Relevant post from anonymousette
Anonymousette posted:
I was just having a thought about becoming a BT that I thought I would share. I think most BTs originally don't want to become Orthodox at all. They know that such a move will alienate them from their family and closest friends, and just make their life harder. For this reason, they rationalize why they are not Orthodox and why Judaism is wrong. There comes a point when they can no longer rationalize anymore, and thats when the realization hits that Orthodox Judaism is the only way to go. I think this is lost by becoming a BT through a kiruv rabbi, because I really feel able to combat any doubts I am having because I have had to rationalize all of them before I became a BT.
Rebel' note:
So you were better prepared for being frum WITHOUT any kiruv.
I was just having a thought about becoming a BT that I thought I would share. I think most BTs originally don't want to become Orthodox at all. They know that such a move will alienate them from their family and closest friends, and just make their life harder. For this reason, they rationalize why they are not Orthodox and why Judaism is wrong. There comes a point when they can no longer rationalize anymore, and thats when the realization hits that Orthodox Judaism is the only way to go. I think this is lost by becoming a BT through a kiruv rabbi, because I really feel able to combat any doubts I am having because I have had to rationalize all of them before I became a BT.
Rebel' note:
So you were better prepared for being frum WITHOUT any kiruv.
posted by Rebeljew at
5:01 PM
1 Comments:
A comment on the comment above. It's an excellent point that someone who has rationalised to the point where they cannot rationalise anymore, may well lead to a realisation that Orthodox Judaism is the only way to go. But the comment
'I think this is lost by becoming a BT through a kiruv rabbi, because I really feel able to combat any doubts I am having because I have had to rationalize all of them before I became a BT'
....doesn't express well the subtlety of the intricate spiritual process of reaching a 'tipping point' from thoughts to acting on thoughts.
WHY? Because, 'getting closer' (kiruv=closeness) by default necessarily requires a Kiruv Rabbi who provides an exemplary Jewish environment which potential BT's can become familiar with.
But becoming familiar with, and then valuing or accepting the spirituality of that environment is part and parcel of the rationalisation process towards the point where a BT decides to first act on the desire to become a BT.
This is because the very acceptance of any aspect, large or small, of a structured way of life with core ethical values is itself to rationalise towards choosing that path as a path for oneself.
It is in the piecemeal and cumulative exposure to a welcoming Jewish environment that the rationale for the desire to be fully integrated as an active member of that Jewish environment develops and therefore it is not possible to complete the rationalisation process towards the 'tipping point act' or series of acts from say, holding a belief to acting upon it, without having some sort of environment with a Rabbi who helped create it, which intentionally or unintentionally resulted in the BT using rational faculties to dispel doubts.
If this is true, then the path of a BT is channelled through a Kiruv Rabbi (or Rabbi) at every stage, and the distinction between independent rationalisation towards becoming a BT and rationalising towards becoming a BT through a kiruv Rabbi are in fact two elements of an interdependent process.
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Unknown, at 9:45 PM
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