•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jewish Beginnings is for those who are either new to Judaism, new to authentic and traditional Judaism, or for those who are considering conversion to authentic Judaism.
There are many issues involved in this situation. Some innocent or naive people are misled into believing that other "varieties" or "streams" within Judaism are equally acceptable.
Such people might feel uncomfortable in the Jewish Beginnings group.
Our series of Jewish and Hebrew groups deals with many Jewish activities, traditions, methods of behavior, and laws. They sometimes assume that the participants have a solid background in Judaism.
What�s a newbie to do? He will be met with raised virtual eyebrows and sighs if he poses questions, legitimate though they may be, to an advanced group. Yes, most people will try to be patient, but he will probably feel that he doesn�t belong, or that his questions are out of place.
No matter how patient the people on the group may try to be, some participants will inevitably be annoyed by basic questions. They want to discuss more advanced issues that are on their level.
As a result, both the person posing the question and the people reading the question and the basic answers are frustrated.
Jewish Beginnings was created in response to subscribers to groups such as the venerable Jewish Traditions who felt left out because it seemed too advanced for them. They felt alienated because they were either new to Judaism or considering conversion to Judaism.
Jewish Beginners offers an opportunity to present issues and questions about traditional Judaism in a less threatening environment. Subscribers do not feel that their knowledge of Judaism is limited, or that they are carrying out their discussions in the company of outstanding and intimidating scholars.
Jewish Beginnings. It�s a place where elementary Jewish questions are welcomed. Everybody is considered to be on the same elementary level.
So, if everybody is on the same level, who will answer those questions?
We thought about that too. That�s why we also have experts on the group. We've invited people who have a firm foundation in Judaism. They are willing, interested, and prepared to help those who are starting out or those who are considering the possibilities of converting to Judaism.
When is it time to move from Jewish Beginnings to a more advanced group?
Perhaps we can answer this question by offering an example.
We also have a Kosher group.
If you have a general basic question, like "Are pigs kosher?" then it doesn't belong on the Kosher group. Don't even ask a question like "Why aren�t pigs kosher?" on that group. The question is much too basic.
However, if you have advanced enough in your knowledge of Kashrut that you want to know about the marking on a particular product, then the Kosher group is the place to ask it.
The same holds true on the Jewish Beginnings group. It's for those who want the basics.
Find out more about Jewish Beginnings
Subscribe to Jewish Beginnings
Find out about guidelines for our Jewish groups
Find out more about other Jewish and Hebrew groups
Third Son will help you decide which Jewish group to join
Are you required to read this webpage for a course? Do NOT print out the article. It is copyrighted.
Your exercise for this article is as follows:
Copyright © David Grossman. World rights reserved. This article may not be printed, forwarded, reproduced, or copied in any way or in any medium without written permission from David Grossman.
