reform synagogue makes me very sad. I know that people have worked tirelessly to have women, rightly so, viewed as equals in society and within our own movement. I feel this video shows disrespect to women, them, and God. Don’t invoke God within a whorehouse unless you’re trying to find the door out.

So, while I’m happy that Drake has decided to affirm his Jewishness, I really wish he had drawn from his Jewish traditions in order to write the lyrics for this particular video. He would not be the first musical artist to take a break from their normal schtick to speak about the religion they hold near and dear. It would not be hypocrisy. Judaism can acknowledge where you’re at while, at the same time, drawing you to the place you should be. However, acknowledgement isn’t the same as condoning.