Looking for answers in Judaism

[Josef]

Greetings everyone,

I have already introduced myself in another topic, so I won't go in details, just the facts that will be useful to the post.

I am actually agnostic, or "deist" as some people call me. I believe in G-d (I will use this writing in here), but I don't follow any religion, for now. However, I am looking for guidance on the path to follow a religion.

It's been an inner search for months now, questionning myself what would be the "ideal" religion for me. I interested myself in the theology of the three main monotheists religions to maybe find a path.

First of all, I didn't say one thing : I am not Jewish, and nobody in my family was for generations.

And I do believe that Judaism, as I said in those terms, checked boxes in my search. I'll list them, though it won't be totally exhaustive :

- I do not believe in the Christ, therefore Christianity is... kind of a dead way. I could maybe accept him as a prophet, but I don't know if I could idolize him in any way. On top of that, the New Testament doesn't appeal to me.

- This may sound funny or childish, but if there is one religious "character" (I am sorry if this word is wrong) that I find incredible, and that I could venerate, it's Moses. His story, his relation with G-d, the Exodus... I could go on and on. I admire what he did, and reading his story and Old Testament parts about him deeply moves me. And globally, the Old Testament is a reading that I do find interesting.

- As a soon-to-be historian, the history of Jews do interest me. I come from a region in France, Moselle, where we have a big Jewish diaspora, and we hosted a lot of Jews during the WWII and helped them find home where few would give them one. We globally have a sympathy for them, and globally they thank us for this. And because I am not a closed mind, I also love Middle Eastern history in its globality.

So my questions are, and I would be very grateful for any answer on those :

- From what I said, do you think Judaism could work for me? Or does it need to be even more than that?

- I know there are many branches or "sects" in Judaism. As a newcomer and from what I said, do you know if any could work for me ? To be honest, I just reckon that there must be "Orthodox" and more liberal Judaism, but that's it. If there's different theology in it, I don't know.

I know those are general questions, and again, I deeply thank you for any answer that you would give me.

Josef

[a_Sarah]

Hi Josef!

First of all, I do not feel qualified to answer your questions - and from what I learned so far, probably only you can do so. But since I am also feeling drawn to Judaism, I wanted to share some ressources, some of which were recommended to me here, that made doing the soul-searching that is needed to find your own way a bit easier for me.

There are some excellent books by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin on a variety of topics regarding Judaism. As someone with a limited background on Judaism, they were a good starting point for me. There is a book on Jewish literacy, one on Ethics, and among others, one that I particularly enjoyed as a day-to-day source of suggestions for guidance and ethical behavior. There are more, maybe you find others helpful, too!

It can also be really helpful to contact local synagogues and join their services. It is an on-off thing for me due to current health limitations, but nevertheless, I feel inspired and also enjoy connecting with others. I had to chuckle at your girlfriend's comment on "the urge to pee", for me, the urge to somehow connect with others together in some kind of gratitude could be described similarly. Services do that for me. Synagogues often also have some introductory classes to Judaism. If you identified a synagogue where you feel comfortable in, you might ask them if you could join. You do not always need to actively seek conversion for that - sometimes, it is also possible to attend if you just want to learn more, which might be a good starting point. Some communities might want only prospective converts and some might even have waiting lists, so your mileage may vary. 

Regarding the different denominations, you most likely might encounter Orthodox, Conservative/Masorti and Reform. There is also Reconstructionist, but from what I've gathered, this is much more common in the US. A good starting point could just be to google jewish communities and your location, there might be an overview listing the different synagogues and their denomination. 

It seems you are in a good position to start your journey of getting to know Judaism, especially if your region has a sizeable Jewish community. 

It is very likely that no one, not even the Rabbi you might talk to, will tell you if Judaism is a good choice for you. But it is likely that they just encourage you to learn more. You don't need to decide on anything, especially not at a point where you are just starting to discover everything.

I wish you all the best!

[searchinmyroots]

Great reply Sarah!

Josef - So sorry for not replying earlier.

So, do I think Judaism can work for you? Well, I'm not sure what you mean by "work".

You can most certainly follow the teachings of Judaism as there are many, many resources. Sarah mentioned a couple of great ones. I myself have a collection of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks books and also Rabbi David Fohrman's books and videos on the Aleph Beta website.

But being part of a "people" is an entirely different thing. It is a lifelong commitment that takes discipline, learning, devotion and community.

It's a decision that you'll have to make yourself as to where you fit in best if that is the path you choose to take.

We're here to help where we can wherever that leads you.

[Chavak]

I second Sarah's suggestion to contact a synagogue. Judaism is very community orientated and that would be a good place to start to learn more about the community and to integrate into it if it should come to that. Visit synagogues from all denominations because that is the only way you will learn which aligns with your beliefs.
Rabbi Sacks is a favorite of mine, read anything by him you can find. Also Joseph Telushkin is very good.