20th Century Journeys

My personal journey to Judaism probably began when I was five years old and nearly expelled from Catholic catechism classes. "A bright girl," the nuns would tell my mother, "but does she have to ask so many questions?"

By the age of twelve I knew that I did not want to be a Catholic. I also knew that I believed in God and had a need for religion in my life. However, a twelve-year-old child, I did not know that one could convert or change one's faith.

Many years later, after a long and arduous quest for a religion I could embrace, I found Judaism spoke to me. I remember many revelatory moments, but one of the most outstanding was when I discovered- to my great surprise and delight- that Judaism not only permits questions, it sometimes even requires them. It happened during a study session with my rabbi, a pious and solemn soul. I was answering question after question that he posed to me, as I had done each week for nearly a year. Suddenly he posed a problem to which I could not respond. "Don't you know the answer?" he asked. "I know the answer," I finally replied, "but I do not agree with it."

This ever stem rabbi underwent a total transformation. Elated, he rose from his desk and, with his eyes shining and his voice booming, banged his fist on the table. "Baruch Hashem!" he shouted. "Bless the Lord! You are finally thinking like a Jew!"