Conversion Curriculum

Beth Din of Florida > Conversion Curriculum

Curriculum of Study for Geirut (Conversion)

Prepared by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg

Jewish Philosophy – Candidate must gain a basic understanding of fundamental concepts in Judaism. Examples include, but are not limited to: nature of God, reward and punishment, Moshiach, difference between the written and oral Torah, free will, authenticity and divine nature of Torah, and more.

  1. Books by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
    1. “Anthology” volumes 1 and 2
    2. “Encounters”
    3. “Concise Handbook of Jewish Thought” (To be used as reference)
  2. “On Judaism”, Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, Artscroll
  3. “Gateways to Judaism,” Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Artscroll

Jewish History – Candidate must gain basic knowledge of significant events, personalities and locations of Jewish History. Exact dates, names, etc. are not as important as general familiarity.

  1. “The Jewish Experience 2,000 Years”, Rabbi Nachman Zakon, Artscroll
  2. “Echoes of Glory, Rabbi Beryl Wein, Artscroll
  3. “Herald of Destiny”, Rabbi Beryl Wein, Artscroll
  4. “Triumph of Survival,” Rabbi Beryl Wein, Artscroll

Prayer – In addition to learning to read Hebrew, the candidate must be able to navigate around a Siddur, understand the obligations of prayer, the different types of prayer, when to stand, sit, etc.

  1. “To Pray as a Jew,” Rabbi Irving Donin
  2. “The Art of Jewish Prayer,” Lisa Aiken, Jason Aronson

The Jewish Lifecycle – The candidate must identify and understand the different ceremonies, rituals and meaning of the events within the Jewish lifecycle

  1. Pregnancy and Birth
    1. “B’Shaah Tova”
  2. Bar/Bat Mitzvah
    1. “Bar/ Bat Mitzvah and Beyond”, Rabbi Nachman Cohen, Torah Lishma Institute
    2. “To Be A Jewish Woman,” Lisa Aiken, Jason Aronson
  3. Marriage
    1. “The Jewish Way in Love and Marriage, Rabbi Maurice Lamm
    2. “Beyond Bashert,” Lisa Aiken, Jason Aronson
    3. “Made in Heaven,” Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
  4.  Parenting
    1. “To Kindle a Soul,” Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen
    2. “Balanced Parenting,” Rabbi and Dr. Pelcovitz, Artscroll
  5.  Death
    1. “The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning”, Rabbi Maurice Lamm

The Jewish Calendar – The candidate must recognize and understand the Jewish months, and significant dates on the Jewish calendar including holidays, fast days, Rosh Chodesh, Tu B’Shvat, etc. The candidate must experience and observe minimally one complete cycle of the Jewish calendar.

  1. “The Book of Our Heritage”, Rabbi Eliyahu KiTov

Jewish Law – The candidate must have a working knowledge and appreciation of Jewish law. They must be properly prepared to live an observant lifestyle.

  1. Laws of Shabbat
  2. Laws of Yom Tov
  3. Laws of Kashrut
  4. Laws of Berachot
  5. Laws of Taharat Ha’Mishpacha (Family Purity)
  6. Laws of Bein Adom L’chaveiro including tzedaka, etc.