Questions about conversion and family

Greetings Rabbi Ginsburg,

I wanted to thank you for your wonderful collection of informative
videos on Youtube. It is appearant that these videos have reached many
people, in particular potential converts. Because you appear to show a
great deal of tolerance towards others, I thought I would ask you a
question about religious tolerance and Judaism.

First, some background information on me and where this question is
coming from.... I apologize in advance if you are heavily bombarded
with emails (which I'm sure you are).

I am a young graduate student at a Canadian university. I was born into
a Catholic family, but we were not very religious. When I was 13, I
decided Christianity was not for me. I have strong faith in God, but
not Jesus, and Judaism seemed like a potential good fit for me. But,
there was no nearby Jewish community, and I was unable to learn more. I
minored in religious studies at a Catholic univeristy in New Brunswick,
Canada and that fed my curiousity towards Judaism. 13 months ago, I
moved to Ottawa, which has a large Jewish community. Over the last
year, I have had a lot of exposure and experience with the Jewish
community, and now I have started to consider conversion - but in the
long term, not anytime soon. In addition, in the past months I have
started dating a Jewish man.

The more I learn about Judaism, the more it seems to fit with the
inherent beliefs I have always valued. I am trying to learn as much as
I can (this includes watching your videos). And I think that someday I
will be prepared to convert, and that I would prefer to raise Jewish
children.

However, I am worried about my parents. If I converted to Judaism, they
would remain Christian. I want to remain a part of my family. Although
I will give up Christian traditions and holidays, I know it would hurt
my parents if I gave up participating in family holidays. For example,
all my siblings gather at my parents house on Christmas morning and
exchange gifts. If I did not attend, or did not give(or receive) gifts,
I would greatly insult my family. And when I have children, I know that
my parents will want to teach their grandchildren about Christmas, and
they will want to buy their grandchildren Christmas gifts.

So my question is, if I convert, how tolerant can I be towards my
parents' beliefs?
Could I participate in my family traditions as even though I don't
believe in those traditions? Could I use it as an opportunity to teach
my children relgious tolerance about other faiths? And how could I have
a Jewish wedding if my entire entended family was Christian? Generally,
do converts have these concerns?

Jewish identity #2

Dear Rabbi Ginsburg,

My name is X. Recently I have
discovered that I have some Jewish roots, on both my
maternal and paternal sides. While I was baptized as
an infant neither myself nor my family was
particularly religious. I have always had difficulty
with the concept of the Trinity, the divinity of
Christ, and many other parts of the Christian
theology. Since making this discovery, I have been
doing a lot of research into Judaism and have some to
the conclusion that I may have a Jewish soul. While
surfing the web and searching for more info on Judaism
I came across this site, and began watching your
videos on youtube. This has piqued my interest even
more.

My problem is that I live in rural X, and
the nearest synagogue is about 250
miles away. That particular reform congregation has
only a student rabbi and doesn't and cannot perform
conversions. I think that you distance learning
program will be a good fit for me since at the present
time I am unable to relocate to an area with a Jewish
community.

Eventually I would like to move back to my original
home Ohio where there is a vibrant Jewish
Community. So if you could please let me know if you
think I would make a good candidate for your long
distance conversion program, and give me any
additional details I may need to know.
Thank you,

Questions I get about Jewish status 1

Email "I came across your lecture videos on Youtube with interest. I am 22 years old and have been actively pursuing Judaism for the last three years. My father's-father is from Judah, my father's-mother is a Levite, my mother's-father is a Kohen, but my mother's-mother is not Jewish. As a result, my mother "converted" to Judaism before I was born by an Orthodox/Traditional Rabbi that used two non-Orthodox witnesses. Since the entire Beth Din was not Orthodox, the Chicago Rabbinical Council ruled that the conversion had no validity in Jewish law which means Orthodoxy in America along with the State of Israel regard me as a non-Jew. However, I learned that the Conservative and Reform branches in Judaism accept me as a Jew without question. I feel reluctant to undergo an Orthodox conversion for a variety of reasons: [I am uncomfortable with wearing a Kippah at all times, not being able to shake hands with the opposite gender, thanking Hashem for not having made me a (gentile, slave, woman) prayer in the morning, and believing that the entire Torah/Talmud literally came from Mount Sinai.] At this point in my life, my ideological views in Judaism are closely related to the Conservative movement. If I pursue Conservative Judaism, I feel as though my Jewish status is illegitimate because the State of Israel regards me as a non-Jew. I understand the Law of Return would grant me citizenship, but I would be considered an "alien resident."
As you know, individuals that undergo Conservative conversions from your synagogue would not be accepted as a Jew in the State of Israel, like me. Do you have any advice that would allow me to pursue Conservative Judaism without feeling grief that my status is fraudulent according to the State of Israel? Thank you."

Cordially,

My answer
The State of Israel currently would admit you as a Jew (law requires it for even Non-Orthodox converts) but inside the country the fanatic Rabbis rule so that's a different matter. You are fully Jewish as recognized by 90% of the world's Jews so don't fret about the Orthodox. The Israeli rabbinate does not speak for world Jewry.
If you wanted to move there. there are 150 Conservative Rabbis able to help.

5 new videos on youtube

Sputnik, Bears half-time speech and rainbows Jewu 245
Noah, water-too much and too little Jewu 247
What happened to 1.4 million Jews in the Ukraine?Jewu 246
Voyager, Earth,100 million species & Genesis JewU 248
Who wrote the torah and who cares? Jewu 249

Bears victory and Sputnik anniversary

Lessons I draw from the Bears victory and Sputnik anniversary
In response to cataclysmic danger, Noah heard a call and build a life raft to salvage the world. We look up in the sky and see a Rainbow sometimes-it is sign God will never again destroy the world. Zochare habrit.

On Simchat Torah, 50th anniversary of image in sky that changed much.
Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age
History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race.

In July 1955, the White House announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY and solicited proposals from various Government research agencies to undertake development. In September 1955, the Naval Research Laboratory's Vanguard proposal was chosen to represent the U.S. during the IGY.
The Sputnik launch changed everything. As a technical achievement, Sputnik caught the world's attention and the American public off-guard. Its size was more impressive than Vanguard's intended 3.5-pound payload. In addition, the public feared that the Soviets' ability to launch satellites also translated into the capability to launch ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons from Europe to the U.S. Then the Soviets struck again; on November 3, Sputnik II was launched, carrying a much heavier payload, including a dog named Laika.
Immediately after the Sputnik I launch in October, the U.S. Defense Department responded to the political furor by approving funding for another U.S. satellite project. As a simultaneous alternative to Vanguard, Wernher von Braun and his Army Redstone Arsenal team began work on the Explorer project.
On January 31, 1958, the tide changed, when the United States successfully launched Explorer I. This satellite carried a small scientific payload that eventually discovered the magnetic radiation belts around the Earth, named after principal investigator James Van Allen. The Explorer program continued as a successful ongoing series of lightweight, scientifically useful spacecraft. "


Chicagoans-Bears were losing to the Packers badly Sunday night. Players attribute their good comeback to Coach Lovie's half-time rallying speech.

Sputnik represented to the US and West a danger posed by not aggressive enough action, and spurred the US to action to take on the dangers caused by inaction.

Many Sputnik challenges around-
environment, Iran, radical Islam, assimilation, Con servative Judaism etc etc


We need a new kick in the pants, halftime speech to inspire us to action.
Will we respond to the challenge?
Noah took action. What lifeboat will we build to save world?

Is the Torah all from God? A question I received.

Rabbi,

So I have been studying the Documentary Hypotehsis(DH) theory recently. At first, I was listening to the Orthodox who said that they do not believe in the DHT, and that the Torah is written by only Moshe, etc.

I tried to make myself believe that, but I couldn't. And I still can not.

So for I while I lose my faith. Then, I satrted hearing from Conservative and Reform Rabbi's who said that the DH CAN go hand in hand with Judaism, and that it is all a diving plan.

I am not sure if you believe in the DH, but I have been watching your videos on youtube.. And here and there it seems that you might be intending that you do believe in it.

So I was wondering.. How can the DH go hand in hand with Judaism? Who wrote what, and how do we know it is inspired? What if the Torah is corrupt?

And not only the Torah, but also the Tanakh. (Many say the Deuteronomist wrote several books of Torah.) Do you know which ones were written by what (or at least speculated by scholaars are so?)

Shalom, and thank you for your time.



=
Great question. it was the most important question in my life the beginning of my sophmore year of college. I was at U of Chicago majoring in religion, after primarily an Orthodox education. Even my Conservative finish to elementary ed did not teach DH (or else I wasn't paying attention. ) I often tell the story that German Prof Jay Wilcoxen at U of C Divinty school was teaching Old Testanment, which I thought would be an easy A. First class, everyone else nodded knowingly (they were all graduate students in Divinty) when he began with DH, but I was stunnd. I ran out after class to the local Conservative Synagogue which housed my old Orthodox day school. the first person I ran into was the Orthodox principal. He told me what I heard was all anti-sdemitism. Then I went to see Rabbi Ralph Simon, ZL, the great Conservative Rabbi there, who told me Prof Wilcoxen was basically correct and all the Bible profs at the Conservative JTS Seminary I wanted to attend taught versions of DH. I asked your question He gave me many books to read and I wrote my senior paper on your question.
Get a copy of Etz Hayyim, the new Conservative Torah and commentary and read the commentary. Also, read Chaim Potock's novel
The Book of Lights (Mass Market Paperback)
by Chaim Potok (Author) .

The Torah is not a word-for- word tape recording from God. Even the talmud says the last 8 verses after Moses died were written by Joshua. It is the product of many authors redacted by at least one editor. many theories of who and when. Who Wrote the Bible is one such effort. As One great thinker said The R scholars assign as the redactor serves as our traditional R too, Moshe rabbenu-Moses our teacher. The Torah is itself a midrash on what God wants from us and of our early history. of course th Orthodox believe this is heresy, but they are wrong.

Gensis lessons

Breisheet-
1. Tohu Vavohu-verse 2 Earth was unformed and void

A. Vastness of universe
1. Voyager
NASA's two venerable Voyager spacecraft are celebrating three decades of flight as they head toward interstellar space. Their ongoing odysseys mark an unprecedented and historic accomplishment.
Voyager 2 launched on August 20, 1977, and Voyager 1 launched on September 5, 1977. They continue to return information from distances more than three times farther away than Pluto.
"The Voyager mission is a legend in the annals of space exploration. It opened our eyes to the scientific richness of the outer solar system, and it has pioneered the deepest exploration of the Sun's domain ever conducted," said Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "
For the past 18 years, the twin Voyagers have been probing the Sun's outer heliosphere and its boundary with interstellar space. Both Voyagers remain healthy and are returning scientific data 30 years after their launches.
Voyager 1 currently is the farthest human-made object, traveling at a distance from the Sun of about 15.5 billion kilometers (9.7 billion miles). Voyager 2 is about 12.5 billion kilometers (7.8 billion miles) from the Sun. Originally designed as a four-year mission to Jupiter and Saturn, the Voyager tours were extended because of their successful achievements and a rare planetary alignment. The two-planet mission eventually became a four-planet grand tour. After completing that extended mission, the two spacecraft began the task of exploring the outer heliosphere. More on the interstellar mission.
"In December 2004, Voyager 1 began crossing the solar system's final frontier. Called the heliosheath, this turbulent area, approximately 14 billion kilometers (8.7 billion miles) from the Sun, is where the solar wind slows as it crashes into the thin gas that fills the space between stars. Voyager 2 could reach this boundary later this year, putting both Voyagers on their final leg toward interstellar space.

The spacecraft are so distant that commands from Earth, traveling at light speed, take 14 hours one-way to reach Voyager 1 and 12 hours to reach Voyager 2. Each Voyager logs approximately 1 million miles per day.
Each of the Voyagers carries a golden record that is a time capsule with greetings, images, and sounds from Earth. The records also have directions on how to find Earth if the spacecraft is recovered by something or someone.

2. Earth may survive sun's demise
Earth Might Survive Sun’s Explosion
By DENNIS OVERBYE
What happens to planets when their stars age and die?
That’s not an academic question. About five billion years from now, astronomers say, the Sun will run out of hydrogen fuel and swell temporarily more than 100 times in diameter into a so-called red giant, swallowing Mercury and Venus and dooming life on Earth, but perhaps not Earth itself.
Astronomers are announcing that they have discovered a planet that seems to have survived the puffing up of its home star, suggesting there is some hope that Earth could survive the aging and swelling of the Sun.

B. Vastness and mystery of earth-midrash onm the verses in chapter one concerning the species created


"The task of identifying Earth's estimated 10 million species has daunted biologists for centuries - fewer than two million have been named. Using a technique called DNA bar coding, researchers at Rockefeller University and two Canadian institutions have uncovered four new species of North American birds. The findings are reported in the September 28 issue of Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology.
The result is an important step toward proving that the sequence of a short stretch of DNA — a so-called DNA bar code — can be used genetically to identify known species and to find new ones.
"A uniform system to use DNA to identify all plants and animals would allow many more people — from environmental regulators to nature lovers — to identify organisms," says Mark Y. Stoeckle, M.D., guest investigator in the Program for the Human Environment at Rockefeller University.
"For humans, birds are probably the easiest species to identify. They're big, they're colored differently, and they sing different songs. Yet even in that easy to identify group, there are hidden species," says Stoeckle.
As the cost of DNA sequencing goes down, Stoeckle and other proponents of DNA bar coding envision developing a hand-held device that amateur naturalists and others could take outdoors for species identification.
"New species won't be determined by DNA analysis alone," says Stoeckle. "Morphology, behavior, and vocalization, for example, will still need to be accounted for in determining whether something is a species. But barcoding will enable rapid screening of large numbers of organisms and highlight those with novel bar codes that are likely to be new species."

There may be 100 million unknown species on earth
2. Lessons from Genesis- Many cultures have creation myths. What lessons does ours teach-choose any or all-its not meant as science but as our orientation to life
a. Take care of garden
b. God behind creation. We are not alone. Einstein believed
c. Adam Echad-
1. No one can say my father is better than yours
2. God's mint is different than Roman emperors. When he mints, they are the same, but God's mint from Adam turns out unique individuals.
d. We are made in God's image. Each human is holy.

Message- live our lives knowing God is behind creation, treat all with reverance