AboutDavid Rosenblum Expertise I am an ex-student of yeshiva and I like to be
presented with Torah study problems. If you have
studied the Torah and have questions on the subject
matter, I want to hear about it. I am not a Rabbi and
not qualified to decide halachic issues. I am still
interested in halachic questions for which I can
sometimes offer general guidelines or present
decisions in halachic works such as Mishna Berurah. I
welcome questions from non-Jewish people but I cannot
respond to religious references that are not part of
Judaism. If you are working on a paper or doing
research and want general information on a Jewish
subject, I may or may not satisfy your need, depending
on how comfortable I am with the question. If you
have a personal problem, I am not qualified to help
you but I will do what I can to offer you some
assistance.
Question I was wondering why it is that the jewish people do not carry out the sacrificial laws in the old testament. does this not count as a sin- to not do them? if it is not a sin, why not? how can the people be sure that they are not wronging God?
Also, if i was fully willing (and PLEASE dont give me the shpeel about how you have to be REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WILLING) i mean REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY willing, and i lived in london, how would i go about becoming an orthodox jew and joining a community there? would i be provided with work?
Answer Hi Han,
We can only bring sacrifices on the Altar in the Temple in Jerusalem. We must be in a tahor state (ritual cleanliness) and we must establish who is a true Kohen, a descendant in the male line exclusively from Aaron the High Priest without any blemishes in the lineage. G-d has not given us the opportunity to do any of this so we are committing this "sin" against our will, by force; under such circumstances the Torah exempts us from any punishment.
You know the word shpeel (it's spelled spiel but that's ok), you are already halfway there!! But all kidding aside, you must commit to all laws of the Torah and the Rabbis without a single exception. Unless you grew up with it, it takes a lot of adjustment and training, it could take a few years even. Also you should know that the punishments for transgressing the laws of G-d are severe. So if you are really really ready for all this, just search out Torah observant Rabbis; shouldn't be too hard in London. I doubt very much that the conversion process has an established job search/placement service attached to it. Jews are however obligated to do what they can to ensure a fellow Jew has a livelihood but don't count on someone taking you under their wing.
