Sunday 23 August 2015

torah study - Going from an nonreligious reform Jew to a religious one?


I turned sixteen a couple of weeks ago and the real world is starting to open up to me. My father is a Christian, but my mother is Jewish which makes myself and my siblings Jewish. We went to synagogue sometimes when I was a lot younger and we stopped about when I turned 12.


At the time, I didn't really think about it. I lived my normal life. I have only celebrated mainly two Jewish holidays: Chanukkah and Passover. I did go to Hebrew school, but only for a little while. I never had a Bar Mitzvah, I do not know the Hebrew language. I cannot read the Torah in Hebrew. I don't know many Jewish traditions and holidays such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shavuot, etc.


I've just had some sudden urge to get closer to G-d, learn Jewish Law, and learn Hebrew, but I only have a little experience. What are some ways that I can fit in with a Jewish Community? What are some ways a person my age can become more religious? I have been thinking that I could maybe even shift over to a little less reform and more Orthodox.



Answer



Welcome and congratulations on your search and efforts!


Beyond the suggestions above (first and foremost to approach the rabbi in a local synagogue or Chabad house), there are a number of websites which I have used at different points in time with a focus on beginners. They might be helpful to access Jewish content and start learning regularly.



There is also a wonderful organization called NJOP which developed classes which are delivered in hundreds of synagogues across the US and Canada, specifically they have a Crash Course in Basic Judaism, Hebrew Reading Crash Course and Crash Course in Jewish History.



If you prefer books, this is a very good list from MY user ezra targeted at beginners (which in Judaism is a compliment, not a criticism!) or here from MY user Chanoch for a shorter list.


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