My Beit Din is a blur. I remember my rabbi saying some things, but I don’t remember what. I don’t even remember the questions, except for two:
Will you miss anything from Christianity? “Yes,” I answered carefully. After all, I didn’t want to get myself expelled for some stupid answer even before I was officially a Jew! “Christmas music,” I said. “I’ll miss Christmas music.” I breathed a sigh of relief when one of the rabbis answered, “Oh, I like Christmas music. I don’t think you have to give that up.”
The next question was, “What’s different now?” now that I had undergone the Beit Din. “Why, the covenant, of course!” I blurted out. And apparently that was the right answer. I had thrown my hat in, thrown my life in, with the Jews. I was one of them, I would suffer with them, share joy with them, and accept the responsibilities of the being chosen.
It was a happy day even though I don’t remember a whole lot of specifics. One thing I was sure of: I trusted these rabbis – still do – and I didn’t think they’d quiz me about Babylonian Jewish history. (If they had, I wouldn’t be a Jew today!) They were only interested in my emotional reactions to what was happening right then, right there. And I love them for that.
Will you miss anything from Christianity? “Yes,” I answered carefully. After all, I didn’t want to get myself expelled for some stupid answer even before I was officially a Jew! “Christmas music,” I said. “I’ll miss Christmas music.” I breathed a sigh of relief when one of the rabbis answered, “Oh, I like Christmas music. I don’t think you have to give that up.”
The next question was, “What’s different now?” now that I had undergone the Beit Din. “Why, the covenant, of course!” I blurted out. And apparently that was the right answer. I had thrown my hat in, thrown my life in, with the Jews. I was one of them, I would suffer with them, share joy with them, and accept the responsibilities of the being chosen.
It was a happy day even though I don’t remember a whole lot of specifics. One thing I was sure of: I trusted these rabbis – still do – and I didn’t think they’d quiz me about Babylonian Jewish history. (If they had, I wouldn’t be a Jew today!) They were only interested in my emotional reactions to what was happening right then, right there. And I love them for that.
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