Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sfmag.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!mhuxv!mhuxh!mhuxi!mhuxm!sftig!sftri!sfmag!samet From: samet@sfmag.UUCP (A.I.Samet) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: conversion Message-ID: <492@sfmag.UUCP> Date: Sun, 17-Feb-85 04:49:02 EST Article-I.D.: sfmag.492 Posted: Sun Feb 17 04:49:02 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 19-Feb-85 08:29:15 EST References: <1142@aecom.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Summit, NJ Lines: 18 > My father and grandfather, both practicing orthodox rabbis, do not > get involved in conversions, for one simple reason. The rabbi who > performs the conversion is attesting to the converts total acceptance > of Judaism. It is hard enough to find born Jews who accept everything, > how can someone honestly say that after two or three years of study, > usually alot less, a person knows exactly what he is accepting upon While I respect the reluctance you mentioned I think, in fairness to all of the gerim, that you should have mentioned the other side of the coin, which is quite broad. I remember seeing in Iggeres Moshe a long convoluted analysis of the question of what a Ger thinks Judaism is. Rav Henkin's position is also widely known. I don't think you mean to be hard on Gerim, but someone might read this into your words. Yitzchok Samet