Halachot and Customs
What Is a Stringent Conversion?
Question
Hello,
I would like to know: what is a conversion l'chumra, and what are the stages?
And what is the difference between a conversion l'chumra and an ordinary conversion?
Is this a more lenient conversion compared with the state conversion?
Answer
Hello and blessings
Conversion l'chumra means that a person underwent a conversion, but it is not clear with certainty that it took effect, or there is some doubt regarding his or her Jewish status, and therefore we need to convert again as a stringency. Since in general the convert more or less knows all the rules of conversion, and this is done only as a stringency, the process can be especially brief, depending on the circumstances.
With blessings,
Benjamin Shmueli
