Happenings

So I drove to Indy early Saturday morning to engage in a masochistic exercise known as the LSAT. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am the type of person that excels on standardized tests and benefits from not suffering any test anxiety. Additionally, I studied my ass off for this exam - for several years I have been talking about going to law school, this was the time to put action to words. I arrived in Indy early enough that I stopped at Starbucks and enjoyed a chai latte and a cheese danish while I centered myself and mentally prepared for the task at hand. Unfortunately, it appears as though I had not prepared thoroughly enough - as my ass that I previously studied off, was wantonly handed right back to me.

It was a disaster. I knew the format. I knew the time allotment. I knew what materials to bring (and what not to bring). I studied for 3 months and took 9 practice tests. All for naught. For someone who never gets test anxiety ... I FREAKED! And I don't know why. I have scheduled to take the February exam. Bleh.

In other, better news my conversion to Judaism has officially begun. I met with the Rabbi this past Wednesday and even though I am doing a Reform conversion, the Rabbi is conducting it according to halacha - Jewish law. What this means is I am basically doing a Conservative conversion ... for those of you that don't know of what I am writing, Judaism has four main branches: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist. This is analogous to Christianity having Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism (among others). Each branch has a differing take on the various aspects of Judaism (The Torah, halacha, the Talmud, etc.) from the most "fundamentalist" - Orthodox Judaism - to its most liberal - Reconstructionist.

I digress. A conversion according to halacha first means I have to live Judaism for 12 months, fully participating in the religious practices so that I experience each of the major holidays AT LEAST once. I'm no stranger to Chanukah (not a major holiday) and Passover, but I have never really participated in Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Purim, etc. - so this is a necessary step in my conversion. How can one accept something without having fully experienced it? Additionally, I am required to keep a journal, regularly attend Shabbat services, enroll in a class on Jewish ways of life at the synagogue, meet with Rabbi once a month to discuss my "progress" and understanding of assigned readings, and finally ... the major undertaking of beginning to learn the Hebrew language - a process I expect to take many years, if not a lifetime.

Oh yes, and the parts that make the conversion truly halachic: At some point toward the end of the 12 months I will participate in ceremonies known as Hatafat Dam Brit and tevillah. Hatafat Dam Brit is basically symbolic circumcision - symbolic because (at the risk of revealing too much information) I was circumcised as an infant, however, a small amount of blood must still be drawn to fully honor the covenant God made with Abraham. An un-circumcised adult male converting to Judaism must undergo a brit milah - a real circumcision and from what I'm told, not a minor procedure. Tevillah is an immersion in a mikveh - a ritual bath used for several purposes - but in this instance the purpose is a "bath" so that I will be ritually clean to enter into Judaism. Finally, I will go before a Bet Din - a Jewish religious court - generally consisting of three people, at least one of whom must be a rabbi. It is basically an oral exam questioning my knowledge of and commitment to Judaism ... perhaps I truly am masochistic? At some point in all of this I will choose a Hebrew name.

Needless to say this is more than a simple undertaking - perhaps no religious conversion is - and one that I am excited by and overwhelmed with. I apologize for not having much existential crisis in this post, for future reading I will attempt to explain how I came to Judaism - that should more than make up for the deficiencies in this post.

It's time for bed.