[Boldly Go 🖖🏼]

Cindy: Hey… can I be a Jew?

Rabbi: No.

Cindy: Can I be a Jew?

Rabbi: No.

Cindy: Can I be a Jew?

Rabbi: You really want this? Sincerely? Not ‘cause this one’s trying to blackmail me for something stupid when I was 19 or for broccoli with your dinner? What is this for you?

Cindy: Honestly, I think I found my people. I was raised in a church where I was told to believe and pray. And if I was bad, I’d go to hell. And if I was good, I’d go to heaven. And if I’d ask Jesus, he’d forgive me and that was that. And here y’all are sayin’ ain’t no hell. Ain’t sure about heaven. And if you do something wrong, you got to figure it out yourself. And as far as God’s concerned, it’s your job to keep asking questions and to keep learning and to keep arguing. It’s like a verb. It’s like … you do God. And that’s a lot of work, but I think I’m in, as least as far as I can see it. I mean, maybe I’ll learn more and say fuck the whole thing, I mean, but I wanna learn more, and I think I gotta be in it to do that. You know… Does that make sense? Shit, did I just talk myself out of it?

Rabbi: Ask me again.

Cindy: Can I be a Jew?

Second of all, as a contextual note, the rabbi said no for a reason. In Jewish conversion, one of the steps is that you must be discouraged at least three times. This comes from the story of Ruth, where Naomi told her not to follow her back to the Jewish tribe three times before giving in.

(And the only way you don’t get in is to be a truly Evil person. Not just a sinner or mean. You’ve got to be activly cruel and disregarding of people continuously to loose your stake in Olam HaBa.)

As to him saying no, it’s very much as has been said by the others - Judaism does not missionize. We are very happy with you living your lives, just y’know try and be just and moral? But if you actually want to join into this crazy ethnic tribe/religion, ok, but we’ve got some rules based on the stories of our Heritage aka the Tanackh or what most would refer to as “the Old Testiment”. It also very much relies on an active engagement and understanding that yeah, there’s gonna be ebbs and flows to your faith, spirituality, and levels of observance.

Also asserting or doing something three times is considered a Hazakah (חזקה) a strengthening. So for the potential convert it’s showing the rabbi(s) their resolve, or if you come from a family that doesn’t have a specific custom/Minhag, if you repeat it annually for three years, then boom, you’ve got yourself a family custom to pass down.

DAILY MINIMAL - Bauhaus Design Week (No. 02)

No. 428

Sableye/Delibird fusion I made for a roleplaying group on DA but I like the idea so much so have it on its own.