Can a Person Convert to Judaism?

By DROR BEN AMI
 

 Illustration: Micah Exhorting the Israelites to Repentance By: Gustave Dor'e

In short, the answer is: “No”.
There is no such thing as conversion to Judaism in the written Torah, it is something the rabbis invented (i.e. Their predecessors: The Pharisees).
First of all, if you make an application for Israeli citizenship, the first question they ask you is: Was your mother Jewish? If your mother is Jewish, they could not care less which synagogue you attended; who your rabbi is, what yeshiva you studied in, etc, etc, etc….
In fact, even if you were a Christian, but your mother was Jewish, you would STILL be granted Israeli citizenship…..IMMEDIATELY…..no questions asked…well, maybe they would ask a few questions, but you would get your citizenship.
The point is: A Jew is a member of the people formerly known as either Hebrews or Israelites. Judaism is the religion practiced by those people.
Hence, this raises the question: If a Japanese person practices the religion of the Jewish people, does he become a member of the Jewish people?
The written Torah is quite clear: The answer is: “No”.
A stranger may live amongst the Israelites and, if he agrees to follow all their laws, he will share in their bounties, but that does not make him an Israelite.
A clear example of this is: Uriah the Hittite. He was a soldier in David’s army, he lived in Jerusalem, BUT he was STILL a Hittite.
The rabbis like to spread the lie that in Exodus 24 what we are reading about is a “mass conversion” being performed by Moses…
This is total nonsense and an outright lie.
First: if a Christian converts to Islam, there are two changes:
1) His identity changes from a Christian to a Muslim.
2) His God changes from Jesus to Allah
These two changes do NOT take place in the events concerning Exodus 24:
1) Before Exodus 24, the people were known as either Israelites or Hebrews. After Exodus 24 the people were STILL known as Israelites or Hebrews.
2) Before Exodus 24 the people worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After Exodus 24 the people STILL worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
So then: Where is the conversion?
The religious practices of a Reform Jew are very different from those of an Orthodox Jew. If a Reform Jew decided to join an Orthodox community would this be described as: “a conversion”?
Perhaps it might be described as: “an upgrade”, but even that would be adamantly contested by the Reform Community who insist they are “full-fledged” Jews who practice a form Judaism which is in accordance with the present world conditions. Just as modern Orthodox Jews do not practice the form of Judaism that was practiced at “Yavne” after the fall of the temple, yet still consider themselves to be Jews (i.e. They don't consider themselves to be "converts" to: Modern Orthodox Judaism).
Regardless, the point is that a Jew is a member of a people, just like a Japanese person is a member of a people. I can study Japanese culture; pray to Shinto gods; eat sushi from dawn to dusk; etc, etc, etc, but that does not make me Japanese.
The written Torah says that “God created man in his own image” (more or less that is what it says). What conversions are is an example of : “Rabbis are taking gentiles and then "re-creating" them in THEIR own image”.
Hence Rabbi Shlomo Riskin declares again and again and again: “Rabbis are: ‘God’s partners’ and ‘God’s co creators”. Sure you are rabbi….Moses was God’s servant, but YOU are his partner…God created the heavens and the earth, I bet YOU can’t even create a good potato pancake….
But let’s try to look at this logically for a moment:
The Five Books of Moses don’t mention a single convert, nor do they mention a procedure for conversions. What the written Torah does talk about, in detail, is intermarriage with other people and the children of intermarriages. If the parent is an Egyptian, it takes 3 GENERATIONS for the descendant of this union to be considered a Jew. That’s, at least, 60 years!
Nevertheless, some rabbi in Bensonhurst can convert an Eskimo studying at New York University to Judaism in 12 months! (Even less, if the Eskimo has enough money and is willing to pay cash).
The aspect of this conversion which proves it is all a sham is that it is the denomination of Judaism to which the rabbi belongs that determines the new identity of the Eskimo/Jew.
A reform rabbi cannot convert an Eskimo to become a Satmar Jew or a Chassidic Jew….As noted, the rabbi converts the Eskimo into his own image: i.e. “a reform Jew”.
If a person is converted to Judaism by a Conservative Jew, generally speaking, the “convert” adopts the customs and habits of the Conservative rabbis’ congregation. Again he is made into the rabbi’s image.
Let’s take another example. God clearly told Isaac that he would inherit the land of Canaan, because his father Abraham had obeyed ALL of God’s commandments and laws.
God made his covenant with Abraham and said it would pass thru Isaac. God placed only ONE condition on the covenant: that Abraham teach God’s ways to his descendants.
How could Abraham teach God’s ways to his descendants if the rabbis insist he did not know God’s ways? Isn’t just amazing how a group of rabbis can insist that THEY received “oral laws”, but deny that Abraham received “oral laws”. For a more in depth discussion of this issue , please read the article: 

http://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Torah-Commentaries/-386986

 

 

The facts are clear: God says that Abraham knew and followed ALL of God’s laws. Abraham did NOT convert his other seven children to Judaism. But the rabbi in Bensonhurst feels he has a perfect right to convert Eskimos to Judaism…. And he does…. It is a right, however, granted by the rabbis, not God.
In conclusion, the predecessors of modern day rabbis, converted thousands of Galileans and Edomites to Judaism. These Galileans and Edomites later formed the core of the radical faction known as “Zealots”. Most historians agree it was because of the fanatical nature of the Zealots that Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed (i.e. the genetic Jews wanted to surrender and compromise, but the converted Jews killed these people and insisted everyone in the city fight to the bitter end)….
So, What do we have today thanks to conversions?:
1) Jesus of Galilee
2) Herod the Edomite murderer, who everyone thinks is Jewish
3) The temple mount in Muslim hands
Hey, this conversion thing doesn’t seem to be such a good idea after all, does it?

If you have any questions or comments, you can send them to my Facebook Page which I have set up specifically  for this purpose: https://www.facebook.com/people/Dror-Ben-Ami/100011593230333