Question: How does the lack of a Beit Din affect the legitimacy of a conversion?
Dear Rabbi,
I have a concern about my conversion and am hoping you can help me out. I studied with a Reform rabbi for a year and then the day of my conversion I immersed in the mikvah and then later had a ceremony during Sabbath services. There was not a Beit Din present during my conversion. It is four years later and I have studied a lot since then and now recognize the importance of a Bet Din. Is it problematic that there was no Bet Din and is there anything I can do about it at this point? Any help you could offer would be very much appreciated.
Shalom, Elisha
Answer: Dear Elisha,
Thank you for your letter. You write that you converted to Judaism four years ago with a Reform rabbi. Although your conversion included immersion in a mikveh, there was no beit din (a rabbinic court of at least three rabbis) as is required by traditional standards. You are now concerned that the legitimacy of your conversion may be questioned.
The Reform Movement places no requirements on its rabbis concerning standards and procedures for conversion. However, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), did adopt a series of guidelines in 2001 for rabbis working with prospective converts. One of the recommendations of this document states:
"A beit din of three rabbis represents the most appropriate framework for formalizing giur [conversion]. In addition, the use of a beit din can also contribute to a sense of legitimacy as perceived by the prospective geir/gioret [convert] and it can give the rabbi who has been working with the candidate the opportunity to see the candidate through another set of eyes."
Sometimes, it is impractical to convene a beit din for a conversion, especially for remote Jewish communities that lie at a great distance from other rabbis. This is one of the reasons why Reform rabbis sometimes will authorize conversion without a beit din.
Most Reform rabbis with whom I have discussed this issue do require both immersion and a beit din for all converts (and b'rit milah or hatafat dam b'rit for men). However, the lack of a beit din has little practical impact on the recognition of the legitimacy of a conversion. Virtually all Reform rabbis and congregations will accept and recognize a conversion authorized by a Reform rabbi, regardless of the form of the ritual.
Rabbis in the Conservative Movement generally will not recognize a conversion that is completed without a beit din and immersion. If, at some point in the future, you desire recognition of your conversion by a Conservative rabbi, it would not be difficult to establish it with a beit din.
Virtually no orthodox rabbis will accept a conversion authorized by a Reform rabbi under any circumstances. Your status according to these authorities is in no way altered by the lack of a beit din at your conversion.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser
